Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield‘s press tour for the A24 weepie “We Live in Time” rolls on with the Oscar-nominated actors appearing as “substitute teachers” in a new digital series, hosted by “Recess Therapy’s” Julian Shapiro-Barnum.
Pugh and Garfield are set to be the first guests on “Celebrity Substitute,” a digital-first series featuring celebrities who “substitute teach” their world-famous skills to a public elementary school class.
The premise of the show, described as “the ultimate feel-good series,” is simple: each episode follows Shapiro-Barnum and a celebrity as they visit a public school, and captures the connections that form between the young kids and the star as they figure out how to be a teacher.
Danielle Perelman
“Celebrity Substitute” launches on Oct. 22 with Pugh and Garfield, followed by episodes featuring Blackpink superstar Lisa and two-time Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles. The episodes are 5-8 minutes long and will be released weekly on YouTube, with snippets available on TikTok and Instagram.
“Celebrity Substitute” is created and executive produced by Shapiro-Barnum, EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and directed by Jake Wilson. The series is an Ampersand production.
As part of the creators’ mission to support teachers and students by investing in essential resources and tools, Amazon is a sponsored partner on the series and each episode fulfills the school’s Amazon Wish List.
Shapiro-Barnum is best-known for hosting the viral online series “Recess Therapy,” where he interviews children between the ages of two and nine years old playing outside in New York City. The kid-friendly show has garnered more than 7 million followers across platforms with guests including Michelle Obama, Olivia Rodrigo, Jenna Ortega, Charli XCX, Rainn Wilson, Amy Poehler, Dua Lipa and more. The “Recess Therapy” crew also conducted interviews on the red carpet at this year’s Golden Globes. In 2022, Variety and Kidoodle.TV presented Shapiro-Barnum with the Family Entertainment Safe Streaming Hero Award.
Shapiro-Barnum is represented by WME. Ampersand is represented by CAA.
