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"So utterly devastated": Friends cast break silence

The cast of Friends have broken their silence on Matthew Perry's <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/you-were-loved-tributes-flow-over-tragic-passing-of-matthew-perry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tragic passing</a> over the weekend. His co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, issued a joint statement to People Magazine on Tuesday. "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," the statement read. "There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss." "In time we will say more, as and when we are able." "For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world." The statement was signed by the cast. A few other Friends co-stars had previously paid tribute to the actor, Maggie Wheeler andMorgan Fairchild, were among them. Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Janice wrote: "What a loss. The world will miss you Matthew Perry. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared. ♥️" While Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler's mother, Nora Bing, said she was "heartbroken" by the untimely loss of her "son". Images: Getty

Caring

Backlash after new docudrama casts Cleopatra as a black woman

When Netflix announced their docu-series on Queen Cleopatra VII, excitement was high among the cast and crew. As the series’ star, Adele James, put it “I don’t know if there are words powerful enough to express what I hope this will mean for young people all over the world who look like me (and who don’t!) who will now get to grow up seeing the greatest leader of all time (of the greatest ancient civilisation, no less!!) being portrayed by a black-mixed woman on one of the biggest streaming services in the world!!!!!” However, it wasn’t long before problems arose, with many voicing their opinion that Netflix was ‘blackwashing’ the show, and Egyptian experts weighing in to the mounting criticism. And now, those same people are taking steps towards making sure the show never gets the chance to hit screens in Egypt. The trailer alone, with over 2 million views on YouTube, does not allow comments in the wake of its backlash. The series, titled African Queens: Queen Cleopatra, marks 27-year-old biracial actress Adele James’ Netflix debut. It is also narrated and executive produced by Jade Pinkett Smith. And while Queen Cleopatra’s race has long been a subject of dispute, as Pinkett Smith confessed to Tudum, the decision to cast James was intended as “a nod to the centuries-long conversation about the ruler’s race. “During the time of her reign, Egypt’s population was multicultural and multiracial. Cleopatra’s race was unlikely to be documented, and the identities of her mother and paternal grandparents weren’t known. Some speculate she was a native Egyptian woman while others say she was Greek.” “I really wanted to represent Black women,” Pinkett Smith added. “We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important for me.” The portrayal, however, has been dubbed “completely fake” by some experts. Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who believes the late queen was Greek and definitively “not black”, has accused streaming giant Netflix of “trying to provoke confusion by spreading false and deceptive facts that the origin of the Egyptian civilization is black”. As he told the Al-Masry al-Youm newspaper, “Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black.” Mahmoud al-Semary, a lawyer who is of the same opinion, went so far as to file a complaint with Egypt’s public prosecutor, demanding that Netflix be blocked in Egypt for their attempts to “promote the Afrocentric thinking … which includes slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.” And he wasn’t the only one to take action, with a petition circling online to “Cancel Netflix’s ‘Queen Cleopatra’”. And while a former petition calling for the same thing was removed by Change.org despite its 85,000 signatures, the second attempt has so far gathered over 4,000. Meanwhile, Egyptologist Sally-Ann Ashton - who acted as a consultant for Netflix during the series’ preparation phase - has noted that the belief Cleopatra should be depicted as entirely European is “strange”. “Cleopatra ruled in Egypt long before the Arab settlement in North Africa,” she explained. “If the maternal side of her family were indigenous women, they would’ve been African, and this should be reflected in contemporary representations of Cleopatra.” And as Adele James put it best - along with some all important advice - to the flood of criticism aimed at her, “if you don’t like the casting don’t watch the show. Or do & engage in (expert) opinion different to yours. Either way, I’M GASSED and will continue to be!” Images: Instagram

Surprise new addition to Neighbours reboot cast

The hit soap Neighbours has revealed a surprising cast announcement with the arrival of an iconic celeb. The British-American former star of the US series The OC, Mischa Barton, who rose to fame as Marissa Cooper on the early 2000s teen drama will make her way to Ramsay Street as production for the reboot is underway. British-born Barton, 37, will have guest appearances as Reece, an American who is new to the area and not quite what she appears to be, according to a statement by Amazon. “I’m excited to be part of this iconic show’s next chapter, and I am really looking forward to being back in Australia, a place I know and love,” the actress said. “I think the character of Reece is going to be a great role for me to explore and play with.” Neighbours’ executive producer, Jason Herbison said, “With Neighbours launching on Amazon Freevee in North America, we are beyond excited to have an actor of Mischa’s calibre join us for the beginning of this exciting new chapter. Mischa’s character is dynamic and unpredictable and will have an instant presence on Ramsay Street. Our loyal viewers are going to love her, locally and abroad.” Production for the show is currently underway in Melbourne, with the reboot to be aired in Autumn 2023. March 2023 saw many new cast additions, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/neighbours-reveals-which-stars-are-moving-back-to-ramsay-street" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcing the return of several familiar faces</a>. The show ended its 37-year run in July 2022 after Fremantle failed to secure an alternative home for the Ramsay Street residents, but luckily for fans, a <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/neighbours-is-saved" target="_blank" rel="noopener">streaming giant stepped in to save the day</a>. Neighbours will return to its old home on Channel 10 but will be available to stream for free for the UK and the US on Amazon Freevee. The soap will also be available to stream ad-free on Prime Video in Australia and New Zealand seven days after the free-to-air viewing. Image credit: Twitter

Kelsey Grammer's sweet tribute to beloved fallen cast mate

Kelsey Grammer has paid tribute to his beloved friend and former Cheers co-star, who passed away from cancer at age 71. Grammer appeared on The Rachel Ray Show, describing Alley as “radiant”. “I loved Kirstie,” he said. “She was always beautiful. She just had that thing about her. She was a radiant human being and that came through her.” "She knew how to love. She was so honest in her emotions all the time.” Grammer even revealed that he once "got in trouble with the law", and Kirstie was one of the only people who really supported him. “She showed up,” he said. "She was one of the only ones who really showed up to be supportive and that was magnificent. She always made me laugh. Everything she did made me giggle. The first time I went to her house there were lemurs living on the property and I thought, only in Kirstie world.” One of the last times he was supposed to see her was at a book signing for a friend, but Grammer revealed she did not end up attending. "Kirstie was noticeably missing and about a week later she was gone," he said. The Rachel Ray Show host responded that she was also fond of Alley, "I'm just blessed that I even knew her and I'm thrilled that you shared some of those thoughts with us. Thank you, my friend.” She told Grammer. Kirstie Alley passed away from pancreatic cancer in December 2022. The <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/kirstie-alley-dies-at-age-71" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news of her death</a> was announced on Twitter by her children, Lillie and True Parker. Image credit: Getty

Caring

"So proud": Blue Wiggle's daughter joins the cast

The daughter of Blue Wiggle Anthony Field has shared she has joined the children's entertainment group as a dancer. Lucia Field, 17, made the announcement on her TikTok account, as she shared a throwback picture of her and her famous dad with Dorothy the Dinosaur. She wrote, "I never would've believed you if 16 years ago you told me I'd be here." She then shared a photo of her in a blue skivvy dancing in front of the giant Wiggles logo. The video, which was posted on the offical Wiggles account, was flooded with comments of people cheering on the new dance member. <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7132666717473344769&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40thewiggles%2Fvideo%2F7132666717473344769%3Fis_copy_url%3D1%26is_from_webapp%3Dv1%26lang%3Den&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> Anthony also commented, saying he was "so proud" of his daughter. Lucia graduated from high school in December last year, with her excited father sharing a photo to Instagram of them together at her formal. In addition to Lucia, Anthony is father to daughter Marie, 16, and son Antonio, 14, whom he shares with his wife of 18 years, Michaela Patisteas. Anthony joined The Wiggles in 1979 alongside retired members Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt. The trio were replaced by 'Yellow Wiggle' Emma Watkins, who left the group in October last year, 'Purple Wiggle' Lachlan Gillespie and 'Red Wiggle' Simon Pryce. Image credits: TikTok

Family & Pets

FBI findings cast doubt on Alec Baldwin's claim

A recently-released FBI report has determined that Alec Baldwin could face criminal charges over the shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. According to ABC News, the gun used on the New Mexico movie set could not have been fired without the trigger being pulled. It means that Baldwin, who has repeatedly insisted that he did not pull the trigger, could still face criminal charges for the devastating incident which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza. The FBI forensic report had been examining the case in great depth to see if any charges could be brought against individuals involved in the incident. It conducted an accidental discharge test and determined the gun used in the fatal shooting of Hutchins “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger,” the report stated. The test showed that when the 45 Colt caliber F.lli Pietta single-action revolver’s hammer was in the quarter and half-cock positions, the gun would not fire without the trigger being pulled. When the hammer was in the fully cocked position, the gun “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger while the working internal components were intact and functional,” according to the outlet. Despite these claims, Baldwin stated in an interview in December that he, who was in possession of the gun at the time of the shooting, did not fire the weapon. “The trigger wasn’t pulled,” Baldwin said. “I didn’t pull the trigger.” Image credits: Getty Images

Legal

"I was not aware": Audrey Hepburn's son responds to casting choice

An upcoming biopic focusing on the life of Audrey Hepburn <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/rooney-mara-to-play-audrey-hepburn-in-new-biopic/" target="_blank">has revealed</a> who will bring the classic film star to life - and Hepburn's son has since weighed in on the decision. The news broke that American actress Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) has made a deal to portray Hepburn in the future film from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino in early January, as Mara prepares for a role in Guilermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley. Sean Ferrer, Hepburn's son, told Fox News he had no idea about the upcoming project. "I was not aware of the project," he told the outlet. “Rooney is a delight. Sounds like there is a lot of love there.” Ferrer has spent much of his life keeping his mother’s legacy and memory alive since her passing in 1993 from cancer. In 2020, Ferrer and his wife, Karin, wrote Little Audrey’s Daydream, a children’s book that followed Hepburn’s rocky childhood in Holland during the war and her dreams of becoming a Hollywood star. Speaking to Fox News <a rel="noopener" href="https://nypost.com/2022/01/10/audrey-hepburns-son-responds-to-rooney-maras-biopic-casting/" target="_blank">at the time</a>, Ferrer said his favourite moment with his mother was “anytime I made her laugh”. “It’s one of the greatest things you can take from any relationship if you can make someone laugh and give them that moment of sunshine,” he said. “But there are many moments I think about. “I think about when she drove me to the airport and I left to do my first job. I was walking through security and when I turned around, there were tears coming down her face. As a parent and having been through it, I now understand. “But I take great comfort in those moments when I simply made her laugh.” Hepburn was known for her roles in Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, Charade, and Sabrina, and she received a Grammy award posthumously in 1994, making her the fifth person to receive an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. Though the plot of the new film is still <a rel="noopener" href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/rooney-mara-audrey-hepburn-apple-luca-guadagnino-1235148712/" target="_blank">under wraps</a>, Apple has backed the project, with The Giver’s Michael Mitnick writing the script and Mara producing. Images: Getty Images

Movies

Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ casts Canada as a racial utopia

When Hulu’s series The Handmaid’s Tale premiered in 2017, reviewers noted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/arts/television/review-the-handmaids-tale-creates-a-chilling-mans-world.html">its gripping drama and dystopian exploration</a> of rape culture and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/26/the-handmaids-tale-year-trump-misogyny-metoo">misogyny at a time when both were hallmarks of Donald Trump’s presidency</a>. The series is adapted from Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel. It has won numerous awards and was recently renewed for <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a35130606/handmaids-tale-season-5-news-date-cast-spoilers-trailer/">a fifth season</a>. But some commentators, including writer Ellen E. Jones, have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jul/31/the-handmaids-tales-race-problem">criticized the series for its use of colour-blind casting that created inclusivity but otherwise ignored race in storylines</a>. Others, including Noah Berlatsky, have analyzed how both the series and novel <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/15/15808530/handmaids-tale-hulu-margaret-atwood-black-history-racial-erasure">erase Black people’s history</a>. Our research examines representations of <a href="https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/R/Race-in-Young-Adult-Speculative-Fiction">race in speculative fiction</a> and of <a href="https://www.mqup.ca/reading-between-the-borderlines-products-9780773555136.php">Canada in U.S. literature</a>, leading us to notice how Hulu’s series represents race and national difference. The show positions Canada as a morally superior nation that has rejected the dystopian society’s repressive and exclusionist thinking. This is especially apparent in Season 4’s focus on characters’ escape to Canada, a theme that references older abolitionist narratives. In so doing, the show obscures Canada’s history of slavery, colonialism and racism. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/81PyH5TH-NQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <h2>Atwood’s dystopian world</h2> Both the novel and show draw on U.S. history to imagine a dystopian world facing an unexplained fertility crisis. Gilead, a <a href="https://lithub.com/margaret-atwood-on-how-she-came-to-write-the-handmaids-tale">theocratic nation led by religious fundamentalists</a>, has overthrown the U.S. government. Atwood’s female narrator is an <a href="https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA206534450&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00294047&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7Ec0791e64">educated white woman</a> forced to become a “handmaid.” Each month, a commander rapes her in a religious fertility ceremony. Babies born to handmaids are raised by commanders and their wives. The sole purpose of the handmaids is to rebuild Gilead’s population. Writer Priya Nair explains that Atwood’s novel draws on the historical <a href="https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/anti-blackness-handmaids-tale">oppression of Black enslaved women and applies it to fictional white women</a>. For example, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Dark-Horizons-Science-Fiction-and-the-Dystopian-Imagination/Moylan-Baccolini/p/book/9780415966146">handmaids who are disobedient</a> are beaten or hanged. Despite clear parallels to slavery, Atwood only obliquely references slavery when the narrator <a href="https://msmagazine.com/2017/05/02/whats-not-said-handmaids-tale/">explains that the “Children of Ham</a>” have been relocated to the Dakotas. “Children of Ham” is a Biblical phrase that was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/arts/from-noah-s-curse-to-slavery-s-rationale.html">used historically to justify enslaving Africans</a>. Nair also notes that the novel focuses on white women’s oppression, while seemingly ignoring “the historical realities of an American dystopia founded on anti-Black violence.” <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433508/original/file-20211123-26-1jbixok.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="A crowd of women, of white, Black and Asian identities, seen in cloaks and bonnets." /> Actors are seen at the filming of Handmaid’s Tale at Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., February 2019. (Victoria Pickering/Flickr), <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-NC-ND</a> While the novel relies on historical experiences of Black Americans, its characters are predominantly white, a feature of Gilead that Atwood maintains in the 2019 follow-up The Testaments. As reviewer Danielle Kurtzleben notes, in this second instalment: “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/09/03/755868251/the-testaments-takes-us-back-to-gilead-for-a-fast-paced-female-centered-adventur">Readers hoping to hear more about race in Gilead will be sorely disappointed</a>.” Atwood intentionally framed Gilead as both misogynist and racist: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/15/15808530/handmaids-tale-hulu-margaret-atwood-black-history-racial-erasure">the theocracy is interested only in reproducing white babies and, therefore, only enslaving white women</a>. <h2>Colour-blind casting in Hulu’s adaptation</h2> In adapting the novel, Hulu relied on a diverse cast of actors. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005253/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">White actor Elisabeth Moss</a> plays June and <a href="https://blackbookmag.com/arts-culture/essay-the-handmaids-tale-star-o-t-fagbenle-on-racial-fairness-in-the-entertainment-industry/">Black British actor</a> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1282966/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">O-T Fagbenle</a> portrays her husband Luke. <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/samira-wiley-on-doing-right-by-her-handmaids-tale-character-her-wife-the-queer-black-community-herself-8732193">Black actor</a> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4148126/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Samira Wiley</a> was cast as June’s best friend Moira. Actors of colour portray characters of all class positions in Gilead’s society. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433506/original/file-20211123-25-401rkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="A Black woman dressed glamorously in red lipstick is seen arriving at an event in front of a Hulu / Handmaid's Tale sign." /> Samira Wiley, who plays Moira, arrives for ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ FYC Phase 2 Event in August 2017 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Shutterstock) <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0588005/">Executive producer Bruce Miller</a> acknowledges that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jul/31/the-handmaids-tales-race-problem">he cast actors of colour</a> in many roles to avoid creating an all-white world, which would result in a racist TV show. The show doesn’t address race, he explained, because: “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jul/31/the-handmaids-tales-race-problem">It just felt like in a world where birth rates have fallen so precipitously, fertility would trump everything</a>.” The show then relies on colour-blind casting and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/06/16/the-handmaids-tale-proves-that-colorblind-casting-isnt-enough/">colour-blind storytelling</a>. In Atwood’s novel, Canada is <a href="https://the-handmaids-tale.fandom.com/wiki/Canada">the place to which handmaids escape</a>, fleeing there on the Underground Femaleroad — a term that clearly invokes <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/underground-railroad">the Underground Railroad</a>. In Hulu’s series, handmaids — <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5931656/?ref_=ttep_ep10">including Moira</a> — escape from Gilead to Canada where they find protection and safety, and are able to rebuild their lives. The series draws on older literary traditions that have been integral to maintaining the myth of Canada as free from racism. <h2>Draws on abolitionist narratives</h2> In the 1840s and 1850s, U.S. abolitionist authors intentionally represented Canada as a racial haven. By casting <a href="https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/jcs.2020-0025">Canada as morally superior</a>, abolitionists imagined what the U.S. might look like if slavery were abolished. Abolitionist authors like Black songwriter and poet <a href="https://southernspaces.org/2020/white-people-america-1854/">Joshua McCarter Simpson</a> and white novelist <a href="https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/harriet-beecher-stowe/harriet-beecher-stowe-life/">Harriet Beecher Stowe</a> celebrated Canada as a place that resisted racial violence and provided legal protection for Black refugees fleeing U.S. slavery. Some abolitionists sought to capture the nuanced accounts of Black refugees in Canada. Abolitionist editor <a href="https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/drew/drew.html">Benjamin Drew</a> published oral testimonies of Black refugees, including their experiences of racism in Ontario. Others, like Stowe, minimized the difficulties of the lived experiences of Black Canadians, focusing on stories of Black success in Canada. These celebratory narratives dominated representations of Canada in U.S. literature. <h2>Canada as utopia?</h2> <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433513/original/file-20211123-20-1n4hkjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="A group of women in red cloaks and bonnets are seen walking by a cluster of trees outside." /> Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ escape-to-Canada stories draw on historical narratives by abolitionists. (Victoria Pickering/Flickr), <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-NC-ND</a> <a href="https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/chairholders-titulaires/profile-eng.aspx?profileId=4528">Literary scholar Nancy Kang</a> argues these abolitionist stories constructed an “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40033673">allegory of Canadian freedom reigning triumphant over American bondage</a>.” Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale escape-to-Canada stories draw on these historical narratives. The handmaid Emily, portrayed by white actor <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0088127/">Alexis Bledel</a>, escapes Gilead dramatically, entering Canada by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8363118/?ref_=ttep_ep1">wading across a rushing river</a>, nearly losing June’s daughter. Once across, she weeps over the baby, recreating an iconic scene from Stowe’s <a href="http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/uncletom/uthp.html">Uncle Tom’s Cabin</a>, when the enslaved Eliza escapes slave-catchers by fleeing across a river with her child. Later in the episode, an Asian Canadian doctor welcomes Emily to Canada, saying: “You’re safe here.” On some level, Hulu’s use of colour-blind casting, as Berlatsky notes, “addresses the narrative’s debt to African-American history.” But viewers are still watching an adaptation of a novel whose emotional horror is based on imagining violent, racist aspects of U.S. history <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/15/15808530/handmaids-tale-hulu-margaret-atwood-black-history-racial-erasure">as if the atrocities happened to white people</a>. <h2>Myths of Canada</h2> The series avoids Canada’s history of anti-Black racism, slavery and state violence against Black bodies, as detailed by gender studies and Black/African diaspora scholar <a href="https://wgsi.utoronto.ca/person/robyn-maynard/">Robyn Maynard</a> in <a href="https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives">Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present</a>. It also overlooks Canada’s colonial <a href="https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525">violence toward Indigenous peoples</a>. These <a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-shameful-history-of-sterilizing-indigenous-women-107876">forms of violence</a> are intertwined with seeking control over women’s reproductive rights and sexual freedom. The series also overlooks Canada’s history of <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chinese-immigration-act">racist immigration</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/auschwitz-jews-not-welcome-in-wartime-canada">and asylum</a> policies. Hulu’s series does explore some of the consequences of patriarchal oppression. But the show’s positioning of Canada as a racial haven obscures <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/racism">its history</a> and the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/m_blog/dont-believe-the-hype-canada-is-not-a-nation-of-cultural-tolerance">contemporary reality of racism</a> experienced by BIPOC women and communities in Canada.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167766/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/miranda-green-barteet-1254372">Miranda Green-Barteet</a>, Associate Professor, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alyssa-maclean-1261523">Alyssa MacLean</a>, Assistant Professor, Department of English and Writing Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hulus-the-handmaids-tale-casts-canada-as-a-racial-utopia-167766">original article</a>. Image: Hulu

Surprise twist in casting of Prince William

Hit Netflix show The Crown has finally announced their Prince William after a nationwide search. <a rel="noopener" href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/the-crown-prince-william-dominic-west-son-senan-1235114068/" target="_blank">Variety</a> exclusively revealed that the Prince will be played by newcomer Senan West: the real life son of Dominic West who will play Prince Charles. The 13-year-old has been cast as a slightly older Prince William, as the show will portray him in his teenage years as he begins to mature into a young man. He will make his on-screen debut in the final episodes of the upcoming season alongside his father. It is believed the young actor submitted an audition tape for the role, which captivated the show's producers. As well as being in scenes with his father Dominic, Senan will be acting alongside Elizabeth Debicki, who will play his mother Diana. Prince William had only just turned 15 years old when Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, alongside her Dodi Al Fayed. Dodi Al Fayed will be portrayed by Khalid Abdalla in the upcoming season of the show, as producers of The Crown have not yet commented on whether Diana's death will be depicted in the series. Despite no formal confirmation, the casting of the upcoming season suggests that viewers will at least see the events leading up to the crash. The new cast, which changes every two seasons to reflect the royal family's lives, will see Imelda Staunton replace Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II and Jonathan Pryce portray Prince Philip. Lesley Manville will play Charles's aunt Princess Margaret, while Jonny Lee Miller is set to make an appearance as Prime Minister John Major. Image credits: Netflix / Getty Images

Meghan Markle’s casting plan falls through

Meghan Markle’s plans to cast Michelle Obama in her upcoming animated series, Pearl, have fallen through after the couple were not invited to celebrate Barack Obama’s birthday. Meghan’s Netflix series, announced earlier in the year, follows a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration from influential women throughout history. Royal commentator Neil Sean claimed Meghan hoped to get “big-voice over names” onboard, including the former First Lady. “Michelle Obama was one that Meghan Markle was very keen to sign up but that went through the pan when they didn’t get an invite to that spectacular 60th birthday for the former President,” he told Express. “I’m not saying Michelle’s now on the back burner but let’s put it this way, the present hasn’t been delivered yet and I kid you not.” Sean said the duchess may set her sights on other stars, including Oprah Winfrey. Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, told The Sun that the Obamas were “more to Meghan and Harry than A-list friends”. Cammilla Tominey, a royal commentator, wrote in The Telegraph that not receiving an invitation would have been a blow to the couple. Meghan announced the series, which is the first under the couple’s multi-million dollar deal with Netflix, earlier this year. She will be an executive producer of the series alongside David Furnish, the husband of close family friend Elton John.

The House of Gucci has a cast of Hollywood stars

The House of Gucci is one of those movies many of us will want to see. It has a cast list that reads like a who’s who of Hollywood with all of our favourites including Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Jack Huston. Read more: But that’s not all. The movie also has Lady Gaga and Adam Driver in the lead roles, along with Jared Leto and Salma Hayek. Plus, it’s directed by esteemed director, Ridley Scott, so we know it's going to be good. The House of Gucci won’t be streaming or showing in cinemas until the 25th November but we do have the first trailer to show you and it looks amazing. The movie is inspired by the shocking true story about the Gucci family empire behind the infamous Italian fashion house. Based on the book titled The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden, The House of Gucci tells us what happened behind the scenes and if the trailer is anything to go by, it’s going to be sensational. The story spans three decades of love, betrayal, decadence, revenge - and ultimately murder. We get to see what the name means, what it’s worth, and how far a family will go for control of it. The song called Heart of Glass from Blondie provides the soundtrack for the trailer. We see the Gucci fashion shows, the couple's wedding and wild nights at the disco which are all part of the drama leading up to the murder. Lady Gaga plays socialite, Patrizia Reggiani, Maurizio's ex-wife who was tried and convicted of orchestrating his murder after he left her for a younger woman. She served 18 years in prison, where she gained the nickname Black Widow, before being released in 2016. "I don't consider myself to be a particularly ethical person," says Gaga as Patrizia, "but I am fair."

Movies

How much the Friends cast were paid for the reunion special

The cast of Friends made history in the early 2000s when they negotiated salaries of US$ 1 million per episode, making them the highest paid television stars ever. And due to their previous success, many were left wondering how much they were paid to appear in last week's highly-anticipated reunion special. Reported by the Wall Street Journal, they were originally offered the same as the series, US$1 million each, but according to the publication they turned it down causing further delays to the special which had been in taels for years since the finale. When the reunion was announced to the public in February 2020, Variety reported the stars were being paid at least US$2.5 million each to revisit the show and their characters. Plus, the cast also receive close to US$20 million a year in syndication payments, according to USA Today. When the show began in 1994, the cast were paid $22,500 per episode. As the show's popularity exploded, the six lead actors eventually scooped a then-unprecedented deal for $1 million each per episode. Speaking to News Corp, Lisa Kudrow described how the salary changed her life. “We were the highest paid women in television,” she said. “That afforded me so much freedom after the show ended. Not only did I get to be part of something that was so well written and so beloved and something that sustained interest all those years later, but it also gave me a lot of creative freedom so that I could pursue other things. It was very fulfilling for me.” The reunion episode ended up delivering benchmark viewing around the world and Australia, where it set new records for its streaming provider.

Money & Banking

The non-Friends cast member fans claim will "ruin" the reunion

Fans are not happy with the fact that James Corden is set to host the Friends reunion special that is airing later this month. “All these people could’ve been a part of the Friends reunion but Warner Bros chose Justin Bieber and James Corden,” one Twitter user furiously wrote alongside a picture of other guest stars from the show’s run, including Brad Pitt and Paul Rudd. “James Corden adding the Friends reunion to the list of things he’s ruined with his mere presence,” another added. “Don’t get me wrong I’ve been wanting a Friends reunion since 2004 but if someone told me James Corden would be in it I’d have told them not to bother,” read another angry tweet. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841362/friends-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/cfe24247d6a34a7fbb47bfd4425465af" /> UK singer-songwriter Grace Petri quipped, “James Corden in the Friends reunion makes sense to me … It’s straight people’s turn to get their culture ruined.” Corden’s hosting of the reunion does seem off in hindsight considering the host’s Late Late Show airs on CBS, while Friends was a linchpin of rival NBC’s programming for many years. But Corden’s presence is hardly the least shocking bit of Friends news circulating this week. Matthew Perry caused mass panic after he appeared in the teaser for the reunion slurring his words. Perry has candidly spoken about struggling with addiction in the past, revealing he doesn’t remember filming entire seasons of the show.

Final Princess Diana character cast for The Crown

Aussie actress Elizabeth Debicki has received the nod to play Princess Dianna in the upcoming fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown. Debicki – who many people will find far more familiar once she appears in the upcoming Christopher Nolan Netflix show called Tenet, took to Twitter to share the news on Sunday afternoon: "Princess Diana's spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many,” wrote Debicki. “It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana in the final two seasons of The Crown (Seasons 5 and 6). <a href="https://t.co/Z3CjHuJ56B">pic.twitter.com/Z3CjHuJ56B</a> — The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheCrownNetflix/status/1295057878768918529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2020</a></blockquote> The Crown has traced the events and personal lives of the British royal family through several time periods, beginning with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's marriage and early careers in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Then there was a significant leap forward in Season 3, which came out in 2019, which covered the 1960s and 1970s. Princess Diana, who was born in 1961, is set to be introduced to the world in the upcoming fourth season and will be played by Emma Corrin. Corrin – like Debicki – is a relative unknown, with minor credits that include playing Esme Winikus in Pennyworth, and a one-episode spot on Grantchester. When it was announced that she had won the coveted Diana role, Corrin said at the time in a statement: "I have been glued to the show and to think I'm now joining this incredibly talented acting family is surreal. Princess Diana was an icon and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring. To explore her through Peter Morgan's writing is the most exceptional opportunity, and I will strive to do her justice." As one of the few non-English actors on The Crown, Debicki will come under great scrutiny for her performance as possibly the most beloved member of the royal family outside of Queen Elizabeth herself. The Crown also recently added Jonathan Pryce to its cast, and he will play Prince Philip in the final two seasons. Image source: Twitter

Beauty & Style

The Nanny cast reunites for virtual pilot re-enactment

The cast of beloved ‘90s sitcom The Nanny has come together for a YouTube reunion, more than 20 years after the show aired its final episode. Fran Drescher and 13 of her former co-stars gathered via video conferencing platform Zoom for a reading of the show’s 1993 pilot amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Titled “The Nanny Episode 1: Pandemic Table Read”, the 33-minute video posted to YouTube featured Drescher as the main character Fran Fine, Charles Shaughnessy (Maxwell Sheffield), Daniel Davis (Niles), Lauren Lane (C.C. Babcock), Nicholle Tom (Maggie Sheffield), Benjamin Salisbury (Brighton Sheffield), Alex Sternin (Eddie), Renee Taylor (Sylvia Fine), Madeline Zima (Grace Sheffield), DeeDee Rescher (Dottie) Rachel Chagall (Val) and Jonathan Penner (Danny). <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C3a6KuP1X14"></iframe></div> Co-creator Peter Marc Jacobson and composer Ann Hampton Callaway were also featured in the special event, with Jacobson reading the script directions and Callaway singing the theme song. “Laughter is the best medicine,” Drescher said in a statement. “So, in these challenging times, Petah and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we pulled together the original cast of The Nanny for a virtual read of the pilot?’ “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic performance for our fans around the world who are currently stressing in isolation and could use a real upper! It sure has given each of us a lift, and we hope it does for you as well.”

Last people in the world to know: Big Brother casts across the globe learn about coronavirus

While the rest of the world is dealing with the onslaught of COVID-19, Germany’s Big Brother contestants have been left in the dark as their country comes to grips with major shutdown measures. They will finally learn about the coronavirus epidemic that has caused unprecedented lockdowns across Europe on live TV. The group of 14 men and women, who have been isolated since February 6 in a property sitting in Cologne, western Germany, are currently undergoing in the country’s 13th season of the reality TV show. When they left for the show and officially cut themselves off, the news of the surprising virus was only just beginning to trickle into mainstream media from Wuhan, China. All contestants have been left unaware of any of the updates concerning the virus, except for the four new housemates introduced to the show on March 6 – just three days before the country would announce its first death from coronavirus. On the outside, the Big Brother show producers have been forced to respond to backlash concerning their decision to not update the housemates of the pandemic occurring on the outside world. They told German newspaper <a href="https://www.sueddeutsche.de/medien/big-brother-coronavirus-1.4841941">Süddeutsche Zeitung</a> that sharing information was not part of their “blackout” restrictions and would only be lifted in rare circumstances, including family member’s illness. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Some pictures from Big Brother Germany's live coronavirus special - a few housemates have shed tears but they're generally keeping their composure. The doctor spoke to them at length and is now taking their questions <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBDE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BBDE</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BigBrother?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BigBrother</a> <a href="https://t.co/CayT9HgERj">pic.twitter.com/CayT9HgERj</a> — bbspy (@bbspy) <a href="https://twitter.com/bbspy/status/1239979540002361345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2020</a></blockquote> They also told reporters the show was undertaking “special hygiene measures” to protect residents from infections – They did not go into detail on what those measures were. However, the show’s producers decided to change their tune and announced a live special episode where they would tell housemates about the worrying crisis. The popular global reality TV franchise told German, Brazilian, Canadian and Australian contestants of the news after being cut off from their contact with the outside world. "Big Brother will give all contestants the latest information about COVID-19 in Germany and the whole world tonight," a German spokesperson for the broadcaster Sat.1 told CNN. "The first contestants had been cut off from the outside world in preparation for the show on February, 6th. Theoretically they could know about the virus outbreak in Wuhan/China but don't know anything about the current situation in Germany," the spokesperson added. Brazil’s Big Brother followed a similar format of Canada’s version by pausing feeds over the weekend and updating contestants on the show of the coronavirus outbreak. Australia is filming their own version of the show in Sydney’s North. As reported by Yahoo News, it is believed the contestants entered the house three weeks ago – a week before the virus was declared a global pandemic on March 11 and cases skyrocketed in Australia. According to Channel 7, the cast has been updated on the situation and production is ongoing.

Entire cast of long-running TV soap axed unexpectedly

The cast of the popular and long running soap opera known as Days of Our Lives have reportedly been released from their contracts as the series’ future is uncertain. According to <a rel="noopener" href="https://tvline.com/2019/11/12/days-of-our-lives-cancelled-cast-fired-season-56/" target="_blank">TVLine</a>, the entire cast was released from their contracts and the show is expected to go on an indefinite hiatus at the end of November. Representatives for NBC and Sony have declined to comment on the speculation, but fans are worried as the move comes at a time where Sony and NBC are in negotiations to renew series. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzLxWGUFU7M/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzLxWGUFU7M/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">We loved seeing this #DAYS family reunion. ❤️ 📸: @alisweeney</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/nbcdays/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Days of our Lives</a> (@nbcdays) on Jun 26, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT </div> </blockquote> An insider for Sony has said that the studio isn’t involved in the contract negotiations with the cast as “the actor deals are through Corday Productions”. “It’s actually a shrewd — if cynical — business move,” said one insider to <a rel="noopener" href="https://tvline.com/2019/11/12/days-of-our-lives-cancelled-cast-fired-season-56/" target="_blank">TVLine</a>. “If Days gets picked up, [Corday] can offer the actors new contacts at a reduced rate and with a ‘take-it-or-leave’ it attitude. Worst case scenario, they lose half their cast. Best case scenario [for Corday], everyone agrees to return at a lower salary.” Despite low ratings and the soap opera genre being in decline, NBC have said that they would like to keep the show. “All indications are that NBC would like to keep the show going,” an insider confirmed. The news comes just days after the Days of Our Lives soap opera is shaking things up on-screen. This week’s episode is fast-forwarding the show’s timeline by one year. “This is a great way to reset things in Salem,” executive producer Ken Corday told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tvinsider.com/828413/days-of-our-lives-time-jump-hattie-marlena-john-black/" target="_blank">TVInsider</a> of the time jump. “It will be a catalyst for many more [changes] to follow.” Days of Our Lives has been on the smaller screens since 1965 and has aired 13,705 episodes to date. The show is in its 56th season.

News

The Love Boat cast: Where are they now?

The New York Times called it “dreadful porridge” but viewers consumed it in droves anyway. Ridiculous but aspirational, cheesy but salacious, The Love Boat was the ultimate guilty pleasure. Despite making its way to the graveyard time slot, the sitcom made people look forward to Saturday nights in the late '70s and early '80s. Till today, Aaron Spelling – the producer behind the show – holds the Guinness World Record for being the most prolific television producer ever. The Love Boat also featured plenty of household names starring as guests, such as Olivia de Havilland, Lillian Gish, Helen Hayes, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Cab Calloway to name a few. There were also a few stars who weren’t famous back then, like Michael J. Fox and Tom Hanks. But while the guest stars are hard to forget, many remember the program because of its main cast. Scroll through the gallery above to see where the cast of The Love Boat are now.

Cruising

Frasier cast: Then and now - Can you recognise them?

Over 15 years ago, Fraiser aired its final episode after 11 straight seasons of downright good television. Starting in 1993, the Cheers spin-off captured viewers around the world as psychiatrist-turned radio host Dr. Fraiser Crane had us in stitches from laughing for over a decade. The story follows the life of psychiatrist Fraiser Crane, who lives with his father Martin and his dad’s British carer and part-time psychic, Daphne. Intertwined in the program spanning over 11 seasons, is Fraiser’s pompous and snooty brother, Nile, his funny radio producer, Roz and work colleagues Bob “Bulldog” Birscor and station boss Kenny Daly. Fraiser proved to be one of the most successful spin-off television series in history and remains the most critically acclaimed comedy series of all time. The series amassed 37 Emmy’s during its run. Kelsey Grammer (Dr. Frasier Crane) Since starring in Frasier, Grammar has barely took any time for himself. He briefly played a news anchor opposite Patricia Heaton in Back to You, before popping up on 30 Rock as himself. Later, he went on to win a Golden Globe for his short-lived role on the Starz show, Boss and appeared in movies like The Expendables 3 and Transformers: Age of Extinction. David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane) David was 34-years-old when he graced our screens on Frasier. Pierce has also starred in Sleepless in Seattle, Wet Hot American Summer and The Good Wife. He is married to writer and producer Brian Hargrove. John Mahoney (Martin Crane) John Mahoney was Martin 'Marty' Crane in Frasier — father to Niles and Frasier. Mahoney has since starred in TV shows including In Treatment, Burn Notice and Hot in Cleveland. The star tragically passed away in February, 2018, after complimcations from throat cancer at age 77. His last TV role was an episode of Foyle's War in 2015. Jane Leeves (Daphne Moon/Daphne Crane) Jane was 32 when she first hit TV screens and went on to star in Hot in Cleveland when the series ended. The English-born actress has a daughter, Isabella, and son, Finn with her TV executive husband, Marshall Coben. Sweetly enough, David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney are godfathers to Finn. Peri Gilpin (Roz Doyle) Gilpin went on to star in many noteworthy TV programs including The Lionhearts, Make It or Break It and Scorpion. In 1999, Gilpin married her boyfriend, Christian Vincent. They share twin daughters born through surrogacy in 2004 and Jane Leeves is reportedly their godmother. Dan Butler (Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe) Dan Butler was a recurring guest member who played as Bob, however, he became a main cast member in 1996. While his character was written out of the show in 1996, he did return to guest star in five episodes for the series’ last three seasons. His character is a sports-loving jock who used to bully Fraiser. Butler is openly gay and is married to Richard Waterhouse. Scroll through the gallery above to see the Frasier cast - then and now.

Who is Austin Butler? The upcoming star cast in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley film

Austin Butler has been cast in a career-making film role as he’s set to play the late Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming film which will have Tom Hanks as Presley’s longtime manager. The film’s timeline will span 20 years, from Presley's rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and the loss of innocence in America”, according to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/elvis-presley-film-release-date-austin-butler-baz-luhrmann-tom-hanks-king-of-rock-a9037716.html">The Independent</a>. The plan for filming is set to start in early 2020 to accommodate Hanks’ schedule, according to <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/news/austin-butler-elvis-presley-biopic-2021-release-1203290408/">Variety</a>, which means that there’s a release date of October 1, 2021. Butler, 27, beat out Harry Styles, Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort for the role, but no one knows that much about him. Butler started out on networks such as Nickelodeon and Disney Channel in the early 2000s, but has recently starred alongside Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in the blockbuster Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood. It was directed by Quentin Tarantino. He is currently dating Vanessa Hudgens and has done so since 2011. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0dm9eSB10g/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0dm9eSB10g/" target="_blank">#onceuponatimeinhollywood Styled by @browne.andrews Photo thanks to @britishgq © David Crotty</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/austinbutler/" target="_blank"> Austin Butler</a> (@austinbutler) on Jul 28, 2019 at 6:47am PDT </div> </blockquote> Butler couldn’t be more thrilled about being cast for the role. “I am just profoundly honoured that Baz has invited me on this journey with him,” Butler told <a href="https://www.etonline.com/austin-butler-says-hes-honored-to-be-playing-elvis-as-he-channels-the-king-on-the-red-carpet-129099">Entertainment Tonight</a>. “It’s an extraordinary privilege. And I just feel so blessed to be working with such singular directors like him and Quentin Tarantino.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8sg24Bw6y/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8sg24Bw6y/" target="_blank">“You have made my life complete, and I love you so”</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/austinbutler/" target="_blank"> Austin Butler</a> (@austinbutler) on Jul 15, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT </div> </blockquote> Luhrmann was quick to release a statement about Butler’s casting. “I knew I couldn't make this film if the casting wasn't absolutely right, and we searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star, but also the inner vulnerability of the artist. “Throughout the casting process, it was an honour for me to encounter such a vast array of talent.”

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