Marisa Abela has opened up about playing late singer Amy Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson's upcoming 2024 film, "Back to Black."
The English actress disclosed that she sensed the public's gaze as she stepped into the role and opted to draw inspiration from Winehouse's devoted fan base, including herself, to portray the iconic singer-songwriter.
Expressing her thoughts on portraying Winehouse during the New York City premiere of the musical drama, Abela acknowledged the challenge of facing criticism from fans throughout the process. In her words:
"It's a big deal. She really means so much to so many people and she's such an important artist so I get it, I completely respect it."
Reiterating that she shared similar sentiments with the "Rehab" singer's fanbase, the 27-year-old continued to ET:
"But I just sort of, for me, that's just about throwing myself into the work harder and faster and more intensely and, you know, there was — there just needed to be no stone unturned when it came to my preparation."
Just as she predicted, Abela has faced criticism, with the most prominent happening after the first look at pictures of her in Winehouse-related outfits surfaced online.
Calling for the actress' immediate arrest in the caption, one X user shared an image depicting Abela in the Camden Town native's legendary look.
Unfortunately, the 2023 Screen International Star of Tomorrow's transformation seemed to miss the mark, leaving her struggling to fully step into the character.
The Blast observed that in response to the post, one person declared, "This cannot be what my brain is telling me it is. it simply cannot" while another stated, "I know this ain't no attempt at Amy Winehouse?!?"
"This is a crime. Absolutely won't be watching," a third X user asserted, as a fourth shared, "I know they are not playing in Amy's face like this," and a fifth added, "THIS is a crime against humanity. JAIL!"
Even when the public argued that Abela and Winehouse shared zero physical resemblance, Winehouse's father, Mitch, quickly spoke up.
The Blast reported that the 73-year-old believes in separating the actress from his daughter — notably, Amy was Amy and Abela is Abela.
As far as he is concerned, as long as Abela effectively portrays the character of his late daughter, resemblance between them should be a non-issue.
Mitch then doubled down on his stance by pointing out that he and Eddie Marsan, who portrays him in "Back to Black" do not look like each other.
The singer further expressed his belief that Hollywood often placed too much emphasis on looks, citing instances where actors portrayed real-life figures without physical resemblance.
For his example, Mitch listed Cary Grant playing renowned composer Cole Porter in the 1946 film, "Night and Day."
Meanwhile, following her untimely passing in July 2011, Winehouse's immediate family convened to discuss the star in a documentary released in her honor.
Per The Blast, the bittersweet project, called "Reclaiming Amy," delved into the complexities of the late 27-year-old's life and her meteoric rise to fame at a young age.
Besides her mother, Janis Winehouse-Collins, recounting the narratives, her family and friends also offered their perspectives on Winehouse's journey.
Candidly addressing her daughter's enduring struggle with addiction, Janis remarked, "…She was prone to addiction. She could not stop herself. It's a very cruel beast."
The documentary aired on Friday, July 23, 2021, coinciding with the ten-year anniversary of Winehouse's passing.
Born to actress Caroline Gruber and director Angelo Abela, Abela comes from a diverse background, with Russian-Jewish, Polish-Jewish, Maltese-Libyan, and English ancestry.
She enrolled at Roedean School and participated in drama classes through the Theatre Workshop.
Originally planning to pursue History and Law at UCL with aspirations of becoming a human rights lawyer, she had a change of heart at the last moment and opted to pursue acting instead.
Since then, she has featured in the Sky One action series "Cobra," where she played the character of Ellie Sutherland.
Additionally, she starred as Yasmin Kara-Hanani in the BBC Two and HBO drama "Industry" and appeared in films such as "She Is Love" and "Rogue Agent."
Abela most recently appeared in the 2023 Greta Gerwig film "Barbie," alongside Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. She is also expected to star in "Black Bag," an upcoming American spy thriller film written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Kevin Costner is spilling the tea on the behind-the-scenes drama for his hit series, "Yellowstone."
Paramount Studios previously said there was a feud between Costner and producer Taylor Sheridan. However, the actor claims the real issue was the lack of scripts and the studio's contract amendments.
Costner expressed his frustration that the studio did not support him despite his efforts. He also discussed how Paramount has stretched Sheridan thin with its many upcoming projects.
Costner has finally opened up about his side of the ongoing drama behind the scenes of his hit series, "Yellowstone."
The actor, who plays John Dutton III in the series directed by Taylor Sheridan, opened up to Deadline about what's been happening between him and the studio Paramount.
There have been ongoing rumors that a feud between Costner and Sheridan caused the halt in work on the series.
Paramount claimed that the actor refused to shoot any more episodes to make more time to promote his new film, "Horizon." However, Costner insists that he honored his contract with them despite the rumors.
Costner noted that Paramount wanted amendments to his contract because of Sheridan's delayed scriptwriting.
He said, "There was no script. And then things imploded. You've been reading one version [of the show's drama] for a year and a half. I have taken a beating from those f--king guys, and I know a lot of times where it's coming from."
Costner insisted that he always made the "Yellowstone" series his first priority. He said, "'Horizon' was set in the middle, but 'Yellowstone' was first position. I fit [Horizon] into the gaps. They just kept moving their gaps."
The Hollywood star expressed concern about the lack of support from the "Yellowstone" production team.
He said, "They were silent, and that bothered me in the world of how you do things. Why don't you stick up for me? I went and sold this thing for you. I was going to only do one season. I made it for three. I fulfilled three."
Costner explained that he still did a fourth series and was bound by a contract for three more. He said, "I had a contract to do five, six and seven. I was contracted to do that. There's nothing I could have done to get out of that, nor was I trying to just figure out how when we started."
The actor was angry and talked about how he left work on his movie, "Horizon," to be on time for his "Yellowstone" schedule. He added, "I left exactly when they wanted, and it made it hard on me."
Costner further insisted that the core issue in the whole drama was the lack of scripts for the final episodes of "Yellowstone."
He said, "It turns out they didn't have the scripts for 5B. They needed four more days just to complete the first eight episodes. I left early to give them what they needed to have a complete eight, and I felt bad that the audience didn't get 10. They didn't have the scripts for anything else."
Costner added, "So, what you read in the end was that I said, 'Well, look, I'm doing my movie. If you want me to work a week because you want to kill me or whatever else, I can give you a week.' I really didn't have that week to give them, but I said I'll do that. And then they [spun that] into, I only wanted to work a week."
During the interview, Costner mentioned that Paramount was stretching Sheridan too thin, which is why he couldn't deliver on the scripts for "Yellowstone."
The producer is currently overseeing multiple projects for the studio, including "Mayor of Kingstown," "Tulsa King," and "Lawman: Bass Reeves."
There are also rumors that "Yellowstone" wants to launch a new sequel or spin-off of the show starring Matthew McConaughey.
Costner said, "There's a lot of product they were putting out. 'Yellowstone' didn't have the scripts. And they wrote these other three shows. They don't ever talk about that."
During an appearance at CinemaCon to promote his film Horizon: An American Saga, Costner discussed the prospect of returning to the hit Paramount Network drama following his exit.
It comes after he quit filming following the release of the first half of season five as tensions rose between him and co-creator Taylor Sheridan, forcing the show to go on a hiatus.
The "Draft Day" actor has now disclosed that he'd "love" to reprise his role as John Dutton for the show's second half and final season, which is expected to drop in November.
"I'd like to be able to do it, but we haven't been able to," Costner said, per Entertainment Tonight. "...I thought I was going to make seven [seasons] but right now we're at five. So how it works out -- I hope it does -- but they've got a lot of different shows going on. Maybe it will. Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does and I feel really comfortable with [it], I'd love to do it."
According to documents obtained by The Blast, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are allowed to continue their divorce settlement negotiations. The judge is now giving them 30 days to make a move, or they will dismiss their case for lack of prosecution.
This comes after Turner petitioned to "reactivate" the divorce process and after the proceedings were temporarily paused while the former couple were mediating to negotiate property and child custody arrangements.
In September 2023, Joe Jonas, 34, began the legal steps to end his marriage to Sophie Turner in Miami. With four years of marriage behind them, he cited irreconcilable differences, stating that "the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken."
“After four years of wonderful marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” their joint statement read. “There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children.”
Now, per new documents obtained by The Blast, Joe Jonas has filed a notice of continued settlement negotiations and states as follows: Both Jonas and Turner "attended four days of mediation during the week of October 2, 2023, and four additional days of mediation during the week of December 18, 2023."
Both Turner and Jonas "have reached various agreements and continue to pursue an amicable resolution of all issues in this matter."
The documents add, "The undersigned files this notice in compliance with the Order to Progress Case dated May 13, 2024. The undersigned requests the Court allow the parties to continue settlement negotiations. If, pursuant to the Order to Progress Case, the parties are required to file an additional pleading, let this notice service as a request for a case management conference."
According to sources close to The Blast, the Jonas Brothers band member was separated from Sophie Turner for "several months" before he hired a divorce attorney to make their breakup official.
Additionally, multiple sources claimed that Jonas had been “less than supportive” of the actress, who was allegedly “struggled” after the birth of their second child. TMZ reported, "After their youngest child was born a year ago July, Sophie didn't want to leave their home…. She didn't want to be photographed or go to events. Nevertheless, she attended several events with Joe, but at one specific event, several people who were there said Sophie made it clear she was uncomfortable and didn't want to be there.”
After much back and forth, Turner and Jonas eventually reached a temporary arrangement concerning the custody of their two daughters, 3-year-old Willa and 15-month-old Delphine (at the time.)
"After a productive and successful mediation, we have agreed that the children will spend time equally in loving homes in both the U.S. and the UK. We look forward to being great co-parents," Turner and Jonas said in a joint statement at the time.
According to Teen Vogue, "the children will spend time with either parent for a predetermined period of time, after which they'll be returned to the other parent by either Turner or Jonas themselves or their nanny. The children are allowed to travel with their parent during their custody period, so the children can fly to the U.K. with Turner if needed."
“After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case. Sophie was aware that Joe was going to file for divorce,” the statement read, per TMZ.
“The Florida Court has already entered an order that restricts both parents from relocating the children. Sophie was served with this order on September 6, 2023, more than two weeks ago," their report added.
“Joe is seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also okay with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the U.K.,” the statement added, per Teen Vogue. "The children were born in the U.S. and have spent the vast majority of their lives in the U.S. They are American citizens."
The Blast will continue to report on any updates regarding Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner's divorce.
Reese Witherspoon made a huge announcement regarding 'Legally Blonde,' and she did it the only way she could.. by bending and snapping!
In the 2001 movie, Witherspoon portrays the iconic character Elle Woods, who is looked at as a seemingly stereotypical sorority girl with a love for fashion, pink, and all things glamorous. However, Elle shocks her friends and family when she decides to follow her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School in an attempt to win him back.
'Legally Blonde' has become a cultural phenomenon, and Witherspoon's portrayal of Elle Woods remains one of her most iconic roles. Thanks to its popularity, a sequel, 'Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde,' and a Broadway musical adaptation were released.
Witherspoon also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and a nomination at the 2002 MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance. The film grossed $141.7 million worldwide, including $96.5 million in North America and $45.2 million elsewhere.
"I'm so honored to have been a part of sharing her story with you all," Witherspoon shared when the movie turned 20 years old. "Every meme, graduation cap, musical number, Halloween costume, and bend & snap has brought me so much JOY over these past two decades! I wonder... what will Elle do next?"
After she seemingly teased a third film, it has been confirmed that the 'Legally Blonde' legacy is not over.
On Tuesday, May 14, Reese Witherspoon took the stage at Amazon Prime Video’s upfront presentation to make a huge announcement.
For those of you who love to "bend and snap," get ready because an Elle Woods prequel series is in the works! Of course, they made the announcement in the most iconic way possible as one of Witherspoon's fellow presenters dropped a pen while "asking for an autograph," to which Witherspoon proceeded to pick up with her iconic "bend and snap."
“I got it because when you get nervous in front of a really big group of people that you’re trying to impress, all you have to do is bend and snap,” she said via Variety.
Of course, the bend and snap is one of the most iconic scenes from 'Legally Blonde,' but Jennifer Coolidge says it's "misleading."
"I've never had bending over work for me like it did in that movie," Coolidge told Deadline. "I think that the bend and snap is misleading. But I'd have to say when I did do the bend and snap, I was wearing my underwear and I feel like in real life you have to leave it off."
At the Amazon Prime presentation, Reese Witherspoon told fans that the upcoming project will be titled 'Elle.'
“I had this crazy idea that the world might want to know the origin story of Elle Woods,” she said at the panel. “So, here I am to officially tell you the most amazing news ever, which is that we’re going back to high school with Elle."
“Before she became the most famous Gemini vegetarian to graduate from Harvard Law School, she was just a regular ‘90s high school girl. And thanks to Amazon and Hello Sunshine, all of you are going to get to know her in this new series on Amazon Prime Video," Witherspoon, who sported a pink ensemble, said. "I’m so excited.”
The actress is an executive producer on the show along with Lauren Kisilevsky, Marc Platt, and Lauren Neustadter.
Deadline previously reported, "Witherspoon and her Hello Sunshine company are behind 'Legally Blonde' spinoff TV series inspired by the popular film franchise that is in development at Amazon MGM Studios."
Witherspoon previously spoke about a possible third film. "I'm still hoping that Legally Blonde 3 is going to come together in the right way," she told USA Today in 2022. "It's just like 'Top Gun': They waited a long time to make another version of that movie, and I loved the nostalgia piece they incorporated in it. So definitely that gave us a lot of inspiration about what we would want to do with Elle Woods and make sure that we had all those same touchstones that mattered to people [back] then."
"I feel like these characters are my friends, so I safeguard them," she added. "I would never make the subpar, mediocre version of their story."
While fans may not get a third film, they are getting a new spin-off! A release date has yet to be announced.
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