–Vanity Fair’s new issue has our first in-depth look at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, including new characters like Keri Russell‘s Zorri Bliss and Richard E. Grant‘s Allegiant General Pryde.
–Natalie Portman has hit back at ‘creepy’ Moby for his ‘disturbing’ account of their relationship in his memoir, telling Harper’s Bazaar UK: “I was surprised to hear that he characterized the very short time that I knew him as dating because my recollection is a much older man being creepy with me when I just had graduated high school. He said I was 20; I definitely wasn’t. I was a teenager. I had just turned 18. There was no fact-checking from him or his publisher – it almost feels deliberate.” He then countered by posting “proof” on IG: a super creepy pic of them, in which he’s shirtless and she’s grinning uncomfortably. It’s all quite gross.
-Congrats to Zoe Kravitz, who reportedly had a secret wedding to Karl Glusman.
-At the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood presser in Cannes, Quentin Tarantino snapped at a female reporter from The New York Times who asked why Margot Robbie wasn’t given more to say or do in the film. He groused “I reject your hypothesis” and didn’t expand. Bless Margot Robbie for trying her best to answer thoughtfully though, saying that it was an interesting acting experiment: “To really show those wonderful sides of [Sharon Tate] could be done without speaking…I did feel like I got a lot of time to explore the character without dialogue specifically.” (I love how Brad Pitt looks over at her supportively when she’s done, like “valiant attempt trying to polish this turd”).
–James Corden did a Reddit AMA and all the top comments are about his terrible reputation. I love that even the questions that look legit end with “also, is it true you’re an asshole?”
–George Clooney went into detail about his “bad” motorcycle crash in Italy: “I was just waiting for the switch to turn off.”
-I love that Gwendoline Christie predicted the Game of Thrones ending in an interview a few seasons ago. (I also love that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was like “wait, that doesn’t make sense.” He is us.)
-Also, even though it looked like the finale was setting up an Arya-focused sequel — it wasn’t.
-I haven’t watched Orange Is The New Black in years, but this promo of the stars singing the theme song kinda got me. The final season drops on Netflix July 26.
–Olivia Wilde‘s directorial debut Booksmart, which opens this weekend, is at 99% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with nearly 100 reviews counted. That’s insanely impressive.
-This is a really good interview with SNL’s Heidi Gardner, who talks about being a hairstylist for nine years before transitioning into comedy.
-I also loved this profile on Timothy Olyphant, who talks about saying yes to every role after Deadwood was cancelled — because he had just bought a new house. “Those experiences were equally valuable…Find yourself bald in Bulgaria doing some pile of shit, that will get you up a little earlier in the morning and make you work a little harder.”
–Michelle Williams is getting rave reviews for her turn in Fosse/Verdon (especially this week’s episode), and what’s even more impressive is that she’s not using a vocal coach.
-I really liked this NYT feature on how “Old Town Road” became the biggest song in the world thanks to memes and controversy.
–Jesse Eisenberg grapples with masculinity in The Art Of Self Defense’s first trailer.