or


[04/07/21 - 01:49 PM]
Revealing the Cast That Will Bring "From Scratch" to Screen
Zoe Saldana stars in the Netflix series as Amy Wheeler, a young woman from Texas who arrives wide-eyed in Italy, searching for a life full of beauty and adventure.

[via press release from Netflix]

Revealing the Cast That Will Bring 'From Scratch' to Screen

Tembi Locke

Author and Executive Producer

It's an honor to revisit From Scratch for the screen. In many ways, it feels like a cinematic love letter - and the perfect next step of this story. Long before I wrote the book about my experience with love and loss after the death of my husband, I spent years replaying the memories in my mind. There is no better person to take on this journey than my creative partner, showrunner, and family member - my sister, Attica Locke. She knows the story like no one else. For us, this is life and art colliding to allow the personal to become the universal.

Having Zoe Saldana sign on to From Scratch was quite literally dream casting. We knew casting certain characters would be a challenge, particularly the lead role of Lino, based on my late husband. Attica called me after she first saw one actor's audition. She had a visceral reaction and told me we should sit on the phone together as I watched. From that phone call we knew. Here was someone we didn't know but who felt like family. Every member of our cast feels like that.

After more than a year of isolation, separation, and loss, and it is beautiful and even fortuitous to share a story that embraces the richness of nature, food, love, and travel - the things we have all been denied. I hope the series will nourish our souls, inspire creativity, and, of course, remind us of the magical ways food can express love.

There could be no more perfect home for From Scratch than Netflix. Stretching across multiple languages, many cultures, and two continents, our show is about how love and our shared humanity can cross borders. It's exciting to know that this series, which highlights the universal things that unite us no matter where we are on the planet, will be streamed all over the planet.

THE CAST

Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar) plays Amy Wheeler, a young woman from Texas who arrives wide-eyed in Italy, searching for a life full of beauty and adventure. An unexpected romance with a charming Sicilian, Lino, teaches her to live a life full of love and passion for romance, art, and food.

Eugenio Mastrandrea (La Fuggitiva, The Girl from last century) plays Lino, a Sicilian chef who grew up translating literature at night, after spending days picking garlic and olives with his father in the fields of Sicily and learning to cook at his mother's stove. Lino broke 100 years of tradition by leaving the fields of Sicily to become a chef. It's through the love of his wife that he's able to fulfill his dream of dreams before the end of his life.

Danielle Deadwyler (Watchmen, The Harder They Fall) plays Zora, Amy's older sister and best friend. Although she sometimes resents her baby sister for getting their parents to go along with her rule-breaking she also lovingly cheers her on. With wry humor, she is Amy's fiercest ally in the family.

Keith David (Greenleaf, Welcome to the Blumhouse) plays Hershel, former civil rights activist, and Amy's father. Hershel is a plainspoken man who lets his kids make their own decisions but doesn't bullshit them if he thinks they're about to make a mistake. He raised two headstrong young women. Though happily remarried, his divorce from Amy's mom is a wound he still carries.

Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show, Z Nation) plays Lynn, Amy's bitingly funny mother full of judgment about almost every aspect of her daughter's life. Lynn gave Hershel custody of the girls after they divorced and has spent the last decade feeling guilty and regretting this decision.

Judith Scott (Dear White People, Snowfall) plays Maxine, Herschel's wife, and Amy's stepmother. Maxine practically raised Amy and Zora during their teen years, and her commitment to them is unwavering.

Lucia Sardo (Nastro d'Argento, Picciridda) plays Filomena, Lino's mother. Filomena is deeply bound by Sicily's Old World culture but is adept at finding clever ways to work around the patriarchal hierarchy of her country and her marriage.

Paride Benassai (Felicia Impastato, La Fuitina Sbagliata) plays Giacomo, Lino's father. This man with a grade school education devoted his life to garlic and olive farming and provided for his family; he is a proud patriarch who disapproves of his son not taking over the family business.

Roberta Rigano (I Know This Much Is True) plays Lino's sister, Biagia. She feels abandoned by Lino but also proud of his accomplishments by leaving home. She is also hurt and angry with herself for all the ways acquiescing to the patriarchal order cost her joy and a different life she could have had.





  [april 2021]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· FROM SCRATCH (NETFLIX)





[07/03/25 - 02:33 PM]
ABC News Same-Day Primetime Special "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" Is No. 1 in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54
Versus the competition in the time period, "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" outperformed NBC by +40% in Adults 18-49 (212,000 vs. 151,000) and +22% in Adults 25-54.

[07/03/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: "In the Lost Lands" - Official Trailer - Hulu
In the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands, a sorceress (Milla Jovovich) and mysterious drifter (Dave Bautista) must join together in order to survive against the supernatural forces which threaten their world.

[07/03/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Digman!" Season Two to Premiere Immediately After "South Park" Wednesday, July 23rd at 10:30PM ET/PT on Comedy Central
Season two will feature guest voice appearances from a wide array of fan-favorite talent.

[07/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
Nat Geo's Nine-Time Emmy Award-Winning Series "Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller" Returns with Powerful New Season Exploring the World's Deadliest Underground Markets
The new season kicks off with a groundbreaking look into the operations of Mexican cartels inside the United States.

[07/03/25 - 06:12 AM]
Video: "The Idaho Student Murders" - Official Trailer - Peacock Original
A feature documentary focuses its lens on the pre-trial case against Bryan Kohberger, a young criminology student accused of brutally stabbing to death four University of Idaho coeds.

[07/03/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "The Assassin" Sets Premiere Date in the UK and Ireland with Explosive New Trailer
Retired assassin Julie (Keeley Hawes) is reunited with her estranged son, Edward (Freddie Highmore), but her dangerous past begins to catch up with them.

[07/03/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Catalog" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A recently widowed workaholic clumsily navigates life with his kids, guided by his late wife's online tips. Can he ace this crash course in parenthood?

[07/03/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Diary of a Ditched Girl" - Meet the Cast - Netflix
Here they are: the boys of Malmö. Watch "Diary of a Ditched Girl" September 11 to see if she manages to get a second date with one of them.

[07/02/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Nice Guy" - Teaser Trailer - Disney+
Lee Dongwook is back and this time, it's romantic.

[07/02/25 - 06:44 PM]
Tyler Perry's "Divorced Sistas" Quickly Rises to Become BET+'s Most Watched Original Series in Platform History
Just halfway through the eight-episode season, existing subscribers and new fans of the show have boosted the drama series to the most-watched series premiere on BET+ in just three weeks.

[07/02/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Wall to Wall" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A man who poured his life savings into a new apartment discovers its walls are full of disturbing noises, hostile neighbors and unsettling secrets.

[07/02/25 - 03:04 PM]
ABC News Announces "Verdict: The Diddy Trial," Airing Wednesday, July 2, at 10 P.M. on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Hulu
A verdict has been reached in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who has been found guilty on two of five counts.

[07/02/25 - 02:38 PM]
Hallmark Channel Earns #1 Most-Watched Network on Weekends Throughout June with "Passport to Love" Programming Event
"Passport to Love" helped elevate Hallmark Channel to be the #1 most-watched network on weekends throughout the month of June.

[07/02/25 - 01:30 PM]
"New Amsterdam" Creator David Schulner Joins Creative Team of New FOX Drama Series "Memory of a Killer" as an Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner
Schulner will be an executive producer of the series alongside Ed Whitmore, Tracey Malone, and Cathy Schulman.

[07/02/25 - 11:52 AM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: American League Leading Detroit Tigers to Visit Texas Rangers on July 20
Through 14 games, "Sunday Night Baseball" is averaging 1,750,000 million viewers, up 11 percent from last year.