Southern Storytellers

"Southern Storytellers" celebrates Southern identity through the eyes of contemporary creators of literature, music, film and television, including authors Jesmyn Ward, Michael Twitty, Angie Thomas and David Joy; poets Jericho Brown and Natasha Trethewey; songwriters Jason Isbell, Lyle Lovett, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Adia Victoria, Amanda Shires and Justin Moore; songwriter/screenwriter/actor Billy Bob Thornton and songwriter/actress Mary Steenburgen; and screenwriters Qui Nguyen and Michael Waldron.

We're highlighting the music, literary, and film creators featured in the show. Read more about the film creators below.

Film

Learn more about the film creators featured in "Southern Storytellers." 

Qui Nguyen

Emmy Award-Winning Screenwriter/Director/Playwright

Plays/Screenplays: "She Kills Monsters," "Raya and the Last Dragon," "Strange World"

Originally from south Arkansas, Qui Nguyen is a Vietnamese American filmmaker, playwright, and co-founder of the NY-based theatre company, Vampire Cowboys. Notable works include his plays “Vietgone” and “Poor Yella Rednecks,” which centered on his parent’s love story. “She Kills Monsters” which continues to be one of the most produced plays in colleges and high schools across America, and the Disney films “Strange World” and the Oscar-nominated “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

Michael Waldron

Emmy Award-Winning Producer/Screenwriter

Waldron is the creator and executive producer of the record-setting Disney+ series "Loki" and wrote Marvel's top grossing film of 2022, "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness." Next for him at Marvel is writing "Avengers: Secret Wars," the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga.

Billy Bob Thornton

Musician/Songwriter/Academy Award-Winning Screenwriter/Actor

Academy Award-winning writer, actor, director and musician, Billy Bob Thornton has an extensive and impressive career in motion pictures, television, and theater.  Charismatic and uniquely talented, Thornton has established himself as one of the most sought-after actors/filmmakers of his generation.

Currently celebrating a high-water mark in his career, Thornton was most recently seen starring in the fourth and final season of the Amazon series "Goliath," for which his performance received rave reviews and garnered him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama and has completed production on the Netflix action-thriller "The Gray Man," directed by the Russo Brothers.

His recent projects have included the critically acclaimed FX Network limited television series "Fargo," for which he received Golden Globe and Broadcast Television Critics Awards for Best Actor in a miniseries or Movie, and Emmy and SAG Award nominations in the same category; a reprisal of his iconic and Golden Globe nominated performance in the 2003 box-office hit "Bad Santa," in "Bad Santa 2"; the Warner Bros.’ political themed drama "Our Brand Is Crisis,'' opposite Sandra Bullock; "The Judge" opposite Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall; and starred in the ensemble drama "Jayne Mansfield’s Car," an original script co-written by Thornton and longtime collaborator Tom Epperson for which he once again stepped behind the camera to direct. The film also starred Robert Duvall, John Hurt and Kevin Bacon.

He was also seen in the ensemble drama "Parkland," for Playtone Pictures, in which he co-starred with Paul Giamatti and Marcia Gay Harden; the drama "London Fields," based on the Martin Amis novel; the action thriller "Faster," co-starring Dwayne Johnson; the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ best-selling novel "The Informers"; the Polish Brothers’ dark comedy "Manure;" Paramount Pictures’ "Eagle Eye;" the Newline Cinema comedy "Mr. Woodcock;" Warner Bros. Pictures’ "The Astronaut Farmer," directed by the Polish Brothers; "School For Scoundrels;" the re-make of the "The Bad News Bears" for Paramount Pictures; and "Friday Night Lights" for Universal Pictures; and directed "The King of Luck," a documentary about country music legend and longtime friend Willie Nelson.

In 2003 he garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role in the critically acclaimed box-office hit "Bad Santa," and in 2004 he received rave reviews for his portrayal of legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett in Touchstone Pictures’ "The Alamo."

Showing the versatility of his acting abilities, in 2001 Thornton starred in the caper comedy "Bandits" for director Barry Levinson and co-starring Bruce Willis and Cate Blanchett; the noir "The Man Who Wasn’t There" for the Coen Brothers; and the heart wrenching drama "Monster’s Ball," in which he co-starred with Halle Berry, Peter Boyle and Heath Ledger.

Each of the three performances garnered Thornton unprecedented critical acclaim and resulted in him being named Best Actor of 2001 by the National Board of Review, Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor in a Drama for "The Man Who Wasn’t There" and Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for "Bandits," and an American Film Institute Award nomination for Best Actor for "The Man Who Wasn’t There."

Thornton’s 1996 release of the critically acclaimed and phenomenally popular feature film "Sling Blade," which he starred in and directed from an original script he wrote, firmly secured his status as a preeminent filmmaker. For his efforts, he was honored with both an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The film, produced by The Shooting Gallery and released by Miramax, also starred Robert Duvall, JT Walsh, Dwight Yoakum, and John Ritter.

Prior to "Sling Blade," Thornton already had an extensive motion picture credit list.  He wrote and starred in the thrilling character drama "One False Move," which brought him immediate critical praise. Thornton’s powerful script (co-written with Tom Epperson) was enhanced by his intense performance as a hunted criminal. The film, directed by Carl Franklin, was an unheralded sleeper success.

In addition, Thornton has been featured in such films as "The Winner," for director Alex Cox, Paramount Pictures’ "Indecent Proposal" directed by Adrian Lyne, "Deadman," for director Jim Jarmusch for Miramax, and in "Tombstone," directed by George Cosmatos for Buena Vista Pictures.

Thornton has also appeared in the films "On Deadly Ground," "Bound By Honor," "For The Boys" and "The Stars Fell on Henrietta."

As a writer, Thornton has worked on numerous projects for United Artists, Miramax, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Touchstone Pictures, Island Pictures, David Geffen Productions and HBO. He also scripted "A Family Thing," a highly regarded feature film that starred Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones for United Artists.

Thornton co-starred in the blockbuster action-adventure film "Armageddon" with Bruce Willis for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and he has also co-starred opposite Sean Penn and Nick Nolte in "U-Turn," directed by Oliver Stone and in "Primary Colors" opposite John Travolta and Emma Thompson for director Mike Nichols.  He also starred in the dark comedy "Pushing Tin" opposite John Cusack.

Thornton received an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his celebrated work in the tightly woven drama "A Simple Plan" for director Sam Raimi, as well as a Best Supporting Actor award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the screen actors Guild.

For his second and third directorial outings, Thornton chose the comedy "Daddy And Them," which he again wrote and starred in, and the best-selling Cormac McCarthy novel, the epic "All The Pretty Horses," starring Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz, and Henry Thomas.

Thornton also co-wrote "The Gift," starring Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi and Hillary Swank. Thornton’s other film credits include the comedy "Waking Up In Reno," co-starring Charlize Theron, Patrick Swayze and Natasha Richardson for Miramax Films, the drama "Levity," in which he co-starred with Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, and Kirsten Dunst, "Intolerable Cruelty" co-starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta Jones, and "Love Actually," with Hugh Grant, Laura Linney and Liam Neeson.

Mary Steenburgen

Singer/Songwriter/Academy Award-Winning Actress

Mary Steenburgen is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winning actress best known for her work in the films "Melvin and Howard," "What’s Eating Gilbert Grape," "Stepbrothers," and "Book Club" and television shows "Justified," "Orange is the New Black," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The Last Man on Earth."

Steenburgen starred in Focus Features "Book Club 2: The Next Chapter" opposite Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, and Candice Bergen. Steenburgen also starred for two seasons as Maggie Clarke in NBC’s musical television sensation "Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist" and Roku’s original film
Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas."

Mary is a songwriter for Universal Music Publishing Group and was recently shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for a song she co-wrote, "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)," featured in the film Wild Rose. "Glasgow" received the Critics' Choice Award and the Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Original Song.