Paul Mescal Addresses Same-Sex Intimate Scenes in 'All of Us Strangers,' Talks 'Gladiator' Sequel in Conversation With Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman has arrived.

Even by the HFPA’s eccentric standards, Todd Haynes’ May December is a wild card in the Best Musical or Comedy category. But it does feature elements of both, in a deceptively dark story that harks back to the days of Hollywood’s self-imposed censorship code, when ingenious directors found sensitive and intelligent ways to address taboo subjects in mainstream movies. Here, the inspiration is the real-life case of Mary Kay Letourneau, a 35-year-old married teacher who, in 1997, seduced a pupil and was sentenced to prison for it, twice. A year after her release in 2004, claiming their love was “eternal and endless”, Letourneau married the boy, then 21. That wedding, and their subsequent life together, was covered, flatteringly, by the media. May December is not their story, but it does address two key points. What was she thinking. And how did the media become so complicit?

Even by the HFPA’s eccentric standards, Todd Haynes’ May December is a wild card in the Best Musical or Comedy category. But it does feature elements of both, in a deceptively dark story that harks back to the days of Hollywood’s self-imposed censorship code, when ingenious directors found sensitive and intelligent ways to address taboo subjects in mainstream movies. Here, the inspiration is the real-life case of Mary Kay Letourneau, a 35-year-old married teacher who, in 1997, seduced a pupil and was sentenced to prison for it, twice. A year after her release in 2004, claiming their love was “eternal and endless”, Letourneau married the boy, then 21. That wedding, and their subsequent life together, was covered, flatteringly, by the media. May December is not their story, but it does address two key points. What was she thinking. And how did the media become so complicit?

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with Andrew Haigh’s romantic fantasy All of Us Strangers. Haigh directs and wrote the film that’s loosely inspired by Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers.

Andrew Haigh’s drama All of Us Strangers has landed nine London Critics’ Circle Awards nominations, ahead of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which has scored seven.

Paul Mescal has described sex scenes in his latest film All Of Us Strangers as “both really moving and also really sexy” as well as “healing”.Mescal was speaking to Natalie Portman as part of Variety’s Actors on Actors series and opened up about the scenes in the film alongside his co-star Andrew Scott.Both play lovers in Andrew Haigh’s film, which is based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada.Mescal explained: “I think sex in film, or any form of media, when it can be healing and sexy at the same time, that’s when it’s at its best.”Portman asked Mescal why tender depictions of love are so rare in Hollywood sex scenes, to which he replied: “I think films like this are an indication of a distance that we’ve traveled, but ultimately there’s quite a ways to go.”He went on to say filmmakers “make something that felt really hot, and sexy, but I think also that doesn’t work in a narrative context if it’s not motivating character.“You have Andrew Scott’s character, Adam, who is in his mid-40s, who has a difficult relationship to sex. Then you have Harry come in, who is much more comfortable.

Natalie Portman and Paul Mescal are actors whose craft inspires as much admiration as the finished product on-screen. Portman, whose career now spans more than 30 years, including films like “Black Swan” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” keeps us enthralled — this time, with her simmering performance in Todd Haynes’ psychodrama “May December.” The Oscar winner portrays an actress preparing to play a tabloid fascination (Julianne Moore), who became romantically involved with her husband (Charles Melton) when he was 13.

In response to his Golden Globe nomination Monday for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for May December, Charles Melton starts the conversation with gratitude towards his mother, Sukyong Melton, who he recently deemed his hero in a heartfelt speech while being honored at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black, Latino & AAPI Achievements last week. Though he admits to sleeping through the ceremony and being informed by his team about the nomination, he made sure to call her as soon as he found out. “She was so proud, and I am so happy.” Melton said. 

were announced Monday morning, and the biggest shocker is … that they still exist!Like a post-apocalyptic Twinkie, the 80-year-old ceremony has survived against all odds. There’s been scandal after scandal, the disbanding of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a sale to Dick Clark Productions and a move from NBC to CBS.

Andrew Scott has revealed his thoughts on Paul Mescal potentially playing James Bond.Speaking to Variety at a special screening of All Of Us Strangers in Los Angeles this past Saturday (December 9), Scott said of his co-star: “He’d probably be a great James Bond.”However, Scott also shared that he’d like to see Mescal’s performing in the upcoming Gladiator sequel, which Mescal is currently filming for in Malta alongside Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and Connie Nielsen.Talks of who the next Bond might be have been rampant ever since Daniel Craig revealed all the way back in 2019 that No Time To Die would be his final time playing the character, who – spoiler alert – was killed off at the end of the 2021 film.Earlier in November, Bond producer Greg Wilson confirmed that they are not yet working on the next film at this stage. “There will be another Bond some day, but we’re not actively developing it,” he said.And with rumours flying around about who might play the next Bond, series producer Barbara Broccoli addressed the new phase of the story following the character’s death at the end of No Time To Die by saying, “It’s gonna take a while for us to get – you know, it’s a whole new reinvention.

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with the Todd Haynes-directed May December starring Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton. It made a splash at Cannes this year when the darkly comedic and complex feature, loosely based on the story of Mary Kay Letourneau, was picked up by Netflix in a splashy $11 million rights deal.

From acclaimed British filmmaker Andrew Haigh, known for “Weekend,” “45 Years,” “Lean on Pete,” and most recently, the BBC series, “The North Water,” his latest film is the heralded love story/family drama/quasi ghost story, “All Of Us Strangers.” READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024 Starring the stellar cast of Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy, one wants to tread lightly when discussing the film to avoid spoiling it; the drama centers on a lonely screenwriter (Scott) drawn back to his childhood home.

Natalie Portman if she was also in the original Star Wars films during The Phantom Menace premiere in 1999.The actor was reflecting on her role as Padmé Amidala in George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy, which was completed by 2002’s Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in 2005.The first two original Star Wars films – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – came out before Portman was born in 1981, while Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was released in 1983.The actor was still only a teenager when she began filming for the prequels, but revealed that King Charles once wondered if she might have been involved in the originals.“I remember Prince Charles, he was then Prince Charles, asked me if I was in the originals,” Portman recalled of the premiere on Watch What Happens Live with host Andy Cohen. “I was like, ‘No, I’m 18!’ But he was very friendly.”The actor appeared on the show alongside Julianne Moore to discuss their new drama May December, when Portman added that while “no one has asked” her, she would also be open to reprising her role of Padmé Amidala.She said that working on the trilogy was “amazing,” adding: “It was the first time I worked digitally.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Natalie Portman appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” to promote her buzzy Netflix drama “May December” and once again told “Star Wars” fans that she is more than open to reprising her role of Padmé Amidala on screen. Portman was just a teenager when she landed a leading role in George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel trilogy. Her first entry, “The Phantom Menace,” opened in 1999 when Portman was 18 years old.

forced to keep her cool when King (then-Prince) Charles mistakenly thought she was in the original “Star Wars” films from the 1970s and ’80s.The Oscar winner, 42, recalled meeting the royal, 75, at the 1999 London premiere of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” on a recent episode of “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”Portman recounted the galactic incident on the Bravo chat show, saying: “I remember Prince Charles asked me — he was then Prince Charles — if I was in the originals.”“I was like, ‘I’m 18,'” she joked. “But he was very friendly.”The “May December” star portrayed Padmé Amidala in the space opera prequel.She further described the “amazing” experience shooting the flick, telling Cohen, 55, “It was the first time I had shot digitally.The Long Island native went on: “I don’t think anyone was shooting that way then.

The full list of nominations for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards has been announced!

In what is an annual tradition, A24 led all nominations at this morning’s 39th Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations with 11 nods while their movie Past Lives, along with Netflix’s May December and Amazon MGM’s American Fiction all tied for the most nominations with five apiece.

Jordan Moreau The 2024 Independent Spirit Awards nominations, which honor TV and indie films with smaller budgets, were announced Tuesday morning. Joel Kim Booster and Natalie Morales revealed the nominations. “Saturday Night Live” alum Aidy Bryant will host the awards show on Feb.

Charles Melton was honored at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black, Latino & AAPI Achievements and broke accepting his award.

Tonight, Lifetime will jump on the sentimental trend of reuniting veteran actresses for our giddy enjoyment by airing Ladies of the 80s: A Divas Christmas, a festive romp that stars Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati), Morgan Fairchild (Falcon Crest), Linda Gray (Dallas), Donna Mills (Knots Landing) and Nicollette Sheridan (Knots Landing).