Antonio Stallings | Showbiz Cheat Sheet Writer

Hugh Jackman Wished He Could Take Back This Story He Told to David Bowie

Antonio Stallings — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 03:41:00 +0000

Hugh Jackman teamed up with Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan for the first time in the 2006 movie The Prestige. He collaborated with a few notable names for the project, including music icon David Bowie.

Hugh Jackman once shared what it was like working with David Bowie in ‘The Prestige’

Hugh Jackman | Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage

Bowie’s accomplishments as a musician were almost matched by his accomplishments as an actor. The late artist starred in a variety of features throughout his long career, including Nolan’s Prestige. The picture saw him playing inventor Nikola Tesla, primarily sharing scenes with Jackman’s ambitious magician Richard Angier.

Jackman had nothing but kind words about his experience working with Bowie. During their interaction, however, Jackman let slip that he once tried to attend one of Bowie’s concerts in his younger years.

“I’ve got to say, he’s probably one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. But two days into shooting I told him a story about the first concert I was ever going to go to, which was one of his. I bought a ticket for $20, which was about six months’ worth of pocket money. But on the day of the concert, someone offered me $50 for the ticket because it was sold out,” Jackman once told BBC.

It was at that moment Jackman wished he didn’t bring up that story to Bowie at all.

“David’s face started to glaze over a little bit at this point and I was wishing I could take the story back. He said: ‘And…’ I had to tell him that I sold them. From that moment, he called me ‘the scalper’ and he wanted at least 50% of my profit,” Jackman said.

David Bowie initially turned down starring in ‘The Prestige’

Nolan was very persistent when he cast Bowie in The Prestige. After being tasked with the responsibility of casting Nikola Tesla, Nolan could only picture Bowie in the role.

“Tesla was this other-worldly, ahead-of-his-time figure, and at some point it occurred to me he was the original Man Who Fell to Earth. As someone who was the biggest Bowie fan in the world, once I made that connection, he seemed to be the only actor capable of playing the part. He had that requisite iconic status, and he was a figure as mysterious as Tesla needed to be,” Nolan told Entertainment Weekly in a 2016 interview.

But the “Fame” singer wasn’t on board the project at first. It took a lot of convincing from Nolan for Bowie to do the film.

“It took me a while to convince him, though—he turned down the part the first time. It was the only time I can ever remember trying again with an actor who passed on me. I petitioned to let me explain why he was the right actor for it. In total honesty, I told him if he didn’t agree to do the part, I had no idea where I would go from there. I would say I begged him,” he said.

After finally casting Bowie in the movie, Nolan asserted that everyone was affected by Bowie’s star-power. And in a way that Nolan had never seen with any other celebrity.

“The experience of having him on set was wonderful. Daunting, at first. He had a level of charisma beyond what you normally experience, and everyone really responded to it. I’ve never seen a crew respond to any movie star that way, no matter how big. But he was very gracious and understood the effect he had on people. Everyone has fond memories of getting to spend time with him or speak to him for a little bit,” Nolan said.

“I only worked with him briefly—four or five days—but I did manage to sneak a couple moments to chat with him, which are very treasured memories of mine. Normally when you meet stars, no matter how starry they are, when you see them as people, some of that mystique goes away. But not with David Bowie,” he added.

Did Eddie Murphy Have Any Kids With Paige Butcher?

Antonio Stallings — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 02:41:00 +0000

Eddie Murphy already had a large family by the time he was in a relationship with current wife Paige Butcher. But how many of his kids are his and Butcher’s now?

How many kids do Eddie Murphy and Paige Butcher have?

Eddie Murphy and Paige Butcher | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Murphy had eight children when he met Paige Butcher in 2012. His first child was with ex-girlfriend Paulette McNeely. But he had the most children with ex Nicole Brown Murphy, sharing five children with her. He had two other children with Tamara Hood and Mel B.

Murphy and Butcher expanded their family even further with the birth of Izzy Oona in 2016. Their second child, and Murphy’s tenth Max Charles, was born two years later in 2018.

According to People, Insiders confided that Butcher and Murphy have as normal of a family life as can be.

“They live a pretty low-key life. They are all about family. Paige is very close with Eddie’s kids,” the source claimed.

“They are a very special and happy family. They vacation and spend holidays together. Paige loves being a mom and is very involved. She takes her daughter to the park and for play dates,” they added.

The pair also appeared to have their children long before they were officially married. Murphy and Butcher were engaged in 2018, six years after dating. But they didn’t get married until July of 2024. Rumors circulated that the two already wedded, or were very close to, when Murphy referred to Butcher as his wife in a New York Times interview.

“I used to be so hip, I used to know who everybody was, and now there’s just so much stuff,” Murphy said. “[I] ask my wife, ‘Who’s this person?'”

Eddie Murphy’s kids stop him from making bad decisions

Although ten kids could be quite a lot to handle, Murphy confided that he really does enjoy fatherhood. Because of his status as a parent, the Shrek star does a lot less work than he used to. But he considers that a good thing.

“The whole idea of being out there and doing three movies a year, that s*** is over… I found over and over again and along the way I realized that if you put your children first you never make a bad decision,” Murphy once said on WTF with Marc Maron.

His ten children also help him avoid making bad decisions.

“When you hit a crossroads moment or you have got some s*** , you think, ‘Well, what is best for my children?’ If you go that route then you never make a bad decision,” Murphy said.

What helped Murphy enjoy fatherhood even more was how his kids turned out. He seemed very proud of the men and women they were becoming.

“I am so blessed with my kids,” he added. “I don’t have one bad seed. I don’t have any like ‘Oh you are the one.’ I don’t have any of that. My kids are so great, normal people — and nobody is like the Hollywood jerk kid.”

The 1 Hollywood rule Eddie Murphy had for his kids

It’s common for children of actors to want to become actors themselves. A few of Murphy’s kids also wanted to follow in his footsteps. But one of Murphy’s kids, Bella, who he had with Nicole Brown, confided they’d have to wait until they were the appropriate age.

“I used to always ask, ‘Can I be in this one?’ He’s like, ‘Bella you have to be 18,’” Bella Murphy once recalled to Madame Noir. “I was like, ‘I know but like…please!? I would always ask, ‘Can I please be an extra?’ I just love acting so it’s really fun for me. Even being an extra is awesome to me.”

So if Murphy’s and Butcher’s latest kids want to get into show business when they’re older, they might have to wait until they’re 18 as well.

Brad Pitt Became the Tougher Parent After He Had Biological Kids With Angelina Jolie

Antonio Stallings — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 01:27:00 +0000

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie experienced a role reversal as parents when they expanded their family. The Tomb Raider star was once very candid about how Pitt changed after the pair welcomed twins to their family.

Angelina Jolie once gave insight into her and Brad Pitt’s parenting styles

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt | Steve Granitz/WireImage

Jolie and Pitt welcomed a pair of twins to their family in 2008. Although the former power couple already had a full house of children, the twins would be the first of their kids who they had biologically.

The decision to have biological children wasn’t one she made lightly. But Pitt provided Jolie enough confidence and reassurance to give a natural birth. However, Jolie and Pitt didn’t expect their brood to grow as much as it did. The fact that she was giving birth to two children instead of one was a pleasant surprise for the stars.

“We weren’t expecting twins,” Jolie once told Entertainment Weekly (via People). “So it did shock us, and we jumped to six [children] quickly. But we like a challenge.”

At the time, Jolie was already planning on ways to make sure her and Pitt’s other children didn’t feel excluded when the twins arrived. This was why she felt it was important for everyone to chip in and take care of the newborns when the time came.

“They’re old enough to feel included to change diapers themselves, to feed bottles themselves, like if I pump into a bottle. We’re trying to find ways where it can be a fun group thing … Everybody gets special time so we can make sure we know where they’re at,” Jolie added.

After the twins’ debut, however, they also had an interesting impact on Pitt’s and Jolie’s roles as parents. According to Jolie, she actually used to be stricter than Pitt.

”I used to be the tougher parent but since the birth of the twins, Brad’s had to play bad cop more often,” she once told Ok! (via News 24).

But Jolie also confided that she and Pitt might bond with their kids individually in different ways based on their personalities.

“It also depends on which of the children we are talking about. Brad has always had this incredible bond with Mad, who’s very smart, and Brad loves teaching him about history and art and culture – it’s an amazing thing to watch them together,” she said.

Brad Pitt considered himself the goofier parent between himself and Angelina Jolie

Jolie may have considered Pitt the stricter parent in some cases, but Pitt still viewed as himself less serious than her. In a 2015 interview with WSJ, Pitt spoke fondly of Jolie’s dedication as a mother. Even on Jolie’s days off from her busy work schedule, the Maleficent star still invested a good amount of time on her children.

“When Angie has a day off, the first thing she does is get up and take the kids out. This is the most important ‘to do’ of the day. No matter how tired she might be, she plans outings for each and all. She has an incredible knack for inventing crazy experiences for them, something new, something fresh,” Pitt said.

Although Pitt felt he was the more fun one, goofing off with the kids wouldn’t have been possible without Jolie’s direction.

“I may be the bigger goof of the pair, but she invents the stage,” he said.

Still, Jolie shared that she might not have been too serious compared to Pitt. She confided that some of the most fun she’s had was spent with her kids before bedtime.

”Our happiest moments are probably in the evening before the kids go to bed. We often play together in our pajamas after dinner and it’s like having a party sometimes where we’re all dancing and jumping around and being silly. That’s when you really feel the beauty of having a family. It’s our little world,” she said.

George Clooney Once Shared Why He Refused to Do Politics

Antonio Stallings — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 23:59:51 +0000

George Clooney has been very open about his political beliefs. Although fans know he utilizes his celebrity to help certain political pauses, he would never run for office.

George Clooney felt being a politician was ‘hell’

George Clooney | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Clooney has kept his pulse on politics even far before he became a movie star.

“You know, I grew up as a Democrat in Kentucky in the ’70s, so, you know, I grew up in a place — I was a minority, you know, in that world. I didn’t move to Hollywood and become a Democrat,” he once told Fox News Sunday (via E! News).

He uses his celebrity and star power to make significant contributions to the Democratic party. Last year Clooney launched a fundraiser for President Joe Biden that amassed $28 million for his reelection campaign. In the past, he launched several fundraisers for Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Because of his passion and knowledge of politics, many have wondered if the ER alum might run for a government position one day. But the actor has no interest in pursuing a second career.

“I’ve been asked about that for almost 20 years now,” Clooney once said according to Contact Music. “The answer is just no. I mean, who would ever wanna live like that?”

With close friends involved in politics, Clooney witnessed what most politicians must endure in their field. This only further discouraged him.

“I’m friends with a lot of those guys, and I just think it’s hell. I commend people who go into public service because it’s just such a horrible way to get elected. It’s such a horrible time while you’re in office. No, I wouldn’t want to be in politics; I have no interest in it,” Clooney said.

However, he did vow to use his influence to help position politics in a better, more compassionate place.

“I believe in the political process, and I believe that government at its best is designed to look after the people that can’t look after themselves,” he adds. “That’s our responsibility to hold our government to task for that. I consider that as each of our responsibility as citizens,” he said. “I’m always frustrated by it and it moves incrementally forward and sometimes it’s three steps backwards, but I still very much believe in the process and I will continue to be as much a part of it as I can be because I’m a citizen of the country.”

George Clooney hasn’t changed his mind about entering politics

It seems in his older years, Clooney seems to be less inclined to get into politics than he was before. The Michael Clayton star received a question about whether he might’ve had political aspirations after his 60th birthday. But to him, he hit a decade where he simply wanted to enjoy life and maintain his health.

“I turned 60 this year, and I had a conversation with my wife, and we were working a lot, as we both do, and I said, ‘We have to think of these as the halcyon years.’ If we have our health, which we do … and I’m 60 and I can still play basketball and still do the things I love, but in 20 years, I will be 80, and that’s a real number,” Clooney said in a 2021 interview on The Andrew Marr Show.

80 for Clooney was and still is two decades away. But it’s close enough for him to pay even more attention to how he manages his time.

“Doesn’t matter how much you work out, what you eat. You’re 80,” the Clooney said. “And so I said, ‘We have to make sure we enjoy and live these years in the best possible way.'”

Ben Affleck Once Revealed the 1 Project Jennifer Garner Stopped Him From Directing

Antonio Stallings — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 20:23:00 +0000

Ben Affleck helped his career resurgence by becoming a top director in the film industry. But there was one passion project he blamed ex-wife Jennifer Garner for not being able to shoot.

Ben Affleck almost directed an episode of this television series

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner | Steve Zak Photography/FilmMagic

Affleck once credited Garner for his transition into directing. He was already familiar with writing projects in addition to acting in them, but he had no experience actually directing full length features. He decided to take a chance with filmmaking after his career experienced a downward spiral. His crumbling relationship with Jennifer Lopez, coupled with his film choices, inspired Affleck to take a break from Hollywood.

During his time off, he got into a deeper relationship with Daredevil co-star Jennifer Garner. After his brief hiatus, Affleck figured directing might be a good way to continue his comeback. His decision to shoot the movie Gone Baby Gone was a critical success, establishing Affleck as a true filmmaker. This led to Affleck filming several other successful movies like The Town and Argo.

But if it wasn’t for Garner, who knows if Affleck would’ve had the same motivation to pursue filmmaking.

“Getting to know her, falling in love with her and being connected with her gave me a foundation to reach out and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to do Hollywoodland; I’m going to direct Gone Baby Gone,’” Affleck said in a 2013 interview with Playboy (via She Knows).

Ironically, however, Garner inadvertently also stopped Affleck from directing a small little passion project. Affleck was a fan of Claire Danes’ Showtime series Homeland. So much so that he planned on filming an episode for the political thriller. But he couldn’t work around his and Garner’s established schedule at the time.

“I liked the show. I signed on. The guys were ready. I don’t want to blame it on ‘her,’ but my wife and I have an arrangement where when she works, I don’t work and when I work, she doesn’t work,” Affleck once shared according to Us Weekly. “She said, ‘I have this movie, it’s 10 weeks, it’s in Atlanta.’ I said, ‘Okay, forget it. I’m sure nothing will happen with it anyway.'”

Ben Affleck would’ve loved to direct Jennifer Garner even after their split

Affleck and Garner were already used to working together. They both collaborated on projects like Pearl Harbor, where they met, and Daredevil. But even when they were married, Garner never acted in any of Affleck’s own movies. And after they’d gotten married, Garner wasn’t sure if working alongside Affleck was the best idea for their relationship.

“I think he’s brilliant at what he does, but why rock the boat? It works between us pretty well the way it is,” Garner once told W Magazine.

She didn’t rule it out, but Garner joked that their work together would be short and perhaps pretty uneventful.

“I don’t know if I want to go to work with him. I’d be like, ‘OK already, you got the shot. Let’s go home,’” she added.

Meanwhile, Affleck seemed much more receptive to the idea of directing Garner in a picture even after their divorce.

“I would love to, are you kidding me? I think that would be great. I’ve often said that I want to direct a movie that Jennifer was in because I think she’s so great and she could do something really cool,” Affleck once told People (via Yahoo).

But their kids made the potential collaboration difficult.

“The problem that gets in the way is that one of us has to be looking after the kids at home,” Affleck said.

Zendaya Was Worried About Being So Much Taller Than Tom Holland When They Met for ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

Antonio Stallings — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 18:42:00 +0000

Zendaya and Tom Holland first met for a Spider-Man: Homecoming audition. The pair seemed to immediately click. Still, Zendaya wondered if their height difference might affect her chance of landing the role of MJ.

Zendaya wondered if her height might be a problem for Tom Holland and ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

Tom Holland and Zendaya | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Zendaya was one of a few actors who hoped to be cast alongside Holland in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. The superhero film was a bit of a breakthrough for Zendaya, who achieved superstardom through her work with Disney. Before her Marvel and Euphoria days, fans best knew her for the successful but short-lived sitcom Shake It Up. After the series ended in 2013, she was on the lookout for opportunities to further expand her career. That’s when Homecoming fell in her lap.

“I wasn’t supposed to know that it was Spider-Man. But I have good agents. I found out, and I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I want to be part of that,’” she told Variety in a 2017 interview.

Zendaya arrived at her audition without wearing makeup to fit her character’s style. When she met Holland, however, she revealed they had two different interpretations of their meeting.

“He says when we first met, it was super awkward because he went for a handshake, and I went for a hug,” she said. “But I don’t remember that. I thought it was cool.”

What really worried Zendaya during the audition: their height difference. Zendaya is considerably taller than Holland, which she thought might take her out of the running for Homecoming.

“I was worried because he’s so much shorter than me,” she said. “I was like, ‘Damn it! It’s going to be weird because I’m super tall.’ But then we ended up doing the audition sitting. So that was good.”

But Zendaya still wasn’t sure she’d be cast in Homecoming until it was official.

“A lot of time, the thought process of an actor of color is ‘I’m going to go and give it my best shot, but they are probably not going to go with an actor of color for this,’” she said. “We all think it. I didn’t know they were going to switch up the characters and really cast the best people for the roles instead of what’s most like the comic book. I think that was the coolest part for me, knowing they embraced the diversity.”

Tom Holland noticed he was shorter than the girls he auditioned with for ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

Holland and Zendaya became a very high-profile couple after working together on Spider-Man: Homecoming. During an interview with Sirius XM, host Jessica Shaw brought up some of the public’s reactions to their dating. Shaw pointed out that a few more negative reactions contributed to the stereotype that men should typically be taller than women in relationships. Zendaya especially disagreed with the idea, citing that her parents also had a similar height difference.

“My mom is taller than my dad, my mom’s taller than everyone,” Zendaya said. “This is normal, too.”

But during the interview, Holland felt pairing him up with a taller female actor in Homecoming might’ve been intentional. He recalled how the film’s director, Jon Watts, didn’t really have Holland screentest with a shorter love interest.

“I had wondered if that was a decision that Jon had made. There was no one tested that was shorter than me,” Holland said. “Maybe that was a decision Jon Watts made and something he was aware of and wanted to break the stereotype. I think it’s great!”

Brad Pitt Was Once Allegedly Threatened by Angelina Jolie’s Chemistry With Jared Leto

Antonio Stallings — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 00:34:00 +0000

Angelina Jolie‘s marriage with Brad Pitt secretly came with a few issues before their shocking divorce. If this source is to be believed, one of the sore spots in their relationship was Jolie’s chemistry with fellow actor Jared Leto.

A source once claimed Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt fought over Jared Leto a lot

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt | Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Both Pitt and Jolie have experience working alongside Oscar-winner Leto. Pitt briefly collaborated with Leto years ago in the 1999 feature Fight Club. Leto worked with Jolie twice in the films Girl, Interrupted and 2004’s Alexander.

According to the anonymous source, Jolie and Leto developed a deep and long-lasting friendship behind the scenes. One that lasted even during her marriage with Pitt. The source alleged that Pitt was uncomfortable with Jolie and Leto’s bond, which led to quite a few arguments.

“Angelina and Brad fought about Jared a lot over the years, he was someone Brad was really threatened by,” the source once claimed to Hollywood Life. “Brad always felt like he couldn’t trust Angelina when it came to Jared.”

It was also claimed that Jolie would sometimes intentionally antagonize Pitt with her and Leto’s bond when arguments became too extreme. Pitt even felt Leto and Jolie would start dating after their divorce was finalized.

“Jared reached out to Angie after she filed divorce papers in September,” another source alleged. “The word is they spoke several times on the phone before meeting up in L.A. for dinner, and they’ve been seeing each other whenever they can since then.”

Although it’s worth noting this was all speculation.

Did Angelina Jolie ever date Jared Leto?

Jolie’s dating history includes many celebrities. But it appears Leto was never in a traditional relationship with Jolie. However, Hollywood Life further alleged that the pair did fancy one another behind the scenes.

“Jared and Angelina had a very casual relationship years and years ago, it was a friends with benefits situation,” an insider said.

The publication asserted that Leto and Jolie never became a thing due to Leto’s commitment issues. By the time Leto might’ve been ready to settle down with Jolie, she had already fallen for Pitt.

“It might have turned into more but Jared was too noncommittal at the time, he just wasn’t ready to be with one woman, not even Angelina. Then Brad came on the scene and she fell in love and that was that. I know Jared always had regrets about letting her slip away,” the source said.

Angelina Jolie didn’t recognize herself after her divorce from Brad Pitt

Jolie went through quite the adjustment period after parting ways with her ex-husband. Although Pitt got into a relationship with Ines De Ramon after the split, Jolie refrained from dating anyone. Instead, the actor was reeling from a bit of an identity crisis.

“I think it was at the end of my relationship with Brad and then when we separated,” she once said according to Business Insider. “It was complicated, I didn’t recognize myself anymore, and I’d become, how do I say this, smaller, insignificant, even if I didn’t show it. I was profoundly, deeply sad, I was hurt.”

“I do not know about destiny, but I’m certain that I’m in transition, and this is a homecoming, I’m coming back to myself. Because I was a little lost,” she also said.

Jolie confided that divorcing with Pitt wasn’t a decision she made on a whim. Rather, she implied it was a choice she perhaps spent years considering.

“I’m not the kind of person who makes decisions like the decisions I had to make lightly. It took a lot for me to be in a position where I felt I had to separate from the father of my children,” she said in a 2021 interview with The Guardian.

Why Jennifer Lopez Felt Her Healthy Relationship With Ben Affleck Was More Challenging

Antonio Stallings — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 18:22:00 +0000

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s relationship went much further in the 2020s than it did when they first became a couple. But Lopez asserted that didn’t make things any easier between them.

Jennifer Lopez once shared what was different about her and Ben Affleck’s relationship now

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s ‘The Mother’ in 2023 | Emma McIntyre/WireImage

Lopez and Affleck both felt that they were in better places emotionally after rekindling their romance. When they were first together, the media attention their relationship caused made being together difficult. But the pair seemed to feel that they partially helped invite the criticisms they experienced. Although they didn’t want the attention, Lopez felt some of their actions helped encourage it. And it was a mistake neither of them thought they’d repeat in their older, more mature years.

“Before we kind of put [our relationship] out there and we were naïve and it got a little trampled,” Lopez said in a 2022 interview with People. “We both were like, ‘Wow, we’re so happy and we don’t want any of that to come into play again.’ We’re older now, we’re smarter, we have more experience, we’re at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things. We’re so protective because it is such a beautiful time for all of us.”

This mentality seemed to work for a while. Lopez and Affleck actually ended up marrying each other this time, honoring the vows they made decades ago. They got married at Las Vegas after a year of dating before having another official ceremony at Affleck’s Georgia home.

At the time, Lopez felt so complete thanks to her relationship with Affleck that she considered it new territory for her. Adapting to the security that her romance with Affleck offered her prove to be challenging than she might’ve thought it would be.

“It’s funny,” she once told Variety. “It’s like, ‘OK, so now I’m in a healthier, more loving, good relationship. I’ve gotten to this place where I feel more whole, to be more present in a relationship. But what is that like? I get to live that, and that’s even more challenging than the last 20 years.”

Why might Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez be breaking up now?

When the two first broke up, Affleck partially blamed the media scrutiny he and Lopez had to constantly endure.

“I would say [media attention] was about 50 percent [of what destroyed our relationship]. The idea that people hate you and they hate you together and that being together is poison and ugly and toxic and the thing none of us want to be part of,” Affleck said on The Howard Stern Show (via Grazia) not too long ago. “And, ‘Who the f*** would want to have them to dinner?’ And, ‘What the f*** are they doing together?’”

Neither Lopez and Affleck didn’t seem to think that would be an issue during the second phase of their relationship. Still, there have been rumors circulating since earlier this year that the two are headed for another break-up. Clues like Lopez and Affleck spending their wedding anniversaries apart, and Affleck moving out of their home, seem to reinforce the theory. Reports have also recently surfaced that the two have a divorce statement planned, and it’s only a matter of time before it’s released.

It’s unclear what might’ve caused their break up this time. But a recent source claimed that Lopez’s recent cocktail line might’ve caused the two to officially part ways. Lopez launched Delola, dedicated to serving its customers spritz drinks, in April 2023. An alleged insider claimed that Affleck felt Lopez’s new business was disrespectful towards his sobriety, which he values after his intense battle with alcoholism.

“Ben had to fight to get his life back after overcoming alcohol. Knowing how he lost everything including the love of his family, knowing that he could possibly relapse, Jen decided to start her own spritzer line for more money, as if she did not have enough. This was one of the things that broke the camel’s back. But Ben saved his sobriety,” the source once claimed according to the Hindustan Times.

Whatever the case, if Lopez and Affleck are headed towards divorce, fans might not know the true reason until an official statement’s been made.

Kirsten Dunst Made Sure Mary Jane Watson Wasn’t a Sex Object in ‘Spider-Man’

Antonio Stallings — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 03:43:00 +0000

Spider-Man star Kirsten Dunst became a permanent part of superhero mythology thanks to her performance as Mary Jane Watson. But while doing the role, Dunst made her voice heard to make sure the character maintained its integrity.

Kirsten Dunst wanted her character to look a certain way in ‘Spider-Man’

Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst | James Devaney/WireImage

Dunst had a high opinion of Mary Jane Watson in the first Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire. The feature saw Dunst portray Peter Parker’s iconic love interest, a character who she found heroic in a more grounded way.

“Mary Jane is a hero in her own right. She fights with her problems, for her family, for her love. And she fights with all she’s got. She tries to get a grip in life and is also much more grown up than Spider-Man/Peter Parker, who is, let’s face it, still rather childish. His social skills are so underdeveloped, because he’s always so busy with being a superhero,” Dunst once told BBC.

She had so much respect for her character that Dunst wanted to do more with her in the film. So she wanted Raimi to make this major change to her role in the feature.

“Yes, I tried to make her character a little more determined. I told them, ‘She’s a strong woman now. Don’t let her scream so much like in the first part. She’s much more than the damsel in distress,'” she said.

Mary Jane also offered a much more favorable alternative to playing an actual superhero for Dunst. Dunst wasn’t a fan of playing invulnerable characters with powers at the time.

“I want to play human characters, that is what fascinates me. Even as a child I never wanted to have super powers. I always was a very girly girl – I loved My Little Pony and musicals,” she said.

Apart from her preferences, Dunst also didn’t find the outfits that most female superheroes wore at the time flattering. Which was why she made sure Mary Jane’s wardrobe would be up to her standards.

“I don’t think they are sexy. I find them much too revealing. I don’t like it when they throw everything in your face. I had complete control over Mary Jane’s wardrobe, and I told them exactly what I was comfortable with and what I wasn’t. I really didn’t want to be the sex object in a superhero movie,” she said.

Kirsten Dunst would’ve wanted her ‘Spider-Man’ return to be like this superhero movie

It’s been more than a decade since Dunst has been seen in a major superhero movie. She hasn’t played Peter Parker’s love interest Mary Jane since Spider-Man 3, a character that’s been inherited by Zendaya. Since then, she’s starred in a few smaller projects while further establishing herself as an actor. But Dunst wouldn’t be opposed to appearing in another superhero film due to the high paydays.

“That’s the reason people do those movies,” she quipped in an interview with GQ.

This might’ve been partially why she wouldn’t have minded reprising her role in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The 2021 Marvel feature saw Tom Holland’s Spider-Man teaming up with alternate versions of himself from different eras. This included Maguire’s classic version of the character. Dunst was curious about how her on-screen relationship with her Spider-Man co-star might work.

“It would be funny to be like, OK, let’s take Tobey [Maguire] and I and do it in a weird indie way where it’s like a different kind of superhero film,” she said. “Like how they did that movie Chronicle. It could be cool.”

It helped that Dunst had very fond memories of working with Raimi in the original movies.

“It was more innocent, I think,” she said. “Sam Raimi was like a cult director, so it felt like we were making an indie disguised as a superhero film.”

Will Smith Once Felt People Would Be ‘Rejecting Me’ if ‘I Am Legend’ Failed

Antonio Stallings — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 02:41:00 +0000

Will Smith has made many box-office hits during his long career. But there was one hit movie whose failure would’ve been personally devastating for the mega-star.

Will Smith felt ‘I Am Legend’ hinged on his performance

Will Smith | Alfredo Estrella / Getty Images

I Am Legend was a project that had been circling around Smith for a long time. He was initially supposed to do the project with Michael Bay. But plans fell through, and he’d eventually develop the movie with filmmaker Francis Lawrence. Smith felt that I Am Legend was a unique take on a genre of film he was already familiar with. It wasn’t the traditional save-the-world blockbuster that helped Smith make a name for himself. Instead, the story would focus on a scientist who was seemingly the last and only human being on an apocalyptic Earth.

The Oscar winner found himself more focused on the psychology of his character more than the movie’s special effects.

“What we were trying to do was to completely remove genre; so let’s look at the psychological deterioration of the character and let’s make the small art film version of this movie and then put all of the other elements – the blockbuster packaging – around it. We were just very specific to never say that to anybody at Warner Bros,” Smith once told BBC.

But this made the feature perhaps more personal to Smith than any other film he’d done prior. He felt the horror movie would live or die based on his performance alone.

“There was definitely pressure this time,” he said. “I think that the combination of the amount of work we put into this film and the way that we decided to do it – we essentially employed a different spirit behind making this film that you usually don’t have in film-making. We all took artistic leaps when making this film. But then there was the added element of it just being me on camera for the first hour of the film. I took it that if this film was rejected, people were actually rejecting me more than not liking a film. So it was a huge relief for me on Sunday night when we got the numbers.”

What to expect from ‘I Am Legend 2’

Not much is known about the sequel to Smith’s I Am Legend. The movie, titled I Am Legend 2, was announced to be in development back in 2022. Not too long afterwards, it was reported that Michael B. Jordan will star alongside Smith on the project. Smith confided not too long ago that the movie will be following an alternate ending rather than the conclusion seen during its theatrical release.

“You have to be a real I Am Legend buff to know this, but in the first, theatrical version, my character dies, but on the DVD there was an alternate version of the ending where my character lived. We are going with the mythology of the DVD version. I can’t tell you anything more, but Michael B. Jordan is in,” Smith said at a film festival according to Variety.

Much more recently, the Creed star also gave an update in regards to the film’s development.

“We’re still working on the script and getting that up to par,” Jordan said to People. “It doesn’t have a release date or anything like that. I’m not sure exactly where we’re going to be filming that one, but I’m really excited to get in front of the camera with him. Being somebody that I’ve looked up to for a really long time, to be able to work with Will is something I’m really looking forward to. I’m really excited.”