Billy Bob Thornton: Streaming TV Is the New Indie Film
*By Conor White*
As a veteran of the indie film circuit, Billy Bob Thornton appreciates what streaming television has done to pick up the mantle of creative storytelling.
"The Amazons of the world have really taken over the spot that was held by the independent film renaissance of the late 80's through the early 2000's," said Thornton, the star of "Goliath" on Amazon Prime. "Because that's pretty much gone, the studios are mostly doing event movies, this is really a place where I can go in and do an eight-hour independent film."
Thornton rose from no-name character actor to star in 1996 with his own independent film "Sling Blade", which he wrote, directed, and starred in. He won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay, and nabbed a nomination for best actor.
The 62-year-old actor has received recent accolades for his performance as down-and-out lawyer Billy McBride in "Goliath," winning a Golden Globe last year for best actor in a drama series.
But the show's success is no guarantee it will continue to win viewers' attention when the second season is available for streaming on Amazon on Friday, June 15.
"You kind of feel the pressure of that a bit, it's like we kind of got to up the game, because there's so much good stuff out there these days," Thornton said. "I got to tell you, I think they did it."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/billy-bob-and-goliath).
Kevin Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault on Wednesday after the Oscar winner’s star turn as a witness in his own defense spared him a possible prison term and gave him a shot at a career comeback.
A California appeals court on Wednesday will consider reviving the dismissed lawsuits of two men who allege Michael Jackson sexually abused them as children for years, a move the court appears likely to make after a tentative decision that would order the cases back to a lower court for trial.
An intense police search of the Long Island home of Rex Heuermann is now complete, authorities said Tuesday as they ended a 12-day hunt for evidence that involved ripping up the yard and the discovery of a basement vault containing hundreds of weapons kept by the man accused of killing at least three women more than a decade ago.
A towering construction crane caught fire high above the west side of Manhattan on Wednesday morning, then lost its long arm, which smashed against a nearby building, dangled and then plummeted to the street as people ran for their lives on the sidewalk below.
