Antonio Stallings | Showbiz Cheat Sheet Writer

Eva Mendes Once Felt ‘We Own the Night’ Gave Her Indie Cred

Antonio Stallings — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 04:36:00 +0000

Actor Eva Mendes became an A-lister thanks to projects like 2 Fast 2 Furious and Hitch. But she also featured in a couple of smaller projects as well. There was one independent film in particular that gave Mendes some serious credibility as an indie star.

Eva Mendes initially turned down the film that was a career turning point

Eva Mendes | Richard Lewis/WireImage

Mendes worked alongside filmmaker James Gray and Joaquin Phoenix for the first time in We Own the Night. Although she starred in a variety of movies, Mendes never had a prominent role in an indie before. Ironically, she initially turned down the film because the part she was offered lacked depth.

“I said to him, ‘You know I love this, but it’s a bit too ‘victimy’ for me. I’m kind of prancing around wearing cute clothes.’ But he was so adamant and said, ‘I promise you that I will make this better. Once I get you and Joaquin in and we work on developing the characters.’ And I said, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’” Mendes once said according to Black Film.

However, she asserted that Gray wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“But then he came back to me a year later, and I thought: ‘This dude…there’s got to be something special about him if he’s pursuing me a year later.’ So I said yes, not totally convinced that I was making the right choice. I have to tell you though, hands down, that it’s my favorite experience. My deepest experience in my acting career. I’m thankful to him now,” she said.

The result of which was the first step towards her indie career.

“Now that was the film that gave me street cred, serious indie cred. And here I am,” she said in a resurfaced interview with Stylist.

Whereas her old work like Children of the Corn made her feel like a terrible actor, Mendes thought Gray’s film brought the best out of her.

Eva Mendes hoped that ‘We Own the Night’ opened the door for more interesting movies

Mendes might’ve made more money in bigger films. But she credited We Own the Night for showing audiences what she was capable of. She even felt it was a better showcase for her acting than Training Day, the film that stopped her from quitting acting.

“I’ve never worked at this level before,” she said about the movie according to Female. “Even though I’ve worked with amazing people I’ve never worked on something like this. I did a drama once. The first kind of thing that broke me out was Training Day, but I only had two scenes in that. Not to minimize that but it was on so much of a lesser scale. The movie wasn’t but my scenes were. I barely spoke in that one, even though it got me a lot of attention. I’ve never been pushed and challenged like this on a daily basis before.”

Mendes also hoped that We Own the Night would eventually afford her the opportunity to do the kind of art her contemporaries were known for.

“I hope that it allows people to think about me in ways that they haven’t been able to before. And I hope that I get more dramatic opportunities. Not just dramatic, I would love to do another romantic comedy. I’d love to do a musical. I love the whole gamut. But I want to be considered for things that Kate Winslet considered for – absolutely. I’m so in love with her. She is so amazing. I think she’s spectacular,” she said.

Speaking with Cinema, Mendes further gushed that the film helped her rediscover her love of acting.

“I was doing rehearsals with Joaquin and James and I was feeling something I’d never felt before and I don’t know, maybe it’s because it’s a drama and I found what I love, I’ve found my niche. We were rehearsing and it felt really good, maybe it was because there wasn’t a camera,” she said.

Nathan Fillion Would’ve Liked ‘Castle’ to Last 6 Years so It Could End Strong

Antonio Stallings — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 03:46:00 +0000

Actor Nathan Fillion’s hit television series Castle enjoyed an eight-season run before its divisive series finale. A couple of years before the show’s last air date, however, Fillion revealed when he thought might be the right time to end the show.

Nathan Fillion hoped that ‘Castle’ knew when to wrap it up

Nathan Fillion | Richard Cartwright / Getty Images

Castle’s series finale was the best showrunner Alexi Hawley could do after being somewhat blindsided by the procedural’s cancellation. The ending Hawley shot, showing Fillion’s Rick Castle and Stana Katic’s Kate Beckett as a healthy married couple with a family, left too many unanswered questions. Fillion also seemed to agree with fans who didn’t think Castle earned its happy ending.

“It wasn’t the beautiful send-off that I think maybe you could hope for,” Fillion said in a resurfaced interview with The New York Post. “It’s the entertainment industry, it’s a business, I get it. I don’t take it personally when a show gets canceled — I can’t take it personally, all my shows gets canceled! Look at my resume, it’s a long list of canceled TV shows.”

But Fillion clarified that the series’ disappointing ending didn’t nullify the great experiences he had on the show.

“The fact is, I made a lot of great friends on a really great show,” he said. “I’m really happy for everything that that show has done for me.”

Fillion had a lot to be proud of when it came to Castle. At its peak, it was its network’s highest-rated show. Its longevity was also a good measure of its success since it was Fillion’s longest-running show. He was proud of Firefly, but it didn’t last nearly as long as Castle, and he felt it was treated as a problem show by its network. The Rookie, however, seems likely to catch up to Castle, as the show’s currently in its seventh season and still going strong. But the Superman star once considered how long Castle should actually run for. Its ideal end point might’ve been a bit sooner than eight seasons.

“I would like to do six years – maybe seven years, if it’s strong enough at that point – and then wrap it up,” he said. “Six years would be great, wouldn’t it? I would love to end strong.”

Ironically, Castle lasted about seven years, airing from 2009 to 2016. Fillion was worried that the show’s quality would decline if it ran too long, which happened with many shows that lasted past its expiration date. He credited shows airing in England for typically having short seasons and rarely overstaying their welcome.

“I think something that you guys here [in the UK] do really well is take shows, have incredible stories and then finish strong and wrap them up,” Fillion once told Digital Spy. “That’s something I can really appreciate. What I don’t want to see happen to Castle is… I don’t want to see it peter out and die a slow death, and be forced out.”

In the end, however, that might’ve been exactly what happened to Castle.

Nathan Fillion felt he was wrong about this 1 thing about the show’s natural ending

Fillion believed Rick Castle’s relationship with Kate Beckett was what drew in many Castle fans. For much of the series, a romance was teased between Fillion and his co-star Katic. But Fillion was always adamant that making Castle and Beckett a couple would’ve meant the end of the show.

But the pairing would officially happen long before the series ended. After Castle and Beckett got together, Castle showrunners proved to Fillion that there were still more stories in the show to tell. Which Fillion acknowledged in an interview with Playboy.

“I’m the guy who said, ‘Don’t put Castle and Beckett together, because that will be the end of it. That’s the end.’ People watch because they don’t want them to be together, but at the same time how long can you wait for two people to finally… Yeah, remember how wrong I was about that? I’m going to reserve my opinion for the future. I’m going to just kick back and wait and watch and see what happens. My hope is that there’s no natural end point. That we can continue as long as we want to. That would be nice,” he said.

Fillion wasn’t completely wrong, though. The relationship between Castle and Beckett wouldn’t last, with the show’s writers coming up with creative ways to pull the couple apart. It wasn’t until Beckett and Castle were shown in a seemingly stable relationship, as husband and wife, that the show felt comfortable ending.

John David Washington Quipped He Was Disappointed Zendaya Wasn’t Like Her ‘Euphoria’ Character

Antonio Stallings — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 02:48:00 +0000

Zendaya played John David Washington’s wife in Malcolm & Marie, a film that had some questioning if they were together in real life, too. However, thanks to her convincing role in the HBO series Euphoria, Washington expected to meet a completely different Zendaya.

John David Washington joked that he was disappointed Zendaya wasn’t like her ‘Euphoria’ character

Zendaya | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Washington had little exposure to Zendaya when the pair first collaborated in Malcolm & Marie. The only project he saw her in was Euphoria, where Zendaya plays a 17-year-old drug addict. Although Washington was a bit unfamiliar with her work, he confided that he formed an immediate bond with his co-star.

“When we met, we instantly connected. She was wearing her hoodie and glasses and no makeup. She struck me instantly as a quiet, powerful force,” Washington said in an interview with W.

But Washington did admit he had certain preconceived notions about Zendaya because of the show. So much so that he was surprised Zendaya couldn’t really relate to her Euphoria counterpart Rue Bennett.

“Watching Euphoria, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I wonder what she’s been through in real life. Something happened,’” Washington told IMDb. “I’m like, ‘Ok, she’s digging from a place.’ [She] ain’t never drank, smoked nothing in her life. I was almost let down. And then I got extremely insecure, like, ‘You’ve never done nothing? Oh my god.’”

John David Washington felt like a rookie working with Zendaya

Malcolm & Marie seemed to be the exact type of movie that Zendaya was interested in tackling as she got older. She spent the majority of her career playing teenagers, a fact she acknowledged. Even perhaps her most popular role in the HBO series Euphoria didn’t see Zendaya graduate past high school, despite being in her 20s.

“And I get that, I get the Rue of it all, and that totally works and has worked for me, but also I am not a child. And at some point you have to play characters that are your own age and have experiences that you don’t have — for example, having children or getting married. While those are all things I want and I’m looking forward to, they just haven’t happened quite yet,” Zendaya said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Malcolm & Marie gave Zendaya the opportunity to break the pattern. Playing Washington’s wife, Zendaya found a character that was close to her own age. Still, that didn’t stop some critics from complaining about the age difference between herself and her co-star. In an interview with Variety, however, Washington explained why he paid little attention to the criticism. Although Washington was 36 years old at the time of filming, Zendaya was 24. And he was confident skeptics would see just how mature Zendaya was for the film. Additionally, Washington asserted that Zendaya actually had more years on him when it came to the movie industry.

“People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is. She has far more experience than I do in the industry. I’ve only been in it for seven years. She’s been in it longer, so I’m learning from her. I’m the rookie. I was leaning on her for a lot,” Washington said. “Some of the stories she’s shared about what she’s had to go through with Twitter and everything. I appreciated her wisdom and discernment when it comes to this business. I admire that.”

Christopher Nolan Felt Anne Hathaway Deserved Her Own Catwoman Movie

Antonio Stallings — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 04:53:00 +0000

The Batman franchise welcomed Anne Hathaway into its universe when she played Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan’s last Batman movie was the only time she sported the outfit. But the director was so impressed by her performance that he felt audiences should’ve seen more of her.

What Christopher Nolan had to say about Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman performance

Anne Hathaway | FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images

Hathaway managed to impress Nolan with her interpretation of Catwoman since their first audition. Initially, however, Hathaway had prepared to test for a completely different character than Selina Kyle. She was under the impression she was auditioning for Harley Quinn.

“I came in and I had this lovely Vivian Westwood kind of beautiful but mad-tailoring top with stripes going everywhere,” Hathaway once said in an interview with BBC Radio 1. “And I wore these flat Joker-y looking shoes. And I was trying to give Chris these crazy little smiles. About an hour into the meeting he said, ‘Well, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but it’s Catwoman.’ And I was like shifting into a different gear, thinking, ‘Now ok, we’re slinky. We’re slinky. And I hate my shirt. I love my shirt, but I hate it right now. We’re slinky.’”

The fact that she was able to secure the role despite the miscalculation was a testament to her abilities. The Princess Diaries star would go on to receive rave reviews for her performance. Nolan, who had a front row seat to Hathaway’s acting, couldn’t help but gush about his star’s talent.

“Anne is incredibly precise and articulate about the psychology of the character. She’s really built it from the ground up, it’s just a delight to watch her perform,” he once told Access (via The Guardian). “The thing she does in those heels is not to be taken lightly. She’s an incredible character and we’re very excited to see her and hopefully we’ll leave people wanting more.”

During the interview, Nolan commented on what he’d thought about a potential Catwoman spin-off. That kind of experiment hadn’t been seen since Halle Berry’s film, which she felt was more appreciated in recent years. However, he was confident in Hathaway’s ability to do a solo Catwoman feature justice. Even if he wasn’t the director to do the job.

“For me, Gotham and these characters, I’m done. I’ve told our story and I’m moving on [but] I certainly think she deserves it – she’s incredible,” he said.

Anne Hathaway cried when she had to walk away from Catwoman

Hathaway couldn’t have been more excited about playing Catwoman, although she had trouble adjusting to the suit at first. She had her sights sets on the iconic character since she got her big break in The Princess Diaries. Even back then, she discussed how excited she’d be to play the DC anti-hero.

“It was funny for me because when I got my start, I kind of got my big break with The Princess Diaries and during the press rounds for that everyone asked me: ‘Did you always want to be a princess growing up?’ And the truth was, no I wanted to be Catwoman. And I think a lot of women feel that way. And the fact that I am actually her is such a dream come true. It’s such a pinch me moment. And the fact that I am Catwoman in Chris Nolan’s Gotham to Christian Bale’s Batman is unbelievably cool,” she said in a 2007 interview with Collider.

It appears that the role lived up to Hathaway’s expectations. So much so that Hathaway admitted she would’ve been eager to revisit the character and Gotham City.

“I would love it,” she once said according to Entertainment Weekly. “I actually, it’s so embarrassing, I was at a press Q & A thing the other night for a screening of The Dark Knight, and the moderator asked me, ‘So what was it like to say goodbye to the character?’ And I burst into tears, because I miss her. It just makes me cry. I miss her. I love Selena so much and I love her presence in my life and getting to… I’m crying again. So assuming there was enough Kleenex in the world, I would love to do a spin-off.”

The Ben Affleck Comments That Allegedly Made Jennifer Garner’s Boyfriend ‘Uncomfortable’

Antonio Stallings — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 03:38:00 +0000

Jennifer Garner has been in a relationship with her low-profile boyfriend John Miller almost for as long as she was once with Ben Affleck. So far, there have been few reports that Miller and Affleck have had any issues with each other. But sources once claimed that public comments Affleck made about Garner might’ve been one of the few times Miller was at odds with her ex.

John Miller reportedly felt Ben Affleck’s comments put too much attention on Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck at an NBA game in 2009 | Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

Miller and Garner’s relationship has been going steady since the pair reportedly started dating in 2018. Unlike her previous romance with Affleck, Garner has kept her relationship with Miller incredibly private. So much so, she hasn’t officially confirmed if she’s truly dating Miller at all. If certain sources are to be believed, it appears that Miller might value their relationship’s privacy just as much, if not more so than Garner.

Affleck famously opened up about his love life in an interview with The New York Times. The Gone Girl star touched on the influence his alcohol addiction had on his marriage, while revisiting his emotionally devastating divorce. But Miller reportedly didn’t appreciate how candid Affleck was during interviews about Garner.

“John is empathetic to Ben’s struggles with sobriety, but he worries about how Jennifer has once again become the focus. … The spotlight on Jennifer is intense and Ben needs to consider her feelings before speaking so publicly,” a source once said in an interview with Us Weekly.

The source further alleged that this wasn’t only what made Miller uncomfortable about Affleck and Garner’s relationship. Additionally, they claimed that Miller was nervous about the idea of the two getting back together.

“John believes Ben would remarry Jennifer if she wanted to get back together,” the source added. “John wants to marry Jennifer but knows she isn’t ready yet.”

John Miller is uncomfortable with Ben Affleck’s constant presence, source says

Another source implied that, although his relationship with Garner is in a good place, Miller is still slightly concerned by Affleck’s presence.

“John has shown the patience of an absolute saint, he’s been so supportive and understanding of Jen’s situation with Ben,” a source told Life & Style not too long ago. “But at this point, even he’s hit the wall. Ben’s constant presence is very hard to take, John’s like the third wheel in his own relationship.”

“Even when the guy’s not around he’s calling and texting, it could be about the kids or an emergency, so Jen always answers,” the insider further alleged. “It’s obvious she adores him, and it’s always been understood, any man that dates her has to be okay with Ben.”

The source claimed that Affleck has no intention of minimizing the contact between himself and Garner.

“He’s a guy who is used to getting what he wants, and Jen has set the precedent that she will always be there so as long as he’s single and wants her attention he’s going to get it, or at least try to,” the source said. “And unless Jen can start holding her ground and start making her life with John a priority there’s a growing feeling among his friends that he won’t be able to take this situation much longer, something’s got to give.”

A source for InTouch also commented on how often Affleck relies on Garner for advice and emotional support. When Affleck was still married to Lopez, he allegedly continued leaning on his ex. It was even once rumored that seeing pictures of Affleck and Garner together was what prompted Lopez to break it off with the Daredevil star.

“Ben leans on her for everything, he’s got his own place but he’s still at her house all the time for family dinners and she never fails to send him home with a care package of food,” the source said. “She’s very concerned about his health, to the point where she reminds him when he needs to see the doctor and the dentist and even sends him vitamins to take because she’s convinced he doesn’t get enough healthy food when she’s not cooking for him.”

Denzel Washington’s Wife Pauletta Was Praying That Her Kids Didn’t Want to Be Actors

Antonio Stallings — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 02:41:00 +0000

Denzel Washington wasn’t the only actor in his household to go Hollywood. All of his children are involved in the entertainment industry in some capacity. However, Washington’s wife, Pauletta, wasn’t really on board with their children becoming actors at first.

Pauletta Washington would only let her kids become actors under one condition

Denzel Washington and Pauletta Washington | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Pauletta wasn’t all that thrilled with her children following their parents’ footsteps. Like Denzel, Pauletta is also a successful actor in her own right. According to an interview Denzel did with Live with Kelly and Mark, he first met his wife while they were doing a project together. Given how intertwined acting is with their lives, it makes sense why Pauletta and Denzel’s kids would choose a similar path. However, if it was up to their mother, John David and his siblings would’ve chosen another profession.

“I was praying and hoping that none of them wanted to be actors. I think it’s in their blood,” Pauletta once told The Root.

Since Pauletta couldn’t seem to change their minds, she allowed her kids to follow their acting dreams under one condition.

“The only requirement was they had to go to college,” she said.

Their kids even pursued a variety of college majors that supported a non-acting future. However, over time, the Washington children found their way back to acting one way or another.

“My oldest daughter, Katia, graduated from Yale with a history major. My oldest son, John David, went to Morehouse. My baby girl, Olivia, went to NYU for acting. My baby boy, Malcolm, went to UPenn and started out finance but ended up in theater because he loved the history of theater and film. Now he just graduated from AFI as a director, and he’s working with Spike Lee on Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It,” she said.

The acting advice Denzel Washington gave his kids

Denzel seemed just as supportive and proud of his kids becoming actors as Pauletta. He helped encourage his kids’ aspirations at a young age. One of his kids, John David, told his father at a young age that he wasn’t sure he wanted to be an actor — if only because he believed Denzel’s starpower would overshadow him. John David wanted people to know him for more than just the kid of a celebrity.

“I remember he said to me years ago, ‘Dad your shadow is so big and I don’t know if I can.’ I said, ‘My shadow is big? You’ve ever heard of Kirk Douglas?’ He’s like, ‘No.’ I said, ‘You’ve heard of Michael Douglas right?’ He said, ‘Yeah, Michael of course.’ I said, ‘Google Michael Douglas and then come back and talk to me about my shadow,’” Washington once said during a Q&A & according to The Hollywood Reporter.

That advice helped inspire confidence in John David and his siblings. However, Denzel would also offer his kids words of wisdom about honing their craft. Speaking from experience, The Training Day star asserted that it wasn’t enough to do television shows and movies to be good actors.

“I told them they have to get on the stage because that’s where you learn to act,” Denzel said in an interview with Sunday Times. “You don’t learn to act on TV; you don’t learn to act in movies. You learn to act on stage. TV and films are a director’s medium where they are in control.”

John David eventually took his father’s advice when he starred in the 2022 Broadway stage adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Although, before he hit the stage, he already had a successful filmography. He had his career breakthrough when he went from playing in the NFL to doing the NFL series Ballers.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Regretted Exposing Himself as a Villain on Reality TV Shows

Antonio Stallings — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 03:37:00 +0000

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ behavior was on full display when he did the hit reality show Making the Band II. The classic MTV series followed Diddy as he mentored a group of aspiring hip-hop artists to make them the best artists they could be. However, Diddy didn’t look back at his time on the show too fondly.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs felt ‘Making the Band’ made him look like a villain

Sean Diddy Combs | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Even back in 2003, Diddy was a bit wary about entering the world of reality TV. Diddy’s presence was everywhere at the time, so he didn’t need the attention or shine that Making the Band would give him. However, he asserted that he was passionate about giving potential stars the opportunity to succeed in a new way.

“I thought it would give people a chance to understand what I do every day. I’ve never been interested in doing any cheesy reality show or Osbournes or anything that would overexpose me more than I’m already overexposed. This thing is real,” Diddy once told Entertainment Weekly.

Even before the cameras started rolling, Making the Band II had plenty of interesting behind-the-scenes stories.

“Already, we [discovered] two young ladies are pregnant, somebody’s sister got killed, and somebody had to pull out yesterday because they had to go to jail for eight months,” Diddy said. “These things aren’t in the script, they’re just things that happen to a kid growing up in the inner city. This is what I deal with every day. Drama all over the place.”

The drama bumped up by several fold by the time Making the Band II aired. The tension and fights between the show’s selected group members, and Diddy’s own personality, kept viewers coming back for more. Looking back on it, however, it seems Diddy would’ve avoided reality television if he could. He felt reality TV changed the public’s perception of him far before Cassie’s lawsuit did.

“One of the mistakes I’ve made was doing reality TV,” Diddy once said according to The Austin Chronicle. “When I was doing Making the Band, nobody understood that I’m an incredible actor. A lot of people think I yell at people and tell them to get cheesecake and that I’m an a**h***. Well, I am an a*****e sometimes.”

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ latest reality show was scrapped because of his allegations

Diddy didn’t stop doing Reality TV with Making the Band seasons 2 and 3. He also created I Want to Work for Diddy, a new type of reality competition series that searched for Diddy’s next assistant. And despite his regret about being a part of the genre, he was gearing up to do another show called Diddy+7. According to Variety, the Hulu series would’ve followed the music mogul and his family. The reality series was one of many businesses Diddy lost, which has negatively impacted his net worth.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ responses to ‘Making the Band’ backlash

Diddy once had a more aggressive response to the backlash he received from former Making the Band contestants. One artist, Freddy P, spoke candidly about his experience on the second season of the show. According to BET, the rapper revealed Diddy’s influence had severe ramifications on his mental health that he didn’t think was possible. But Diddy took to social media to post a response seemingly directed at, not only Freddy P, but his other critics as well.

“STOP ALL YOUR CRYING, B***ING & MOANING. HUSTLE HARDER OR GET THE F*** OUT OF OUR WAY,” Diddy wrote.

Ironically, Diddy was toying around with the idea of doing a revival series of Making the Band back in 2019. But it seemed plans for that show might’ve been scrapped quietly long before Diddy’s recent controversies surfaced. Freddy P isn’t the only Making the Band member who aired grievances with the music mogul. Members of Danity Kane from Making the Band 3 also accused Diddy of depriving them of food and rest.

Halle Berry Once Felt ‘Catwoman’ Was Appreciated More Than ‘Monster’s Ball’

Antonio Stallings — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 02:27:57 +0000

Halle Berry has always had mixed feelings about her film Catwoman. On the one hand, the movie was both a critical and box-office disappointment. On the other, it netted Berry a huge payday and is still one of her most talked-about films. So much so, that Berry felt it was more appreciated than her Oscar-winning role in Monster’s Ball in one regard.

Halle Berry once revealed the different reactions she got between ‘Monster’s Ball’ and ‘Catwoman’

Halle Berry | Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Monster’s Ball and Catwoman might seem like two different tiers of movies. The former won Berry her first historic, yet heartbreaking, Oscar win and showcased what’s highly regarded as one of her finest performances. Catwoman might be the exact opposite of that. The feature won Berry a Golden Raspberry award, which she showed up to its ceremony to collect in good spirits. Even Berry once conceded that the movie’s story didn’t live up to its potential.

“I had such high hopes for that movie,” Berry said in an interview with Vogue. “It seemed like a good idea. Men have done it. But our story just wasn’t good enough.”

However, Berry confided that Catwoman has found a new audience over the years who might appreciate the movie more than their prior generation. So much so that, in some instances, Catwoman seems more appreciated than Monster’s Ball.

“But I will tell you one thing that has helped me deal with the failure of that: Critics bashed it, but people come up to me now and either they say, ‘I loved you in the movie B.A.P.S,’ which is a comedy that I did, or they say, ‘I don’t care what anybody says, I liked Catwoman.’ Nobody ever says, ‘I really loved Monster’s Ball.’ Nobody. No. Body. Nobody,” she said.

What Halle Berry wishes she could change about ‘Catwoman’

With her newfound experience as a filmmaker, Berry felt she had a good idea of how to fix Catwoman if she could go back in time. One of the changes she’d make to the critically panned feature would be to raise the stakes higher than they were in the original film.

“I would have Catwoman saving the world like most male superheroes do, and not just saving women from their faces cracking off,” she once said in an interview with Jake Hamilton. “I would make the stakes a lot higher, and I think make it more inclusive of both men and women.”

It seemed Catwoman’s lack of stakes was a concern that bothered her when she did the first movie. However, Berry wasn’t as confident as she was in her more mature years to voice her opinion.

“I always thought the idea of Catwoman saving women from a face cream felt a bit soft. All the other superheroes save the world; they don’t just save women from cracked faces. I always knew that was a soft superhero plight, but at that time in my career, I didn’t have the agency I have today or belief that I could challenge that, so I went along with it,” she once told Entertainment Weekly.

Berry could also barely live with the film’s intense training regimen. However, despite the movie’s intensity and flaws, she clarified she had a good time shooting the project.

“Things went smoothly [for me],” she said. “It was a great shoot, and I had the time of my life. I worked my ass off to embody a cat in so many ways, psychologically and physically. I never thought it went awry; I just thought that maybe it wouldn’t feel as big as other movies because the plot stakes aren’t as high.”

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Once Canceled His Birthday Parties After Losing Kim Porter

Antonio Stallings — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 02:26:00 +0000

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was known for his wild wall-to-wall parties. But after his ex-girlfriend Kim Porter’s death, Diddy wasn’t in the mood to party during an important milestone in his life. This led to the music mogul canceling his big bash a couple of times, which was unprecedented for him.

How Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs tried honoring Kim Porter on his birthday

Kim Porter and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Diddy’s birthday parties were just as famous and notorious as his other festivities. So much so that there was one birthday party he couldn’t even remember. But Diddy couldn’t enjoy the milestone of turning 50 since he was still grieving over Porter’s death. The former model died on November, 15, 2018. The Bad Boys CEO confided that he and Porter even talked about his 50^th birthday prior to her passing. So when the day finally came, Diddy wasn’t in the mood to celebrate, canceling his birthday bash twice.

“I wasn’t feeling it,” Diddy said in an interview with People. “I didn’t want to be fake. I wanted to be at a point of strength.”

However, Diddy eventually found a way to work around the issue. The rapper, whose birthday was on November 4, pushed back the party so it coincided with Porter’s birthday, which was December 15^th. Instead, Diddy would celebrate his ex’s birthday, who would’ve turned 49 at the time.

“I thought, ‘I can have a party with Kim and we can party together,’” Diddy said. “It worked out beautifully.”

From Diddy’s account of the party, it was something Poter would’ve definitey enjoyed.

“It was probably one of the most authentic nights of love that I ever experienced. I’m blessed,” he said.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs wished Kim Porter a happy birthday in the midst of his scandals

Diddy didn’t forget to pay tribute to the late Porter on December, 2023. His controversy hadn’t reached its peak back then, but it was still heavily brewing around that time. Still, according to Hot New Hip Hop, Diddy and his kids took the time to give the love of his life another loud shout-out.

“We miss you so much Kim,” Diddy said. “Happy birthday beautiful! Love forever.”

Their kids echoed similar words. Diddy also shared pictures on the social media profile of better times.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs once shared this other holiday was going to hurt without Kim Porter

Porter’s birthday wasn’t the only occasion where Diddy wanted to honor his late ex. He confided that Mother’s Day would also be a challenge to get through without Porter.

“Mother’s Day is going to hurt,” Diddy once told Essence. “We definitely are going to celebrate all the mothers. We’re not going to get in the way of that. Honestly, anybody that has lost a mother or lost a soulmate — it takes time. It takes time. They say time heals all wounds when it comes to mothers … I don’t think that’s the case. That’s not a negative thing because as people, we need wounds. You need something to sting you sometimes and keep you on point and teach you a lesson.”

In the emotional interview, Diddy acknowledged that he might not have been telling readers what they wanted to hear.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m going to figure something out though. This hurts so much. I know that people want to hear the good stuff, but it hurts and there ain’t no way around that,” he said.

But Diddy didn’t only focus on the sadness Porter’s death brought him during the interview. He also reflected on the lessons Porter taught him while she was alive.

“God sent her for me to teach me something,” he added. “There’s levels and dimensions to love, and especially love between a man and woman. There’s this place that almost goes beyond friendship. It’s where two people actually feel like a level of responsibility to love this person forever; and a total trust.”

Why Idris Elba Said Denzel Washington ‘Pissed Me Off’ in ‘American Gangster’

Antonio Stallings — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 19:56:00 +0000

Actor Idris Elba collaborated with Denzel Washington for what used to be the latter’s highest-grossing movie, American Gangster. Although Elba greatly admired Washington, he admitted he initially had a little trouble understanding the Oscar-winner’s methods.

Idris Elba and Denzel Washington | Todd Williamson / Getty Images

Idris Elba felt he only met Frank Lucas in ‘American Gangster,’ not Denzel Washington

Idris Elba didn’t have much screen time in the 2007 drama American Gangster. But he spent what little presence he had in the film going toe to toe with his co-star Denzel Washington. One of the benefits of working alongside Washington was that the Oscar-winner brought the best out of Elba’s performance.

“Denzel’s intense, definitely intense. I haven’t really said this to anyone before but with Denzel, when you’re working with someone at that level he’s at, you just bring your A game,” Elba once told Pyro Radio (via Drum & Bass). “You’ll fall on your face if you’re nervous, you have to be a hundred percent.”

But it took Elba a while to realize the method to Washington’s madness, which is why Washington initially rubbed The Wire alum the wrong way.

“And with Denzel, he didn’t show up to the set, his character showed up to the set. You didn’t get any more than that, so whatever his character was feeling about my character, that’s what you got,” Elba said.

“So, if you shake his hand and his character didn’t like yours, he’s not really shaking your hand, there’s no conversation or friendly banter because his character and my character had proper beef. I remember filming one of the scenes, I said hello to Denzel and he kind of dissed me. And later I realized he was in character but it pissed me off, I felt to myself f*** him then. And that came across in the film.”

The experience didn’t diminish Elba’s respect for Washington. Instead, it might’ve just enhanced it. Elba hoped to work alongside Washington again in a future role where they had more time together on screen.

Washington’s other American Gangster co-star, Josh Brolin, also experienced firsthand how deep Washington dived into his crime lord counterpart. In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Brolin recalled collaborating with Washington in a scene. But Washington responded to Brolin like the bad guy he was playing in the movie. But this made Brolin feel like things were going to take a wrong turn quickly.

“We almost got into a fight,” Brolin said.

But cooler heads prevailed when, much like Elba, Brolin realized what Washington was doing.

“He was that guy. He was Frank Lucas, period. But I didn’t know. And then we got through that moment. I said, ‘Are you OK?’ He said, ‘Yeah. You?’ I said, ‘Yeah. Can I get my line?’ He said, ‘Go for it.’ It’s like he’d said what he needed to say,” Brolin said.

Idris Elba really thought Denzel Washington shot him in ‘American Gangster’

Washington was such a convincing performer in American Gangster that it seemed he even tricked Elba at one point. Speaking with the Daily Mail, director Ridley Scott revealed what it was like filming Washington and Elba during their most intense scene. Washington was scripted to shoot Elba with a prop gun. But since the prop gun was empty, Scott needed Elba’s help to make the murder scene seem more authentic.

“This is a gun with a solid barrel. There is no aperture, I would never risk it,” Scott said. “But when you pull the trigger, there’s a recoil. There’s no blank, nothing. So I said, ‘I want you to lean on the gun.’”

But the scene in question might’ve been too real for the Beast star. “Idris thought he’d been shot and dropped to the sidewalk and said, ‘I’ve been shot,’” Scott recalled.