OHMYGOSSIP — James Brolin says Pixar bosses kept him in the dark on ‘Lightyear’.
The 81-year-old actor voices the villainous Emperor Zurg in the ‘Toy Story’ spin-off and he was initially unaware of the film’s connection to the beloved animated flick.
James told ComicBook.com: “They kept it from you and they kept it from me right up to the point where I recorded.
“It was really interesting to do it that way because that was okay with them. That’s how they want it and they didn’t want me to have any info about what I was doing really. So, I had to surmise as I went along, you know?”
The ‘Traffic’ star admits it was a “learning curve” working on the film as Pixar crew members guided his performance remotely.
Brolin said: “I didn’t know what I was doing and they steered me through this session at Pixar, at the sound studios, but they were all on a monitor from San Francisco, five executives and the director.
“And even on the second session, the second day of recording, and there were five different days of recording that may have run four hours each. I would do corrections from the first one because I didn’t quite get it and they would give me examples.”
Chris Evans voices Buzz Lightyear in the movie and revealed that the opportunity to work with Pixar was a decisive factor in his decision to take on the role.
He said: “Well, to be honest, what interested me was working with Pixar. The premise was not inconsequential, obviously, you want to make sure that they’re going to make a good movie.
“But you trust in Pixar, my trust, they have so much goodwill. I’ve never seen Pixar miss, so I didn’t really worry too much about the story itself. I was just thrilled that Pixar was calling.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Austin Butler felt an “immense amount of fear” playing Elvis Presley.
The 30-year-old star plays the King of Rock and Roll in Baz Luhrmann’s hotly-anticipated biopic ‘Elvis’ and explained that he was daunted by his portrayal of the late music icon.
Speaking to the i newspaper, Austin said: “I felt such a responsibility to Elvis, his family, all the people around the world who love him so much. So it was an incredible amount of pressure – and with that comes an immense amount of fear.”
The actor revealed that it was only when he filmed his first concert sequence as Elvis that he realised he had what it takes to bring the King to life.
Butler recalled: “I started feeling this energetic exchange. And so I allowed my imagination to just truly accept that this is the ’68 Special’, I’m doing this for this audience right now. My career is on the line.
“I looked at myself in the mirror – I’m dressed in the leather, covered in sweat. And I had this moment where suddenly I was like, ‘OK I can do this.'”
Baz revealed that he was uncertain about choosing Austin to play the lead role but was persuaded by a call from Denzel Washington – who was impressed by the actor’s work ethic when the pair worked together on Broadway.
The ‘Moulin Rouge!’ director explained: “I’m not sure I chose Austin. I did in the end – I put him through the wringer. But I’m starting to feel like he kind of chose me.”
Austin has explained how he has dedicated years of his life to his depiction of Elvis and Baz feels that the approach was the only way to make the biopic a success.
The filmmaker said: “He’s been living Elvis for three years. And I think that was the only way, because he didn’t want to do an impersonation.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — A pop-up vinyl swap-shop opens its doors in London
The Soho-based, 70s-inspired record shop has launched to celebrate the cinematic release of ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’, which will hit the screens on July 1.
DJ Woody Cook was on deck at the official launch party on Thursday night (16.06.22), whilst ‘Dancing On Ice’ skater Regan Gascoigne took the dancefloor alongside ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Laura Pradelska and YouTubers Harvey and Max Mills.
The store will officially be open to the public on Saturday (18.06.22) for a week, where visitors will be able to swap their own records for groovy gems from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. All discs donated to the pop-up shop will be sent on to Oxfam, where they will be sold to raise funds for charity.
Guests will also be able to explore hidden rooms as well as take part in daily challenges and have photo opportunities.
Actor Steve Carell recently explained why he loved being involved in the movies and the origin of Gru’s voice.
He said: “They’re really good movies. They’re not condescending to children either, and that’s one of the reasons I signed on to do these.
“When I read the first script, and I saw all the artwork, I was like, there’s a little danger here, and kids love that – not too much, but just enough to be exciting and new and different, that had a different tone to it.
“The reason I actually do that voice is because it’s the voice that made my kids laugh. When I went in before I did my first taping. I said, ‘Hey, guys, (Gru voice) what do you think of this?’ And they’re like, ‘That’s the one, just do that.'”
For entry to the pop-up and to sign up for all activities, go to EventBrite at www.despicablediscsvinylshop.eventbrite.co.uk. The site lists the full opening schedule as well as information on how to book your visit and full terms and conditions. A limited number of walk-ins will be allowed each day.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Dame Emma Thompson wanted ‘Good Luck To You, Leo Grande’ to be an “opportunity” for her co-star.
The 63-year-old big screen legend appears opposite Daryl McCormack in the drama – which tells the story of a widowed mother and a young male escort – and director Sophie Hyde has opened up about how they cast the 29-year-old actor.
She told HeyUGuys.com: “When we first met him, we were looking at a lot of people.
“We knew we didn’t necessarily have to have someone who came with a big name – which is rare for this kind of thing, but we had Emma!
“She really wanted to have somebody opposite her where it felt like this was an opportunity for them.
“When we met Daryl, he just brought a load of layers that I really loved for the role.”
Hyde noted how the ‘Peaky Blinders’ actor – who only has a handful of film and stage credits to his name – “rose” to the challenge.
She added: “It felt like a little bit of a risk – going head to head with Emma, as someone who hadn’t even done heaps of theatre or whatever.
“But she’s really generous and he really rose up to meet her in that way. We were so thrilled when we found him!”
For such an intense film opposite one of cinema’s biggest names, McCormack admitted focusing on the story and getting help from the team was vital.
He explained: “It was definitely a pinch-me moment, but I’m so glad I came out the other side.
“It can feel overwhelming, but it’s a testament to the story, and that was our main focus.
“As a director, Sophie was able to manage all those moments where I might feel overwhelmed.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Guy Ritchie will direct Disney’s ‘Hercules’ remake.
The ‘Aladdin’ director is set to go behind the camera for the live-action remake of the 1997 animated movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Dave Callaham – who wrote Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ – has already written a first draft of the script and , penned a first draft of the script. The studio is currently in the process of searching for writers for the project.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ directors Joe and Anthony Russo will produce the film through their AGBO company.
Meanwhile, it was previously claimed that Disney is working on an ‘Aladdin’ sequel.
The studio was said to be working with writers John Gatins and Andrea Gerloff for the upcoming blockbuster after the huge success of the live action remake of the animated classic.
The film was in early development in 2020 after Disney spent six months figuring out what direction they wanted to take with the follow-up.
Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich – who produced the original – were tipped to return under their Rideback banner, with Ryan Halprin as executive producer.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Maya Rudolph says only her eldest child has watched ‘Bridesmaids’.
The 49-year-old actress – who has Minnie, eight, Pearl 16, Jack, 10, and Lucille, 12, with her legendary filmmaker husband Paul Anderson – stars as Lillian in Paul Feig’s 2011 rom-com classic, and Maya admits she wasn’t keen on her brood seeing it because of the sex scene.
However, it wasn’t that bad in the end, as there is only one raunchy scene at the start of the film.
Pearl went on to watch ‘Lady Bird’ with her mom, which has far more intimate scenes.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter magazine, Maya said: “She grew up with people coming up to me saying how much they loved it, and she was like, ‘Why can’t I see it?’
“So I put it on and I realised, ‘Oh, they’re having sex at the beginning.’
“Then we watched ‘Lady Bird’, and I was like, ‘Ehh, ‘Bridesmaids’ is fine.'”
The ‘Loot’ star’s famous scene in the chick flick is when she and her bridesmaids are trying on high-end bridal gowns and after getting food poisoning, Lillian defecates in the middle of the street.
Maya found it hilarious when a Starbucks barista wrote, “the lady that took a s*** in the street”, on her cup instead of her name.
As for whether there will ever be a sequel, Feig previously insisted it’s down to lead star Kristen Wiig.
The comedy saw Kristen’s alter ego Annie Walker ruin her friendship with her best friend Lillian and go through a tumultuous time with her cop lover Rhodes (Chris O’Dowd) and cause chaos as her pal prepared to tie the knot, before restoring peace.
And the director admitted it would take a really clever storyline to make a second film because Kristen’s character’s situation was resolved by the end of the flick.
Asked about doing another film, he explained: “Everybody thinks they want a ‘Bridesmaids’ sequel.
“It could be fun, but I always have to say this: ‘Bridesmaids’ works – you remember all the comedy stuff, that was great, but the reason that movie worked is because it was about Kristen Wiig’s character who was a very confident person before the movie began who has this total crash because her bakery goes out of business and everything falls apart in her life.
“So we meet her and she’s a disaster.
“She’s desperately trying to hang onto this one thing, which is her friendship with Maya Rudolph’s character, and that takes her through the fire.
“That’s why all this stuff happens, because she’s just acting out and trying desperately to save things, and by the end she heals herself, as much as you can. That’s what you latch onto in that film.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Nicole Kidman is to star in ‘Holland, Michigan’.
The 54-year-old actress will work with director Mimi Cave on the thriller, which is said to have a Hitchcockian feel and involves the secrets that lurk beneath a Midwestern town, Deadline reports.
The movie is based on a script from Andrew Sodroski, which topped the 2013 Black List – a compilation of the most-liked as-yet uncommissioned screenplays – and Nicole will also produce with Per Saari under her own Blossom Films banner.
Peter Dealbert for Pacific View Management Productions is also producing and Kate Churchill will executive produce.
The project sees the ‘Big Little Lies’ star reteam with Amazon Studios for the first time since her award-nominated turn in ‘Being the Ricardos’.
In that film, Nicole played comedy legend Lucille Ball and previously admitted she didn’t fully realise how “difficult” her job would be until she started work because she had to get the star’s life on and off stage just right.
She explained: “It was two roles. Lucy Ricardo and Lucille Ball. The differences in the tone of voice, the differences in mannerisms, the differences in the performance, one’s a real woman – that’s when I went, ‘Oh my gosh, this is rich and difficult and extraordinary’.
“The recreation of Lucy Ricardo was interesting … She had life behind her eyes. When she was doing that, there was another whole life to her.
“So that’s why it’s not mimicking her, it’s going into her … I could do the movements, choreography, but where’s the life? Her eyes sparkle, and there’s a reason that’s going on. It’s not robotic, it’s very, very alive … You have to find the life.”
And Nicole worked tirelessly with a dialect coach for the film.
She said: “I didn’t quite realise with her accent, her voice, what I was taking on. But I had the most gorgeous dialect coach who just was like ‘you’re going to be fine.’ They just walked me through it, sound by sound, step by step, over Zoom.
“I just worked on it vocally, which is very unusual for me, and then moved into her emotionally.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Taika Waititi has described Pixar movies as an example of “perfect filmmaking”.
The ‘Lightyear’ actor – who voices Mo Morrison in the ‘Toy Story’ spin-off which serves as an origin story for Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans) – has recalled the first time he saw the original 1997 animated classic, and the impact the studio has had on the movie industry.
As reported by HeyUGuys.com, he said: “I saw ‘Toy Story’ when it came out. I thought I was a kid – I was 20!
“But the movie and all these Pixar movies, they do something to you as a grown up that you feel like a kid, and you’re transported back into those feelings of being open and emotional and being able to laugh and cry at the same time.
“There’s not a lot of cinema that I really think is that great – Pixar films consistently have been right up there with perfect filmmaking for me.”
The 46-year-old actor also weighed in on the conversation surrounding a same-sex relationship in the film.
He added: “I’m so proud. It’d be wonderful to one day get to a place where this doesn’t have to be a talking point. The idea that, to go and watch a movie, and that’s your big problem? It’s crazy.
“You never hear people going, ‘Oh did you see that movie where that man and that woman kissed?’ Just let that go. Love is love, and if we can normalise it then we’re moving forwards into a good space.
“If studios make these tiny little steps towards that – just having a same-sex relationship – it’s just steps towards normalising it, and you can’t ask for more than that.”

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