OHMYGOSSIP — Pharrell Williams managed to overcome a hatred of his own voice for ‘Piece by Piece’.
The 51-year-old singer is used to performing in front of packed stadiums but the ‘Happy’ chart-topper has admitted he didn’t enjoy listening to his tones during the making of the Lego biopic.
Pharrell told The Hollywood Reporter: “I hate it. Doing it in Lego allowed me to objectively appreciate my voice and my point of view and what I want to do.
“When I hear myself without any kind of other platform or anything connected to it, I’m like, ‘Shut the f*** up. Literally, why are you saying that? Like, who cares? Who do you think you are — some philosopher? Shut the f*** up.’
“Like, they asked me to do something the other day and I’m like, ‘No. Who wants to hear me? Like, no.’ But this film has allowed me to get inspired by my story for the first time because I’m looking at it through a different lens, a different filter, so I can appreciate it objectively.”
The animated movie – which follows the ‘Get Lucky’ singer’s rise to fame – also stars Timbaland and Missy Elliott and showcases the trio’s early music experimentations growing up in Virginia.
Pharrell explained: “We didn’t know that we wanted to be in the business. We just liked making music. When we realised we wanted to be in the business, it felt like it was so hard to get on. Then, when we got in there, we never let it go. Timbaland’s a genius. He’s relentless. He’s doing something fire right now.”
The picture – which is set to release in the U.S. on 11 October – sees the likes of Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears appear, though Pharrell admitted he hadn’t been in contact with the ‘Toxic’ singer for quite some time.
He said: “Man, I ain’t spoke to Britney in maybe 10-plus years. I think I’ve seen her in the elevator one time. I think we were all going into the same place or something. I can remember exactly where it was, and she had her sunglasses on, and I was like, ‘I know that’s Britney. Maybe she doesn’t remember me. That’s fine’.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Constantine 2’ producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has revealed the screenplay for the movie is complete.
While the producer has confirmed the script for the upcoming DC superhero flick – which will see Keanu Reeves, 60, reprise his role as the titular demon hunter after first playing the character in the 2005 original – has been finished, Di Bonaventura admitted he is “too scared to read it”.
He told ComicBook.com: “You know it’s in my inbox right now. Funny enough, I’m too scared to read it, though.
“I want it to be good so bad. I’ll probably read it in the next few days when I get on an airplane.”
The first film – which was directed by 53-year-old filmmaker Francis Lawrence – followed the supernatural exorcist and demonologist John Constantine (Reeves) who helps LAPD policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) investigate her twin sister’s mysterious suicide, only to discover that fallen angels from Hell are attempting to enter the human world.
Warner Bros. announced the sequel in 2022 and confirmed Lawrence and Reeves would be helming and starring in the project respectively, though updates on the movie have been scarce since then.
In November 2023, the filmmaker revealed he and the ‘John Wick’ star had been working on the story for the upcoming blockbuster with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, though admitted progress on the flick had been delayed due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.
Speaking to GameSpot, Lawrence said: “So ‘Constantine 2’ got obviously held up by the writers’ strike.
“Keanu and Akiva Goldsman and I have been in meetings and I have been hashing out what we think the story is going to be, and there’s more meetings of those that have to happen – the script has to be written – but [I’m] really hoping that we get to do ‘Constantine 2’, and make a real R-rated version of it.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — James McAvoy was offered “a ton of money” to appear in ‘Harry Potter’.
The 45-year-old actor was just starting his career when he auditioned for a brief role as Tom Riddle – aka the young Voldemort – in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ but was ultimately advised against taking up an offer as there was no guarantee he’d appear in the films.
Speaking on the ‘Happy Sad Confused’ podcast, he said: “The very first movie, I think it was — who is the — is it Tom Riddle in the first one, yeah? But he’s like in it… for like a scene in a flashback or something like that? And they had — I simply remember it was right in the beginning of my career.
“I auditioned for it and I think they wanted to put me on a retainer. And they offered me something like – it was crazy, I’d hardly done any work – and me and I think maybe 10 other actors or something like that – they wanted to put us on retainer so that they could hold us and keep us to choose later.”
The ‘Speak No Evil’ star admitted the offer was a “really strange thing” and was a huge sum for an up-and-coming young actor.
He added: “For me, at that time, it was a ton of money, it was like £40,000 or something like that, and I’d done very little work.”
But if he had agreed to the retainer, James “wouldn’t be able to do any work for about seven months” so his agent Ruth Young told him not to accept the offer and he went on to take a lower-paid theatre role instead, which was “the making” of him as an actor.
He added: “She was like we’re going to go do something else, and I ended up doing the play [where] I got booed by a homophobic gentleman.
“I did that instead and I think got paid £275 a week. But it was part of the making of me, and I actually got in acting work. I was actually learning and doing all that.”
A TV adaptation of ‘Harry Potter’ is in the works but James doesn’t seem to have any interest in being part of it.
Asked if he’d audition for the project, he said: “I don’t know if there’s anything that I’m really missing in terms of what I’ve covered. I don’t think I’ve done enough sci-fi, just because I love it.
“I don’t think I’ve done enough comedy but I’ve been able to be funny in things that aren’t funny. Always trying to bring the gags.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Kevin Smith thought Shannen Doherty’s death would “close the book” on a ‘Mallrats’ sequel.
The 54-year-old filmmaker has long been working on a follow-up to the 1995 cult comedy and while he planned to shelve the project after the actress – who played Rene Mosier – lost her battle with breast cancer in July, he’s revealed it could still go ahead following some promising conversations.
Asked about the sequel, which he previously revealed would be called ‘Twilight of the Mallrats’, Kevin told Deadline: “So, with Shannen’s passing, at that point, I was like, ‘Well, I guess that kind of closes the book for us.’
“But then a couple of weeks ago, my producer was having a conversation with some folks at Universal.”
Kevin explained he’s been ready to go with the project for some time but studio bosses haven’t been interested, so he is hopeful they will now agree to let him “take it out” and find financing elsewhere.
He said: “The thing has been for years that, of course I’d love to make the Mallrats sequel as I’ve said many times. Any time I turn in a script, the good folks at Universal are like, ‘This is neither fast nor furious.’ So, we never go anywhere.
“At one point, we were gonna make a $5 million version of it through one division they used to have maybe, I don’t know, I forget what it was called, but like they did smaller straight to streaming or straight to video type movies.
“And then it kind of fell apart and we’ve tried to get it out of there but they’re like, you know, Universal has never released a title. But I think we’re going back to have a discussion again about like, look, you guys are never gonna do anything with this.
“Like, but we can and would and would and would love to. So can you let us take it out? We’re not asking Universal to finance it, but it’s just like, hey, can we have it so we can go out because I can get that movie financed in a heartbeat, ‘Mallrats 2’.
“So, fingers crossed the good folks at Universal go like, ‘You know what? We’re never gonna do anything with this. Go ahead.’
“I mean, it’s hysterical. There are times when I’ve dealt with folks at Universal to talk about a ‘Mallrats’ sequel and the people I deal with are like, ‘We have ‘Mallrats’?’ ”
While the director is hopeful of making the film eventually, he won’t be too upset if it never happens.
He concluded: “So, hopefully it can go forward and if it doesn’t, I get it. I’m not spoiled where it’s like, ‘I get to make everything I want!’
“If I can’t make a ‘Mallrats’ sequel, I will live and make something else, but it looks like we’re going back at it to see if it’s possible this time, and hopefully Universal is just like, ‘Yeah, go ahead and take it.’ ”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Paul Mescal didn’t want to have the appearance of a “superhero” in ‘Gladiator II’.
The 28-year-old actor plays the lead role of Lucius in Ridley Scott’s epic historical sequel and didn’t want his physique to be overly refined for the part.
Paul told Empire magazine: “This ideal image that has been informed by superhero films – that was something I was keen to avoid.
“Because superheroes don’t exist, but gladiators did. We don’t really know what they looked like, but they were prime athletes raised in stables, and they trained every day. So I was like, ‘Let’s just go back to what I’m used to’ – which is Gaelic football training.”
The ‘Normal People’ star explained how the plot ultimately decided what he should look like in the movie, which is scheduled for release in November.
Mescal said: “When I was first cast I had this idea of like, ‘You know what?’ I’m just gonna make gladiators look normal.
“But the closer I got (to filming) I thought that would be me getting in the way of the story.”
The Irish actor added: “How do they survive this level of violence that we have no real comprehension of today in a sporting context?
“The only way you can do that is if you’re robust and able to take the impact of near-death experiences on a day-to-day basis. So then it just meant lifting heavy things for a long time and eating lots of chicken.”
Paul also revealed that he bonded with Ridley as neither of them were raised in the “meccas of filmmaking”.
The star said: “He comes from the north of England, from South Shields. I come from Maynooth.
“We’re not from the meccas of filmmaking – we’re not from Hollywood, we’re not from London. So I think we both feel lucky to have arrived at this point, and we are similar-minded. He avoids the b******* and I would like to say the same about myself.
“I knew from the off what he wanted from me, and it felt very collaborative and easy. I loved, loved spending time with him, and tried to soak up as much of his knowledge as humanly possible.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Rebel Wilson decided to direct after working on ‘Cats’.
The 44-year-old actress played Jennyanydots in Tom Hooper’s 2019 adaptation of Sir Andew Lloyd Webber’s stage musical and she revealed she was encouraged to get behind the camera after disagreeing with the director on some aspects of filming.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: “I went up to the director and said, ‘I’m just not sure you’re doing it right,’ and a female producer who’d witnessed the exchange came over to me and said I think you should direct a movie one day.”
Now Rebel only wants to direct musicals after making her directorial debut with Australian comedy ‘The Deb,’ and she has plans to follow it up with another musical movie.
She said: “When I was a teenager, it was a pretty dark time, and I got to see a musical at 14 years of age, because my dog auditioned for it.
“I saw these people dancing and singing on stage, they were so joyful, and that really helped me through my teenage years.
“That’s why, if I’m directing more movies, it’ll only be musicals and bringing joy and positivity to people.”
‘The Deb’ has been adapted from the original stage musical of the same name and produced in partnership with Rebel Wilson’s Camp Sugar Productions and Australian producer Bunya Productions.
It follows high school outcast Taylah Simpkins (Natalie Abbott), who believes the upcoming Debutante Ball is her one and only chance for a makeover.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Francis Ford Coppola is delighted to have defied convention with ‘Megalopolis’.
The 85-year-old director has helmed the new sci-fi drama that has divided critics and explained that he set out to avoid making a typical picture.
Speaking to Empire magazine, Francis said: “The movie business tries to encourage everyone to think there’s only one way a movie can be. It has to have a protagonist, then, in the first few minutes, it has to have an antagonist.
“They are prescribing a formula that they’ll be able to sell over and over again. So when a movie comes along that doesn’t fit that formula and they don’t think it’s a new formula that can be repeated, they don’t want to do it because they feel there’s too much risk.
“‘Apocalypse Now’ is a perfect example. When it came out, people said, ‘What the hell is this?’ But they never stopped going to see it. With ‘Megalopolis’ you can’t put a label on it. And that’s great. That’s the kind of film I like.”
Coppola has spent many years trying to make ‘Megalopolis’ and has even financed the movie himself but does not consider it to be any more of a “passion project” than his other films.
‘The Godfather’ director said: “I think all my films are passion projects. Even when you’re doing a film for money, when you get down into the work, you’re passionate about it because cinema is something you can’t do without loving.
“I’ve seen great directors like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg do something on their cut and then dance around like kids with enthusiasm.
“This idea of ‘passion project’ is another one of these coined phrases. All making movies is passionate. It cannot not be. It’s too exciting.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — James Watkins knew James McAvoy would be perfect for the villain in ‘Speak No Evil’.
The 45-year-old actor stars as the sinister Paddy in the English-language remake of the 2022 Danish psychological horror film and Watkins insisted McAvoy was always his number one choice.
He told Variety: “The truth is, most people never get the top person on their list. But I was talking with Jon Harris, the editor I’ve worked with a lot, and he’s cut a lot of movies with James in them. When I was writing, I sent an early draft to John and we chatted about it. He was like, ‘It’s got to be McAvoy, right?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I think.’ I didn’t really have a plan B.
“I’m sure that lots of other brilliant actors could have played that role. But when I was writing it, I was thinking, ‘James McAvoy, I can just completely see him playing this character.’ There was a film he did called ‘Filth,’ where he plays such a reprehensible character, but he brings tragedy in a way you just can’t quantify. The guy is awful, but somehow, James just gives you enough to keep you going.”
And, Watkins called McAvoy a “gift” to the film.
He said: “James is a gift. He’s possibly the most talented actor I’ve ever worked with. We had such a classy cast that we could just keep excavating as we went along, finding new things within it, and then bouncing off each other and playing tennis with each other. But James, he’s incredibly relaxed on set. But then when he’s in it, he is so in it. He is aware of what he’s doing, but sometimes you can say to him, ‘I like that thing you did.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, did I do that?’ The best actors, they don’t act. They are.”
McAvoy previously revealed he loosely based his performance on the controversial 37-year-old social media influencer Andrew Tate, who is famous for promoting toxic masculine ideas to his millions of followers.
In an interview with Empire magazine, he said: “The thing I thought I could exploit in the character was, he thinks he’s a bit of a f****** West Country Andrew Tate.
“He’s like, ‘I’m going to teach you what it’s like to be a man again.’ But there’s a sort of polite face on it that isn’t quite Andrew Tate, enough of a sheen of, ‘I’m not one of those guys.’
“He’s [Paddy’s] challenging you, ‘Do you have a big enough d*** to have a drink with me?’, Or, ‘I’m sorry, this is too much for you because you’re not real enough.'”

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