Latest news with #Bridgerton
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Bridgerton's Simone Ashley faces Hollywood erasure despite acting with Brad Pitt
Lead of Netflix's hit series Bridgerton, romantic lead of Picture This, and certified fan of the Formula One Grand Prix, Simone Ashley faces 'Hollywood erasure' after significant cut to role in F1 Arguably one of Netflix's biggest stars, Bridgerton actress Simone Ashley appears to be facing 'Hollywood erasure' as her newest role is reduced, despite being cast alongside Hollywood legend Brad Pitt. Apple Original Films' most recent venture, F1: The Movie, cast Bridgerton lead Simone Ashley, exciting fans of both the Netflix hit series and Formula one - since the actress is known to be a genuine fan of the sport. However, despite being spotted filming between several Grand Prix tracks, it's suggested that Ashley's role was cut to last only a few seconds. Fans who attended an advance screening of the film described Ashley's role to be a "brief cameo" rather than the significant representation we had hoped for, amongst a dominated cast of white leads. Ashley's reduction says it all about Hollywood attitudes to brown women and the lack of space for them as returning leads on our screens. A disappointment to fans worldwide, the marketing gaslighting of a community of women who have repeatedly been shunned from media representation has failed to land this time around, considering Simone's success in an age that still refuses to cast deep-tanned brown women as romantic protagonists. We can see this across every genre of Hollywood and TV - the Indian comedic-relief (Raj in The Big Bang Theory, Anwar in Skins, Karen in the 2024 Mean Girls adaptation) has been the only space for South Asians for decades... until we began to create our own. Simone Ashley is said to now be producing her own work to stay in work, working as both the romantic lead and executive producer in Amazon Prime's Picture This. But why must we create our own 'third space' in the first place? Audiences crave to see themselves on screen, so why are we recycling the same white, male leads that have clung to the cinematic stage for decades? Multi-million budget films clearly rely on diverse leads to create the necessary PR frenzy now needed for a project's success, only to edit out the person's effect in the final cut. This master plan that profits off a display of diversity in public, and slashes representation in practice, is a regressive eye-opener for many fans, and extremely harmful to the South Asian community that celebrates Simone's success and have suffered decades without true representation. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!
India.com
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Joseph Kosinski Director Of F1Reveals Why Bridgerton Actress Simone Ashley Role Was Taken Out From Final Cut
Washington : 'Bridgerton' fame actress Simone Ashley has been cast in the high-octane racing drama 'F1' alongside Brad Pitt and Damson. However, despite shooting some scenes in the movie, her role was cut in the final cut, reported People Magazine. When asked about the change to Ashley's part, director Joseph Kosinski tells People, "It happens on every film, where you have to shoot more than you can use. There were two or three storylines that ultimately didn't make it into the final cut." Kosinski, though, lauded the talent of the actress Simone and expressed his wish to work with her again. "But Simone, she's an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again," Kosinski adds as quoted by People. Simone Ashley has not commented on her reduction of the role yet. Earlier this month, while speaking to ELLE as quoted by People, Ashley said making F1 was a "crazy" experience. "I have a very small part, but I'm grateful to be in that movie. I got to experience many Grand Prix. I don't think I'll ever do anything like that again," said Ashley as quoted by People. The 'Bridgerton' actress previously told Who What Wear magazine, as quoted by People, that the production on the film 'F1' had been "going for years" as she revealed how long her role was in the works. "I met for this movie, I think, before Bridgerton even came out. It's been a long time, and you know, it's Damson and Brad's movie. I'm just so grateful that I can be part of it. You had to work as a team. Sometimes we literally had one take for certain shots. Like, you'd see on the call sheet eight minutes to get this one thing because we were shooting alongside the races," said Simone Ashley as quoted by People. According to an official synopsis, Pitt will be playing the character of Hayes in F1. Hayes was Formula 1's "most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career." "Thirty years later, he's a nomadic racer-for-hire when he's approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling Formula 1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to Formula for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world," the synopsis continues. "But as the engines roar, Sonny's past catches up with him and he finds that in Formula 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone," read the synopsis as reported People. The film also stars Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Sarah Niles and Samson Kayo, while Lewis Hamilton is one of the producers. 'F1' is in theatres on June 27.
Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Jurassic World: Rebirth' brings back dinosaurs
Scarlett Johansson's role in Jurassic World: Rebirth made her recall her earliest memories of the dinosaur film franchise. The Black Widow actor recalled seeing the first Jurassic Park film at the cinema when she was 10 years old. "It imprinted on me very deeply," she told Reuters at the London premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. "For the next three decades, I was like, I would have done anything to be in a Jurassic movie in any capacity," she added. The franchise, created by Michael Crichton, has spawned several films, merchandising deals and video games. The seventh instalment in the franchise, Jurassic World: Rebirth, directed by Gareth Edwards, follows a team of specialists that embarks on an expedition to a forbidden island, home to a research facility for the original Jurassic Park. The specialists, played by Johansson and Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey, must obtain DNA samples from three dinosaurs to achieve a life-saving medical breakthrough. The Universal Pictures film arrives in theatres on July 2. For Rupert Friend, this instalment in the franchise is exhilarating. "I love adventure. I love being taken on a ride where you don't know what's going to happen. I love the unknown. I love risk," he said. For well-known science fiction director, Edwards, the pressure for the film to succeed did not hit until he arrived at the premiere. "It's all front and centre here. It feels a bit weird to be honest. I can't quite get my head around it," the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director added. However, as per IMDb, tracking figures for the dinosaur film suggests one of the lowest opening weekends in the franchise's history. Even accounting for the additional two days in the July Fourth long weekend in the United States, superhero films Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are both expected to outperform Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
You can now watch all 6 episodes of 'brilliantly seductive' period drama free
If you're in search of some period drama escapism with a splash of sauciness to it, six new episodes are waiting for you on a free streaming service. The appropriately-named drama Outrageous is based on the true story of the Mitford sisters, as told in Mary S Lovell's bestselling biography. This adaptation – available on U&Drama – sees the six sisters in 1930s London, as the storm clouds of war gather and the pillars of aristocracy start to crack. The sib at the centre of this drama is Diana, played by Scottish actress Joanna Vanderham, who kicks things off with a very public and very scandalous divorce. She trades in her husband for fascist leader Oswald Mosley (Joshua Sasse), which earned the real Diana the questionable honour of being dubbed 'the most hated woman in Britain'. In between the champagne and country estates, there's political intrigue in the mix as, elsewhere among the sibs, Jessica (Zoe Brough) pursues an interest in communism, while Unity (Shannon Watson) gets into fascism (what a thing to say – the real Unity mixed in Nazi circles), leaving their parents perhaps understandably bewildered. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Meanwhile, we also have Nancy, played by Bridgerton star Bessie Carter, who's unlucky in love but tremendously good with a pen. On the whole, the Mitfords can't keep out of the gossipy headlines – they're the Kardashians of the 1930s – while their mother (Anna Chancellor) and House of Lords cardholder father (James Purefoy) try to make sense of what their daughters are up to. The best-known statement from the Mitford sisters' long-suffering mother, according to the New York Times, was: 'Whenever I see the words 'Peer's Daughter' in a headline, I know it's going to be something about one of you children.' Celebrated and sometimes scandalous, The Times once summarised the sisters as follows: 'Diana the fascist; Jessica the communist; Unity the Hitler-lover; Nancy the novelist; Deborah the Duchess and Pamela the unobtrusive poultry connoisseur'. Catchy. The six sisters gained much attention for their stylish and – if it wasn't clear already – occasionally controversial lives in high society. Their heyday marked a high-water-mark of the British upper class. Much of what we know about the sisters, and that is dramatised in the show, is because they were prolific letter-writers. They would have probably crushed on social media. If any of that sounds familiar, it might be because you watched the 2021 drama The Pursuit of Love, starring Lily James, which was based on the real Nancy Mitford's novel of the same name, which in turn drew heavily on her sisters' lives. Outrageous has already garnered glowing reviews, with a five-star write-up from Digital Spy, labelling it 'brilliantly seductive television'. Meanwhile, the Radio Times awarded the show four stars, hailing it as 'scandalous' and 'stylish', before adding: 'A series which beggars belief, Sarah Williams's six-part drama could easily be mistaken for a work of fiction, and understandably so.' More Trending The show's writer Sarah Williams said she was drawn to the subject material two decades ago, after a friend told her to read Lovell's biography of the sisters. U&Drama is part of the U on-demand service, which is a free British TV streamer. You can access U&Drama through the U app on your TV or phone, as well as through their website. On the website, you can sign up here for a free account and start streaming all the shows they have on offer – including Outrageous. 'I was completely blown away,' Williams told Vanity Fair, 'because here was everything. Love, death, passion, elopements, imprisonment, suicide.' She added: 'They had passionate opinions, and were prepared to go to jail for what they believed in, were prepared to kill themselves for what they believed in. They were not playing about.' View More » Outrageous is available to stream on U&Drama. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: This 'hidden gem' period drama took me by surprise – I'm now obsessed MORE: Bridgerton star was cut from Brad Pitt's new F1 movie, says director MORE: My date said I had one drink to impress him – so I downed it
The National
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Dua Lipa and Gary Lineker join stars calling PM to halt all arms sales to Israel
More than 300 actors, musicians, activists and others used an open letter to call on the Prime Minister to 'take immediate action to end the UK's complicity in the horrors of Gaza'. As well as suspending UK arms sales to Israel, the group urged Sir Keir to 'use all available means' to ensure humanitarian aid gets into the territory and 'make a commitment to the children of Gaza' that he would broker an 'immediate and permanent ceasefire'. The signatories included Lineker, who left his role presenting Match Of The Day earlier this month following a controversy over one of his social media posts about the conflict in Gaza. He was joined by actors including Cumberbatch and Brian Cox, along with Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlin, singers Paloma Faith and Annie Lennox, and Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos. Josie Naughton, founder of the charity Choose Love – which organised the letter, said: 'Words won't save the lives of Palestinian children as they are being killed, words won't fill their empty stomachs. Benedict Cumberbatch is one of several actors to have signed the letter urging the Prime Minister to end all arms sales to Israel (Ian West/PA) 'We need action from Keir Starmer now. That means stopping arms sales, making sure that legitimate humanitarian organisations can reach people in Gaza. It means doing everything possible to make these horrors end.' The letter follows Tel Aviv's decision to renew its military offensive in Gaza last week as it presses for what Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called 'total victory' over Hamas. UK ministers have condemned the decision, suspending trade talks with Israel, sanctioning West Bank settlers and summoning the country's ambassador, while Sir Keir himself called for Mr Netanyahu to end the offensive. The Prime Minister also described the situation in Gaza as 'intolerable' and warned of 'the prospect of starvation' due to a lack of humanitarian aid. Ministers have already suspended licences for some arms sales to Israel, but activists have demanded that the Government goes further, imposing a total ban including on parts for the F-35 jet. But the Government has said halting the export of spare F-35 parts is not possible as the UK is part of a global supply network and cannot control where those parts end up. A Government spokesperson said: 'We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid. 'The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law. 'Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict. 'We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.'
