Aisha Tyler Declares 'Intelligent Revolution' in Indie Film — SkimNews
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- Aisha Tyler and Kirsten Vangsness declared on the 2026 Emmys carpet that Hollywood's next creative revolution will come from outside the traditional studio system, with Vangsness calling the current era "scary, scary times" and Tyler urging artists to "just make your stuff" rather than wait for permission.
- Tyler is preparing her third independent film — following her 2017 directorial debut "Axis" and the upcoming psychological thriller "I Hope We Can Still Be Friends" — as part of what she predicts will be a "third independent film revolution," specifically an "Intelligent Revolution."
- Vangsness, who stars alongside Tyler on Paramount+'s "Criminal Minds: Evolution," is currently touring her play "Outdated" and wore a Timothy Snyder badge referencing the historian's opposition to media mergers, framing her working life as "fancy indentured servitude."
- Vangsness recalled personally recruiting the late Tim Curry to guest on "Criminal Minds" as serial killer Billy Flynn, appearing in two episodes including the Season 5 finale, after spotting the actor at a local gym.
- Tyler, one of the few Black women directing regularly in television across "Criminal Minds," "The Walking Dead," "Fear the Walking Dead," "Evil," and "Elsbeth," said she continues directing partly to be a visible role model for other women of color in the field.
Why it matters: Two working TV actors with major studio credits — Tyler across the Walking Dead universe and Criminal Minds — are publicly framing independent production as the corrective to industry consolidation and algorithm-driven content. Tyler's coined "Intelligent Revolution" and Vangsness's Timothy Snyder badge turn an Emmys carpet interview into an explicit argument against media mergers.
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