NETFLIXJake Gyllenhaal stars in Netflix’s The Guilty
Having seemingly perfected his impression of Connie Britton’s serious listening face from 9-1-1, Jake Gyllenhaal will now take your call in the first trailer for the upcoming film The Guilty.
The bathing-optional Oscar nominee stars as a former police detective who now toils away at a 911 call centre in the Netflix thriller, which hits the streaming service on 1 October.
Based on the much-lauded 2018 Danish crime flick of the same name, which took place entirely in a single room throughout the course of a phone call, The Guilty sees Jake try to solve a crime at his desk after he’s contacted by a woman who claims to have been abducted.
Netflix’s synopsis says of The Guilty: “The film takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call centre.
“Call operator Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger — but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.”
“I’m sorry I have to hang up,” the mysterious woman says in the trailer after her captor discovers she’s phoned for help. “I’m gonna die.”
Penned by True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto and helmed by Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, who previously collaborated with Jake on the boxing drama Southpaw, The Guilty has been a passion project of sorts for the actor, who once moderated a Q&A with the original film’s director, Gustav Möller, before landing the rights to the film.
Teasing the project on his own Instagram account on Saturday, Jake posted a video with a telephone number, which plays a version of the 911 call his character answers in the film.
The Guilty also stars Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Paul Dano, Peter Sarsgaard, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Bill Burr. Watch the exciting trailer below:
This month marks 18 years since one of the most entertaining films to leave Walt Disney Pictures graced our cinema screens – Freaky Friday.
It showcases a mother-daughter duo – played by Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis – who switch bodies once a spell takes effect, with unexpected consequences.
A remake of Disney’s previous 1976 and 1995 adaptations, the 2003 family comedy was a major success, with many young people and their parents finding it hilariously relatable to their lives in one way or another.
To mark Freaky Friday’s milestone anniversary, we’ve uncovered 13 facts you probably didn’t know about it.
DisneyLindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday
1. Lindsay’s character was originally supposed to be a goth
When the Parent Trap star read the original script, she thought Anna’s character was a bit too scruffy. “There was nothing there, no one can relate to the character when she’s really goth,” she told Vanity Fair in 2006.
To recreate her own envision, LiLo turned up to the audition dressed extremely preppy, which worked to her benefit as the character was rewritten.
2. The shots in the opening credits are actual photos of Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Annie Guest
DisneyJamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Annie Guest
We all love a fake snapshot or two at the beginning of a film, but who knew the photos at the start of Freaky Friday actually captured true moments from Jamie Lee’s real life.
One sees her daughter as a toddler laying on her mother’s back, with her arms tightly placed around her neck.
3. Lindsay had to give Jamie Lee precise lessons on how to say ‘shut up’
During a promotional interview on YouTube, the True Lies actor admitted to needing help from her then-teenage co-star with the specific way she said ‘shut up!’
“There’s a way she says shut up that I couldn’t get. She had to give me a ‘shut up’ tutorial because it’s a very specific way,” she said.
Jamie Lee, who was raising 16-year-old daughter Annie Guest at the time, claimed that starring in this film with a young person helped her see things from her child’s point of view.
“I think I probably have a judgmental bitch badge that I put on because I can be harsh, and I think that walking a mile in some very uncomfortable teenage shoes gave me the opportunity to see what it’s like on the other side,” she said.
4. Gwen Stefani was offered a role as a member of the band
Paul Archuleta via Getty Images
According to IMDB, the US singer was offered a role as a member of Anna’s band, but sadly we didn’t get to see that happen – although we think she would have been a perfect addition to that cast.
5. Michelle Trachtenberg was supposed to be Anna
MICHAEL TRAN via Getty Images
The Ice Princess star was first to be cast as the mouthy teenager, but had to back out of the project due to her her contract with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where she played Dawn Summers.
This was actually the second film Michelle turned down in which LiLo later landed the lead gig – the first being The Parent Trap in 1998, in which Lindsay made her name.
6. Kelly Osbourne also auditioned for the role
Denise Truscello via Getty Images
The star, known for her family reality show The Osbournes, was also offered the part of Anna after auditioning, but had to pull out after her mother Sharon was diagnosed with cancer.
Kelly later described how people told her it was the biggest mistake of her career, due to the success of the film.
7. Lindsay’s mum made an appearance in the movie
Disney
LiLo’s mum Dina can be seen in the final scene where Anna is dancing with Jake. Dina is in the background dancing with an older man, but there is an awkward moment where she is seen looking directly at the camera.
8. The famous Anna and Tess collision scene is similar to a scene in Bewitched
Anna and Tess’ idea to collide at full force in an attempt to reverse the spell is similar to a scene in 1966′s Bewitched: Divided He Falls, where Darrin is split into two people and Endora suggests he do the same to break the spell.
However, in this scene, the trick had the desired effect.
9. Lindsay had her first on-screen kiss in Freaky Friday
Disney
In a behind the scene YouTube clip, Lindsay admitted that the kiss she shared with co-star Chad Michael Murray was the first she had done on screen.
10. Lindsay went on to win three awards for the movie
Freaky Friday quickly became a Disney fan favourite in the early 2000s and Linday took home three awards for her performance of both Anna and Tess Coleman.
At the 2004 Teen Choice Awards, she won Choice Breakout Movie Star and Choice Hissy Fit. She then added to that at the MTV Movie Awards, receiving the Best Breakthrough Award in 2004.
11. The film paid homage to Jamie Lee Curtis’ mother
A character named Mr Bates appears in the film as a tribute to the actor’s mother, Janet Leigh who is best known for her performance in the 1960 film Psycho.
Mr Bates is a reference to Norman Bates’ character in the classic movie.
12. A member of the band Orgy instructed Jamie on how to play the guitar for the last scene
Moviestore/Shutterstock
Orgy, an American rock band formed in 1994, offered up one of their members to teach Jamie Lee how to play the guitar, and although the actor practiced making the concert scene look as authentic as possible, a studio musician dubbed over the guitar solo in the finished film.
13. Freaky Friday is based on Mary Rodgers 1972 novel of the same name
Rodgers’ story was adapted many times, including the original Disney version in 1976.
In 2020, it was the source for the movie Freaky, which focuses on a teenage girl who unintentionally swaps bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer.
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, The Devil Wears Prada remains a cultural phenomenon that has shaped the way we view the fashion industry. Meryl Streep’s renowned portrayal of Miranda Priestly, the steely editor-in-chief of Runway magazine, is one the world won’t soon forget.
Priestly’s effortless delivery of her infamous catchphrase, “that’s all,” held a gravity that clearly depicted fashion as a high-stress, high-stakes industry with no tolerance for any hint of incompetence.
Advertisement
The Devil Wears Prada is not the only media depiction of the fashion industry as a glamorous, impenetrable space where dreams are both dashed and realised. In 101 Dalmatians, Cruella De Vil is a designer whose love of fashion drives her to criminal extremes to obtain the coat of the season.
Ryan Murphy’s Halston miniseries on Netflix recently provided insight into the designer, who was prone to grand gestures of affection and verbal abuse of colleagues, providing another trope of the misunderstood genius who’ll dispose of anyone not aligned with his vision.
Advertisement
But how accurate are these film portrayals in reality? Four fashion industry professionals shared their perspectives on what it’s really like to work in fashion.
Alamy Stock Photo
Miranda Priestly was the queen of microaggressions, like throwing her coat on her assistant’s desk.
“I don’t feel like those interpretations reflect what hard work is and how you’re rewarded,” said Heather David, who has worked as in-house public relations for Balenciaga and Alexander Wang. “When I was young, my boss seemed like Miranda Priestly, criticising my work. I realised she pushed me because she saw more in me. Her pushing helped mebecome a better worker and leader.”
Advertisement
David described the environment at Balenciaga as “structured” and “traditional,” and said there’s a disconnect between media portrayals and the reality of fashion.
“Films show interns on a trip to Paris or using the fashion closet. I don’t think that’s realistic at all,” David said.
The fashion closet scene in The Devil Wears Prada set in motion millions of dreams that an intern could simply take a Fendi poncho and turn it into a personal wardrobe transformation. But that’s not real life. “I think people come into fashion naive and they only see these stories,” David said.
Cymone Williamson, a former publicist who worked for the brands DE Marketing and All the Rage, shared a similar sentiment. “People aren’t getting makeovers,” she told HuffPost. “I never came across anyone who had no experience and was moulded into a fashion prodigy.”
Williamson said The Devil Wears Prada thickened her skin, though. “I was prepared to be treated poorly. My experience was a mild version of what you see in movies. I was surprised I wasn’t fired when someone was having a bad day or I made a mistake.”
The Halston miniseries features tantrums and tongue-lashings galore ― there is a scene in which Halston’s career is on the decline and he storms into his atelier screaming at a designer for submitting a sketch without his approval.
Williamson said temper tantrums are not unheard of in reality. She recalled an instance with an employer in a PR showroom: “I had a male boss who was upset about losing an account. My desk was the first desk [near him], and he walked in and pushed everything off my desk. Everyone felt the wrath.”
Laurie Sparham/Disney
Emma Stone in Disney’s live-action “Cruella.”
The 2021 film Cruella touches on power dynamics between management and employees – Emma Stone’s titular character finds herself in a tense environment early on in her career, where she works with a designer who rules with an iron fist.
Recent headlines show that mistreatment of staff, by both designers and organisations, is still an issue in the fashion industry. Brands such as Refinery 29 and Manrepeller, for example, have been called out over the past few years.
Advertisement
513 designer Jerome Lamaar, also known asThe Style Monk, is familiar with industry antics. Starting with Baby Phat (run by Kimora Lee Simmons) at age 15, Lamaar said his trajectory has been similar to what he’s seen on film.
“Most of it is on point. I feel my life is very Funny Face he said. In that 1957 film, Jo Stockton, played by Audrey Hepburn, is a young librarian who’s plucked from obscurity and becomes a model at the pinnacle of fashion. While this is purely movie magic, Lamaar’s 20-year career is a one-in-a-million that’s not the norm.
He recalled an instance when “a PR person who was very well known didn’t recognise me and I was visiting a friend’s show. She kicked me out from backstage, and these are the old guards that the movies depict.” He added: “It’s because they are stressed out and it happens during Fashion Week.”
Julian J. Callis, who has worked at the Nicki Minaj Collection and Ralph Lauren, explained that while many films depict young women being groomed to become the future of fashion, they mostly focus on the character getting a glamorous life makeover, and ignore the actual hard work that goes into a career in fashion. “These films don’t show the gray area of starting from the bottom and working to the top,” he explained.
So, before you submit that application to become the next intern at your favourite fashion magazine, remember that it’s not all twirling around in fashion closets and trips to Paris.
Disney has issued a statement after it was revealed Scarlett Johannson is suing the company over its streaming release of Black Widow.
The actor, who plays the titular superhero and served as executive producer on the Marvel film, filed a lawsuit on Thursday morning in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming her contract had been breached.
Scarlett said that her contract guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release, but the film simultaneously debuted on streaming service Disney+ for a 30 dollar (£21.50) rental earlier this month.
Toni Anne Barson via Getty ImagesScarlett Johansson
The star’s potential earnings were tied to the box office performance of the film.
The lawsuit, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, said: “In the months leading up to this lawsuit, Ms Johansson gave Disney and Marvel every opportunity to right their wrong and make good on Marvel’s promise.
“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms Johansson from realising the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel.”
While Disney did not immediately respond, they have since issued a statement to The Independent, claiming that there is “no merit whatsoever to this filing”.
“The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement said.
“Disney has fully complied with Ms Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20m she has received to date.”
MarvelScarlett in her Black Widow role
Black Widow’s release was delayed by more than a year because of Covid-19, and debuted to a pandemic-best of 80 million dollars (£57.2 million) in North America and 78 million dollars (£55.8 million) from international cinemas three weeks ago, but theatrical grosses declined sharply after that.
While cinemas were closed during the pandemic, hybrid theatrical and streaming releases have become more normal for many of the biggest studios.
This weekend, Disney is employing the same strategy with its latest release, Jungle Cruise, which stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.
Ed Sheeran made his big-screen acting debut in the 2019 film Yesterday – but he’s admitted the role almost never came to be.
The chart-topping singer played himself in Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle’s musical comedy, which centred around a character who woke up unexpectedly in a world where The Beatles’ music never existed.
However, speaking to BBC Radio 1’s Kids Ask Difficult Questions, Ed disclosed that the part wasn’t actually written for him.
In fact, both Harry Styles and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin had turned it down before Ed was approached.
Jeff Spicer via Getty ImagesEd Sheeran at a special screening of Yesterday in 2019
He recalled: “They asked Chris Martin, he said no, they asked Harry Styles, he said no, and I was third choice.”
Film director Danny Boyle previously dismissed the suggestion that Harry was approached for the role, but conceded that the part was originally created with Chris in mind.
“Although Harry Styles was very good in the Chris Nolan film [Dunkirk],” Danny told ABC Radio. “So maybe we would had gone to Harry Styles, if Ed Sheeran had said no.”
While Emma Stone is a Hollywood legend in her own right, it’s good to know she’s as goofy around other big stars as we would be.
The La La Land actor has said she is convinced Leonardo DiCaprio thinks she’s “a little weird” after her behaviour around him.
Emma is a self-confessed Leo super fan, and described meeting the Titanic star when he presented her with her Oscar in 2017 as “the most surreal moment of my life”.
GettyEmma Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio
“I was like, I’d seen Titanic seven and a half times in theatres. He was the love of my life,” Emma told SiriusXM’s Jess Cagle.
“I had a picture of him in my bedroom that was signed, that I had gotten for my birthday when I was like 12 years old and I was walking to Leo. I was like, this is officially the most surreal moment of my life. I could not believe it.”
Emma, who won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in La La Land, continued: “I think he probably thinks I’m like a little weird, cause whenever I see him, I’m kind of like, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ You know, just in little moments when you’re at the same event or something. He’s very sweet though.”
MARK RALSTON via Getty ImagesLeo presented Emma with her Oscar for Best Actress in 2017
Asked to expand on what Leo is like IRL, Emma continued: “He’s very tall and he’s so lovely.
“It doesn’t really seem fair because then it’s like putting someone in a place that like no human beings should really be in that kind of place,” she said. “That’s silly—like nobody’s any different than anybody.”
However, Emma added that to her, Leo will always be his heartthrob character from Titanic.
“He’s stuck in my head as Jack Dawson. He just always will be,” she said.
Pretty much cementing his national treasure status, Daniel was awarded Best Supporting Actor during this year’s ceremony for his performance in Judas And The Black Messiah.
As the London-born actor’s star continues to rise to even greater heights, we decided to take a look back at the roles he appeared in long before he became a worldwide star.
Along the way we unearthed long forgotten comedy characters, big-screen outings and, of course, a certain “Posh Kenneth”…
Skins (2007)
If you sat down to watch Get Out in 2017, only to get the distinct feeling you’d seen Daniel Kaluuya before, that could well be because you watched him in Skins back in the day.
Although not one of the main cast, Daniel played “Posh Kenneth” throughout the show’s first two series. And while Daniel’s Skins past has been raised several times since his rise to global fame, what you might not realise is that he also penned two episodes of the British teen drama, series two’s Jal and series three’s Thomas, which he co-wrote with Skins creator Bryan Elsley.
Doctor Who (2009)
Like many burgeoning British stars, one of Daniel’s earliest TV appearances was in the BBC’s long-running sci-fi show Doctor Who.
Daniel played Barclay in the 2009 special Planet Of The Dead, sharing the screen with David Tennant and – perhaps more excitingly – Victoria Alcock, otherwise known as Julie S from Bad Girls.
Psychoville (2009)
Daniel was one of several British actors to land a role in the black comedy mystery Psychoville, with Steve Pemberton (the show’s co-creator), Dawn French, Adrian Scarborough and Imelda Staunton also among the cast.
While much of the show’s humour derived from League Of Gentleman-esque surrealism and unpredictability, Daniel’s character, Tealeaf, was decidedly more rooted in reality than those surrounding him.
Ruddy Hell! It’s Harry And Paul (2010)
In 2010, Daniel appeared in a recurring sketch in the Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse comedy series Ruddy Hell! It’s Harry And Paul.
He played the overzealous traffic warden Parking Pataweyo in a somewhat questionable sketch intended to be a parody of Postman Pat.
When Rowan Atkinson’s Johnny English character was resurrected in 2011 for a sequel almost a decade after the original film, the film brought in an all-star cast which included Gillian Anderson, Rosamund Pike and Dominic West.
Daniel was also among the new additions to the film, playing Colin Tucker, a young MI7 agent assigned to the same missions as the hero, who he assists along the way.
Black Mirror (2011)
A breakthrough moment in terms of Daniel’s profile was his leading role in the Black Mirror episode Fifteen Million Merits, a send-up of reality TV and instant fame, particularly off the back of Simon Cowell talent shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.
Fifteen Million Merits was only the second episode of Black Mirror ever made, when the anthology series was still being shown on Channel 4, and saw Daniel playing Bing, who spends his inheritance on helping a friend realise her dreams of becoming a star. Black Mirror being Black Mirror, though, things don’t quite work out the way they hoped.
While still early in his career, Fifteen Million Merits allowed Daniel to show off his huge range as an actor, particularly in his character’s dramatic speech near the end of the episode.
Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
UniversalDaniel Kaluuya in Kick-Ass 2
Two years after winning critical acclaim for his performance in Black Mirror, Daniel appeared in the sequel to the superhero comedy Kick-Ass.
He plays a member of the villainous troupe The Toxic Mega C**ts, playing a UFC fighter known as Black Death.
Babylon (2014)
Channel 4Daniel in Babylon
In the police drama Babylon, Daniel played Matt Coward, a documentary filmmaker who aims to use his craft to highlight corruption in his local police force and bring them down.
Created by Danny Boyle, the show featured James Nesbitt, Bertie Carvel and Jill Halfpenny among its expansive cast.
Sicario (2015)
Richard Jr Foreman/Black Label Media/Thunder Road/Kobal/ShutterstockDaniel as seen in Sicario
Sicario marked Daniel’s final on-screen role before Get Out and Black Panther launched him to global fame, earning him an Oscar nomination and Bafta Rising Star win.
In the action thriller, he plays an FBI agent who is the on-duty partner of Emily Blunt’s character. A sequel was later released in 2018, though Emily and Daniel did not return for it.
Star Wars legend Mark Hamill has reminded fans of the franchise that studio bosses originally considered an early version of Chewbacca that had him looking like a hirsute Bavarian mountain man.
The actor – who played Luke Skywalker in the hit sci-fi saga – tweeted on Thursday: “FUN FACT: Very early in the shooting of #SW studio execs expressed deep concern that Chewie didn’t wear any pants & suggested he wear a pair of lederhosen.
“That they would focus on this amidst all the grotesque elements in the script made us laugh (& a bit worried.)”
FUN FACT: Very early in the shooting of #SW studio execs expressed deep concern that Chewie didn’t wear any pants & suggested he wear a pair of lederhosen. That they would focus on this amidst all the grotesque elements in the script made us laugh (& a bit worried)🙄 #TrueStoryhttps://t.co/BCNhWDrwdl
Fortunately, Star Wars director George Lucas was able to dissuade the studio from adorning the big guy with “walking carpet” wear pants, according to comicbook.com.
The suits and the creatives settled on just a bandolier ― and it’s been a roaring success ever since.
Still, a few fans pondered what could have been after Mark Hamill’s tweet.
And I suddenly had a vision of Hans and Chewbacca at an Oktoberfest, wearing lederhosen and drinking huge mugs of beer. It’s a very disturbing vision. 😒
Mark first mentioned the Wookiee couture issue years ago to The Associated Press, recalling how the studio wrung its hands in deciding how to dress – or not – Chewie, played by the late British actor Peter Mayhew.
“I remember the memos from 20th Century Fox,” Mark told the wire service.
”‘Can you put a pair of lederhosen on the Wookiee?’ All they could think of was, ‘This character has no pants on!’ This went back and forth. They did sketches of him in culottes and baggy shorts.”
For a couple of characters who met at the Mos Eisley Cantina, the gig and the getup worked out pretty well.
On Monday afternoon, it was revealed that the wheels had been put in motion for a long rumoured sequel, with all of the show’s original cast returning.
Dame Maggie Smith is also expected to return, after her iconic Downton character confided in her granddaughter that she was dying at the end of the first film.
New cast members for the sequel have also been revealed, including Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West, the latter of whom has been heavily rumoured to be playing Prince Charles in the forthcoming fifth series of The Crown.
Isa Foltin via Getty ImagesDominic West
Filmmaker Simon Curtis – whose recent credits include the films My Week With Marilyn and Goodbye Christopher Robin – will direct the second Downton Abbey film.
Executive producer Gareth Neame said: “After a very challenging year with so many of us separated from family and friends, it is a huge comfort to think that better times are ahead and that next Christmas we will be reunited with the much beloved characters of Downton Abbey.”
We’re thrilled to announce that Julian Fellowes and the entire Downton cast are back for #DowntonAbbey2, with Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West joining!
Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski agreed: “There’s no place like home for the holidays, and we can’t imagine a better gift than getting to reunite with Julian, Gareth, and the entire Downton family in 2021 to bring the Crawley’s back home for their fans.”
Downton Abbey 2 is slated to hit UK cinemas on 22 December 2021. All six series of Downton Abbey are available to stream now on BritBox.
Sally Phillips, who played Shazza opposite Renée Zellweger as Bridget, has revealed that Jim Carrey watched on as the pair fought in character as Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver.
Ahead of the film’s 20th anniversary, Sally appeared on Friday’s edition of Lorraine, where she recounted Hugh and Colin filming the scene.
Justin Goff via Getty ImagesBridget Jones’ Diary stars Colin Firth, Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant
She said: “This is them improvising… slapping each other, trying to kick and missing.
“We filmed this scene for a whole week. As you can see we’re not in it very much so we sat in deck chairs and watched Hugh and Colin slap each other for a week.”
Sally then revealed: “And Jim Carrey was there. Renée was dating Jim at that point.
“So he was bigger and taller and harder and fitter than both of them, so I think they were even more embarrassed.”
Ron Galella, Ltd. via Getty ImagesJim Carrey and Renée Zellweger dated in the early 2000s
During the interview, Sally also told of how strange it was for her to see Renée, who is from Texas, finally breaking out of her English accent at the end of the shoot, joking she felt “deceived and weirded out”.
“It was really weird,” she said. “I’ve made quite good friends with her during the filming, I realised towards the end when she suddenly lost a stone in the last week and started talking in a Texan accent at the wrap party, I’d made friends with Bridget, not Renée.
“I felt like those women must feel who’ve had a relationship with an undercover cop, a bit deceived and weirded out. But I think it was genius actually (to cast her).”
Moviestore/ShutterstockSally Phillips played Bridget’s friend Shazza in the film
Sally continued: “There were lots of people up for that part, like Toni Collette I think was offered it.
“Once They got Hugh Grant and Colin Firth on board it went from being a tiny indie movie to a massive production and they started looking for big stars.
“American women do do charm in a way British women don’t, we have a kind of bottom note of battleaxe that we can never quite get rid of and I love that about us.”
