ANNE HATHAWAY TALKS THE OSCARS WITH HUGH JACKMAN: When Hugh Jackman hosted the 2009 Oscars, he pulled Anne Hathaway onstage … and they immediately became pals. On a Variety Actors on Actors chat, Jackman recalled: “We just immediately became friends.” Three years later, they starred in Les Mis. She also discussed Christopher Nolan‘s advice on playing Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises. She says he told her: “I want you to do as much of the stunt work as you can. I need you to be strong enough to do that. I can’t have you be one of those actors that does one take, two takes and then you’re too tired. I want you to do everything. That was what he told me to get me to embrace the physical side of the character and really commit that.”
TRANS TEEN DRAMA MOONSHADOW, LITTLE AMERICA, MORE GIVEN TAX INCENTIVES: Production in California may be on hold due to coronavirus, but the funding is coming in from the state. California has shelled out $40 million in tax credits, with 12 features getting the green this time around. Some of the winners include the likely straight to VOD sequel to 1998’s Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan‘s stoner cult fave Half Baked, plus Disney/Fox‘s Florida 1992-set Lady of the House drama, Little America from Michael Bay starring Sylvester Stallone, transgender teen drama Moonshadow, plus the Iranian based and immigration themed The Test and the Asian family focused Ashes to Oceans, both from eOne Features.
RESPECT TRAILER DROPS: The first trailer for Aretha Franklin‘s biopic Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson, has dropped. The film will follow Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church choir to worldwide stardom. Franklin died in 2018. The film also stars Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Tituss Burgess, Marc Maron, Kimberly Scott, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Heather Headley, Skye Dakota Turner, Tate Donovan and Mary J. Blige. The film be released in December.
WENDELL PIERCE WANTS TO TAKE ON CLEVELAND VOICE: Mike Henry has stepped down from voicing Cleveland Brown on Family Guy after saying he no longer felt comfortable voicing a person of color as a white actor. Now, Wendell Pierce wants to give it a shot. He shared on social: “Now that Mike Henry has consciously given up the role of Cleveland,I am publicly starting a campaign to voice the role myself on The Cleveland Show.”