Ever since she ruled to roost in “Who’s the Boss,” actress Judith Light has been known as a team player.

That’s a quality not much discussed in Hollywood but is responsible for many actors dropping off the call sheet.

"I really do feel that people know me for my availability, speaking plainly about myself, and that I'm a team player,” she says.

“What's important to me is that I'm not making it about myself, that I’m making it all about the other aspects of the work. I think that comes into play a lot, and you get a reputation over time. There are people who say, ‘This is a person I want to work with because I hear good things about them – because they are a person who wants to be part of a team.’ ... What you're really talking about is also the choices that I make to do the kinds of things that I prioritize for entertainment, for service, and for the audience.”

It’s true that Light has always been refreshingly open and candid. “I think there’s a combination of things like that that really come into play where people feel strongly that I have integrity,” she continues.

“And that matters to people. And they know that I would speak the truth about stuff, and that I really want to be a part of a team. I don’t want to just make it about myself.”

Her choices have run the dizzying gambit from the 196 episodes of the sitcom, “Who’s the Boss,” to serious dramatic forays like ”The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” and her initial zinger in the soap, “One Life to Live,” which copped her an Emmy.

Though she has starred in several horror tales, “The Terror: Devil in Silver,” streaming now on AMC+ and Shudder, is a wildly divergent venture. “When I get to do a part like this, I get to talk about mental health in this country and around the world, and how we treat each other as human beings,” she says.

“And I think people respond the that. And I think our business responds to that. They know I will take seriously what they are bringing forward and the messages that they’re trying to get out there.”

She says she chose the series — not because it was a tantalizing horror creation, but because of the people she was working with and the challenge of the role. “It wasn’t just that I got to be doing something that was horror ... I don’t think about it that way. It was really what the creation was, and who this character was, and her fragility and her complexity that really drew me to the project,” she says.

But Light sees more than a juicy acting venture in a spooky six-parter. “I also think that the industry has caught up with the fact that mature women have a lot to talk about and a lot of experience and a lot to say,” she says.

“And a lot of people are writing those kinds of characters. I mean, if you look at people like Kathy Bates, you're looking at Jamie Lee Curtis, you're looking at women that are in this age range that have stories to tell. And I think the industry is finally really paying attention to that — and I’m part of that and proud to be a part of that.”

Light has said that she originally liked acting because it made her the center of attention. “Because I got people’s approval — or I didn't — and had to learn to deal with their criticism. It was a very childish view of my work. Simultaneously I always had a higher ideal about it which I've realized for quite a while.”

‘Scream 7’ ricochets off Paramount+

The latest of the popular series of blood-curdling antics, “Scream 7,” is streaming now on Paramount+. Neve Campbell, once again as the resourceful Sidney Prescott, returns for her fifth “Scream” venture.

“ I think what makes the ‘Scream’ films fun is that yes, you're following my character and you have to see it through my eyes because the audience has to be concerned about somebody — but there's also the comedy. And it's also witty. I think the balance — having both — is what made the films ... If it had just been my character, so what? We would've been bored to tears and not laughing and not really scared. If it had just been the comedy, again, so what? I think it's the mix of the two that made it so good.”

What really makes the franchise so good is its author, Kevin Williamson. “It’s so weird that the scary stuff is what I’m sort of known for because, when I’m sitting down and writing, I’m always writing for the tears,” he says.

“I’m always writing TO the tears. I’m always writing the emotional part. I like emotional storytelling, and so I’m always writing for the moment before the scary beat or the moment after it. I don’t know why.

“All I know is that when I was just starting out and I was in New York City and I was waiting tables next to the Martin Beck Theatre, which is now the Hirschfeld or something, ‘Into the Woods’ was premiering.

“And Stephen Sondheim would come in, and he would let all of the waiters get the house seats to see ‘Into the Woods’ when it was in tryouts. And I remember watching that. I must have seen it 87 times, and it was the original cast. It was before it had opened even, and I saw it through its whole run.

“And that’s what gave me the idea to write ‘Scream,’ because I saw him sort of deconstruct the fairy tale and subvert the fairy tale in such a beautiful way. I thought, ‘What if you do that to a horror movie?’ And that’s what inspired ‘Scream.’”

Smoove signs a smooth deal with Fox

Comedian and actor JB Smoove has signed a scrumptious deal with Fox to produce a slate of unscripted shows for the network. Most people know Smoove from his portrayal as Larry David’s loud housemate in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and his stand-up comedy.

Smoove remembers how his “big break” arrived.“I was in New York when a friend passed away. I came back to L.A. for the funeral and went to meet my new agents,” he recalls.

“I said, ‘I'm in town till tomorrow so if anything shows up, let me know.’ Two minutes later my agent comes in the door and says, ‘Hey, I got “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”’ I said, ‘I am the biggest fan in the world.’

“I would sit on my couch and say, ‘I would love to be on that show someday.’ So I guess it’s one of those things that you throw into the universe and it comes. It changed everything. Four seasons of ‘Curb’ and after it was over, all these meetings kept coming up,” he says.

“I truly believe the only way you can succeed in certain things is you have to do it. You have to have no other choice to make it work. I was doing so much after my day job, I said ‘I’ve got to do something different to make this work. The only way I can make this thing work is to quit this job, and this has got to be what I gotta make work.”

Sedgwick co-stars in new thriller

Kyra Sedgwick is co-starring in the new thriller “Carolina Caroline,” opening in theaters Friday, June 5. It’s the story of a young Texas lass (Samara Weaving) who hooks up with a charming conman drifter (Kyle Gallner).

Sedgwick plays Weaving’s mother in the tale. It’s hard to believe but Sedgwick left her classic series, “The Closer,” more than 10 years ago. And viewers can still watch it on Netflix, Prime, Apple TV, Philo and Peacock.

Since then she has gone on to a variety of projects. “I remember when I was just starting out and I had an audition for ‘Flashdance,’ and I was 18,” she says.

“The word came down that anyone who auditioned was supposed to wear a leotard and high heels. And I said, ‘I can’t wear a leotard and high heels!’ Everyone else was in a leotard, and I just couldn’t. I was young. But probably the most courageous things I’ve done are the choices I make as an actor. When I'm actually acting, I make big bold choices. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. You have to be willing to fall on your face.”

———

©2026 Tribune Content Agency, LLC