Johnny Depp defends his casting
Johnny Depp has defended JK Rowling’s comments about his casting as the title character in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the second film in the successor franchise to the eight-film Harry Potter series. Rowling had justified Depp’s inclusion in the film following allegations of physical abuse made by Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard. Rowling issued a statement in December 2017 saying: “The film-makers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but [are] genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote the film, Depp said: “I’ll be honest … I felt bad for JK having to field all these various feelings from people out there … But ultimately, there is real controversy. The fact remains I was falsely accused … JK has seen the evidence and therefore knows I was falsely accused, and that’s why she has publicly supported me.” He also repeated his intention to sue the Sun newspaper for defamation in a story about the film.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Heard’s lawyer said: “As the parties agreed in their divorce to resolve future disputes in confidential arbitration, that is the appropriate forum to address Mr Depp’s public denials that he abused Ms Heard.”
Depp and Heard married in 2015, and Heard filed for divorce in 2016, obtaining a temporary restraining order alleging Depp had been “verbally and physically abusive” towards her. The divorce was finalised in January 2017, and the restraining order was lifted.
Troyer’s death ruled as a suicide
Austin Powers star Verne Troyer’s death was a suicide, a coroner in Los Angeles has said. The actor, best known for playing Mini-Me in the spy comedy franchise, had openly battled alcoholism and died aged 49 in April. Troyer, who was born with a form of dwarfism that stopped him growing past 2ft 8in, spent the final three weeks of his life in hospital in Los Angeles for alcohol intoxication.
Following an autopsy and further tests, the Los Angeles county department of medical examiner-coroner said Troyer died on April 21 from the effects of alcohol. They ruled his death was a suicide.
Following Troyer’s death, tributes flooded in from fellow celebrities. Model and actor Carmen Electra shared a snap of the two of them on Instagram in which she can be seen holding Troyer in her arms. The Baywatch star posted “R.I.P Verne Troyer” along with the image. West Wing star Marlee Matlin described him on Twitter as having a “lovely smile with a caring and big heart”.
Singer Vanilla Ice and American Pie actor Shannon Elizabeth also posted images of themselves with Troyer following the news of his death. As well as Austin Powers, Troyer, who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2009, starred in films including Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Men in Black.
Tilda Swinton poses as an old man
Tilda Swinton used prosthetics and makeup to pose as an 82-year-old man in an elaborate hoax for her latest film. The British actor, 57, is starring in the horror remake Suspiria, alongside Dakota Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz and, ostensibly, octogenarian first-time actor Lutz Ebersdorf.
After pictures emerged showing a resemblance between Swinton and Ebersdorf, who was playing a psychoanalyst named Dr Josef Klemperer, the director, Luca Guadagnino, dismissed suggestions they were the same person as “fake news”. But Swinton has now come clean on the stunt and revealed she underwent four hours in makeup every day to make it work — and even donned fake male genitalia. Asked why she was posing as Ebersdorf, Swinton told the New York Times: “Undeniably, I would have to say, for the sheer sake of fun above all. As my grandmother would have it — a motto to live and die by — Dull Not To.” Guadagnino, however, insists Swinton playing the role of a male was essential because the film is about female identity.
