Movies

Emma Watson says 'Harry Potter' was a "huge burden" for its directors.
The actress played Hermione Granger in the wizard saga, and she admitted the filmmakers across the series - Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates - all faced a huge amount of pressure.
She told the Mail on Sunday newspaper's Event magazine: "I do know what it takes.
"Each of the 'Harry Potter' directors looked as if they had aged about 10 years by the time they'd finished. It's a huge burden to carry."
Her experiences working on the eight movies - adapted from J.K. Rowling's seven-part book series - means she sympathised with the task facing 'Noah' director Darren Aronofsky on the biblical blockbuster.
She said: "Darren doesn't shave during films, so there was this kind of dilapidation that happened throughout, where by the end of it he looked like this mad caveman."
Watson - who stars in the film as Ila - admitted she wasn't sure about taking on the role until Aronofsky laid out his vision for her.
She explained: "To be honest, the idea of making a film of Noah seemed really cheesy to me - the dove and the rainbow the two-by-two ... Darren is the lord of darkness and grittiness.
"And then he explained it to me as this really interesting post-apocalyptic world - not set in the past, but not set in the future, and not a sandal in sight."

Jennifer Lawrence "struggled" with Mystique's darker side.
The 23-year-old actress plays the villainous, blue-hued mutant shapeshifter in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' and she often contemplated going off-script for the darker scenes.
She said: "I was struggling back and forth with wanting to get darker ... There was one scene where I couldn't get past thinking she'd shoot someone where she doesn't in the script. We filmed it both ways, but I don't know which one they'll use."
The actress also gushed about her time working with director Bryan Singer and was delighted when she found out he was going to helm the project.
Quizzed on working with Singer, she told Total Film magazine: "It was amazing! There was a tiny fan boy inside of me jumping up and down and screaming when he decided to direct."
Talking about Singer sharing the experience with fans on Twitter, Lawrence added: "He took pictures of everything. He always had his phone out. He was like a 13-year-old girl at a premiere."

Tina Fey was "nervous" about kissing Kermit the Frog in 'Muppets Most Wanted'.
The comic writer and actress has a smooch with the Muppets puppet in their latest film, and joked that he was a perfect gentleman about it.
She told Us Weekly magazine: "I was nervous but Kermit put me at ease. Although I did hallucinate for a few hours afterwards."
Tina's comments about hallucinating are a joking reference to the Bufo Alvarius variety of toad - commonly known as a Colorado River toad or Sonoran Desert toad - which when stroked under its chin produces a poison which can be hallucinogenic if consumed by humans.
Speaking about her role as a bad guy in the film, Tina added her daughters Alice, eight, and Penelope, two "are excited to see the movie."
Tina famously wrote and appeared in catty high-school comedy 'Mean Girls' and while she has ruled out a sequel, she's keen for there to be a ten-year anniversary of some kind.
She has said: "[There's] definitely not a movie. It's just the anniversary is coming up, so everybody get your pink shirts. It's been 10 years. You can tell when you look at me it's been 10 years."

Theo James "pulled down Shailene Woodley's pants mid-scene" in 'Divergent'.
The hunky British actor has a number of kissing scenes with his co-star in the eagerly-awaited fantasy novel adaptation, and says by the time they came toward the end of filming they were both very comfortable in each other's presence.
He said: "It's helpful to joke [on set] and remember you're not solving world hunger. I pulled down Shai's pants mid-scene. Luckily, I don't think the cameras were rolling!"
Theo - who is dating Irish actress Ruth Kearney - also joked he kept making Shailene "practise" their kisses.
He added: "I made her practise the kissing scene as much as possible. I'd say, 'Listen, tonight after dinner, can we just go over it again?' "
Theo, 29, also said there are some characteristics he shares with his character, the mysterious Four.
He added in an interview with Us Weekly magazine: "We share certain qualities. He's the type of guy who walks into a room and doesn't need to be the loudest voice, but you feel his presence. And he's a good, noble person."

Cameron Diaz will always be grateful for her success.
The 41-year-old actress sometimes doubts the choices she has made, but she thinks it is important to make the best of every situation.
She said: "For me, gratitude is the only attitude. When you come from where I have come from and the fact I am at where I am at, you have only gratitude.
"There are so many other ways my life could have gone. And the fact that I am in the position I am in, every step of the way, I have gratitude for it.
"There have been moments where I am questioning it - like, is this worth it? - but when it comes down to it, everything is worth it and it's how you handle it, how you engage in life and what you make of the situation you are in."
The 'Other Woman' star believes women need to be more "connected" to themselves instead of striving desperately to make the right choices to be happy.
She told Britain's OK! magazine: "We are not taught how to be connected to ourselves, to honour ourselves. And so we are working our entire lives just trying to figure out who we are, what makes us happy, we live our lives looking at all these other things, going, 'Oh if I pick that and that and that, then that will make me happy and I'll be a whole person.'
"You need to be going within yourself and asking yourself, 'What makes me happy? What do I do, how do I become whole?' "

Chris Evans went home with "bumps and bruises" after filming 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'.
The 32-year-old actor plays the titular superhero - also known as Steve Rogers - in the Marvel film and insists the injuries obtained on set have "lasting effects" as the stars age.
Talking at the film's press conference at London's Dorchester Hotel yesterday (21.03.14), Evans explained: "There are always injuries. Whether you end up in a cast or not doing stunt work, it's physical stuff. Even when you block a punch, that punch lands somewhere. So you're always going home with bumps and bruises and we are all getting older so it has lasting effects."
The hunk found scenes with Frank Grillo - who stars as military operative Brock Rumlow - particularly injurious, and reckons Anthony Mackie - who plays the Falcon - must have experienced this since they have a number of scenes together.
Asked about memorable moments regarding injuries, he replied: "Any fight with fight with Frank Grillo [Brock Rumlow]. You got to know how to pull his punches. Mac [Anthony Mackie] you must know this."
Mackie chimed: "Nah, we were hitting each other for real."
Evans added: "You hit for real. You don't block Frank Grillo's punch you're gonna get macked. He's a boxer, he doesn't know anything but 100 per cent. "
Mackie joked: "No, that's because he's a mean person."
Scarlett Johansson - who reprises her role as Black Widow who she first portrayed in 2010's 'Iron Man 2' - agrees, claiming injuries are "part of the process".
Johansson quipped: "Frank Grillo beat the s**t out of me. I'm forever wounded from these movies. I mean I had all injuries from 'Iron Man 2' days and I just keep re-injuring them ... that's part of the joy. No, it's part of the process."

Scarlett Johansson says Black Widow "grapples" with the "trauma" she has experienced in the forthcoming Marvel films.
The 29-year-old actress reprises her role as the popular Marvel character - also known as Natasha Romanoff - in the 'Avengers: Age of Ultron', which will be released in 2015, and will tell the "back story" of the highly trained spy.
Talking at the press conference for forthcoming 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', at London's Dorchester Hotel on Thursday (20.03.14), she said: "You'll get more of Widow's back story in 'Avengers 2'. She has a rich, rich past. She definitely comes from a really dark past, she's had to de-sensitise or de-humanise in way to be able to do and see some of the things she's seen and participated in willingly. And there was probably some kind of people who have that drug description, like mercenary.
"I think she' s sort of now grappling with the fact that she maybe experiencing some trauma from that, or at least that she has feelings about things, maybe she doesn't sleep so well at night. It's hitting her now that she's been acting as a gun for hire, and in doing that she's never really made any active choices. It's like the rug has been pulled from under her feet."
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously confirmed he's been in talks about a film based on Johansson's Black Widow character, and the screen beauty insists she'd like to follow the "progression" of her alter-ego.
She added: "More interestingly, what would probably be to follow the progression of that story. And you know, bring her back home, and see where that leads to. Of course that's all in my imaginary next installment. None of that has been .... We've thrown the ball around a little bit but nothing is in the works for that right now."

Clint Eastwood's 'American Sniper' has recruited four new stars. 'Homeland' actor Navid Negahban - who starred as Abu Nazir in the popular drama - Nashville's Eric Close, Boardwalk Empire star Eric Ladin and Gang Related's Rey Gallegos have been cast...

Samuel L. Jackson joked about learning his 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' lines with one hand covering his eye.
The 65-year-old actor plays S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury, who wears an eye patch over his left eye in the superhero film, and admitted he had difficulty adjusting his sight to read the script when he was in costume.
Talking at the film's press conference at London's Dorchester Hotel yesterday (20.03.14), he told BANG Showbiz: "I've learned to turn my head further, actually. The interesting thing about the patch, that I didn't discover until Captain America, the first one - coz I never had never many lines to say - was when I all of a sudden had dialogue and I would learn it the night before, when I got to work I could only see half the page when I put the patch on. So, I have discovered I have to learn my lines now with one hand covering my eye so my mind will absorb what's going on in there. "
Jackson also hailed army soldiers, who he views as society's real life heroes, since they risk their lives for the benefit of others.
He added: "The young people who put their lives on the line for us, so that we do have the freedom to make movies like this and tell stories like this, because we do have a volunteer army now, it's not like people have to do it. Those young men and women who go out there, put their lives on the line, and go to different countries. They make sure we can do what we do I admire them greatly."