Entertainment

Rosario Dawson has been logging memorable movie and TV roles for decades, but she tells Emmy magazine that thanks to a Star Wars character named Ahsoka Tano — and the will of the Force — she’s made her dreams of being an action star come true.

Tano was first created by Dave Filoni for the Emmy-winning animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, voiced throughout the celebrated show’s entire run by Ashley Eckstein.

However, at some point, the Force, or the internet, took over: In a now-legendary deleted tweet, one fan posted a picture of Dawson embracing her onetime acting classmate Hayden Christensen — the guy who played Ahsoka’s teacher, Anakin Skywalker, in the Star Wars prequels.

Then artist Kode Abdo, who goes by BossLogic, tweeted a viral image of Dawson with Tano’s alien features.

Dawson responded, “Ummmm … yes please.”

Not long after that, Rosario got the job playing the formidable former Jedi in The Mandalorian and then The Book of Boba Fett, both of which Filoni produces and both leading to her own Ahsoka series.

“The Force is really strong on those projects,” Dawson says in the magazine’s cover piece. “Who knows what would’ve happened if BossLogic hadn’t made a fan-cast of me?”

Still, she comments, “Dave loves to be like, ‘You didn’t just get this job because of a tweet.'”

She says of the part, “Dream role? More like fantasy. There’s no way that I was trying to manifest this to happen. It’s unbelievable.”

Dawson adds, “I grew up loving action-hero women, with that Terminator kinda thing [in Linda Hamilton‘s Sarah Connor] and [Sigourney Weaver‘s Alien series character] Ripley. I can’t believe I’m playing someone in that sphere.”

Ahsoka debuts on Disney+ August 23.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here’s a look at what’s happened in the world of reality television this week.

Bachelor in Paradise (ABC)

Abigail Heringer and Noah Erb are going to tie the knot! The couple, known individually from The Bachelor franchise, announced their engagement on Instagram August 9. Abigail 28, shared a photo of the couple embracing and captioned it, “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, and I want ‘em all.” People confirms, the proposal went down the evening of Tuesday, August 8 in La Jolla, San Diego, at a beachside residence adorned with red and pink roses and petals as friends gathered to celebrate the significant occasion.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Bravo)

Former Real Housewives star Diana Jenkins, 49, welcomed a baby girl on Tuesday, August 8. Taking to Instagram, she shared snapshots with the newborn and captioned it, “Welcome to the world our sweet little girl … Meet Elodie Mae Book … Born on 8.8.23.” Elodie is her second child with fiancé Asher Monroe, joining their 2-year-old daughter Eliyanah, while Diana also has two older children, Eneya and Innis, from her previous marriage to Roger Jenkins.

Jersey Shore (MTV)

Jersey Shore star Angelina Pivarnick reportedly contacted the police regarding an alleged domestic violence incident involving her fiancé Vinny Tortorella, according to documents obtained by Page Six. Pivarnick’s attorney, James Leonard Jr., told Page Six in a statement Wednesday, August 9, “I can confirm that Angelina did in fact call the police to her home. After speaking with the officers, Angelina decided not to file charges. This matter is now closed. Moving forward, Angelina would ask for privacy as it pertains to her personal life.”

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Before the SAG-AFTRA strike ground Hollywood to a halt, The Hollywood Reporter notes Tiffany Haddish was developing a documentary shining a light on an interesting phenomenon: successful women who date homeless men.

“I experienced homelessness myself and found that there was a stigma on it that I don’t think should be there,” said the Haunted Mansion star.

“Everyone deserves to be loved. Everyone deserves to have someone supporting them and caring for them — not necessarily carrying them all the way.”

She added, “It’s really important for people to make sure that they know that because it’s really hard to be homeless. So many people are isolated and living on the streets alone.”

Incidentally, Kevin Hart once said on Instagram he “had no idea” his Night School co-star and fellow comedian Haddish was living out of her car when they met.

“I had no idea until I saw a s***load of clothes in her car outside of a comedy club in LA,” Hart posted back in 2018. “I asked her what was going on and she down played [sic] the situation.”

Hart added, “I reached in my pocket and gave her all the money I had which was $300 at the time. She held onto that moment…That moment gave her a bed & shower for a couple of nights…This woman never let her life situation beat her. She stayed true to her dreams and bust her a** to get where she is today.”

Evidently, Kev still refuses to take his $300 back, but not for lack of trying on Tiff’s part. “No! Because then what would I have to hang over [her] head?” he asked Essence in 2019. “Absolutely nothing.”

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Gal Gadot recently made headlines by saying that DC Films co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran had discussed making a third Wonder Woman film, with her reprising the title role — but sources are now saying that was never the case.

In an interview with ComicBook.com about her Netflix action film Heart of Stone, Gadot said, “I love portraying Wonder Woman. It’s so close to and dear to my heart. From what I heard from James and from Peter is that we’re gonna develop a Wonder Woman 3 together.”

A subsequent interview with Flaunt magazine had Gadot saying, “I was invited to a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran … and what they told me, and I’m quoting: ‘You’re in the best hands. We’re going to develop Wonder Woman 3 with you. [We] love you as Wonder Woman — you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ So time will tell.”

The comments particularly rankled some fans of Henry Cavill‘s Superman, as Gunn and Safran made it clear they were sweeping the decks of the old Warner Bros. DC Comics-based universe and starting fresh with Superman: Legacy, debuting in 2025.

Hollywood‘s David Corenswet will be succeeding Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan will take over Amy Adams‘ character, Lois Lane.

However, sources are telling Variety “nothing was ever promised” to the actress regarding a third film, “nor was there any definitive discussion” about it.

Gadot starred as the Amazonian goddess in her own blockbuster standalone film in 2017, directed by Patty Jenkins. The pair’s 2020 follow-up, Wonder Woman 1984, wasn’t as well received.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

While his Yellowstone alter ego John Dutton is happily a throwback to the early days, Kevin Costner has proudly joined a modern pop star’s fandom.

The Oscar winner was just one of the many, many celebrities who attended Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour during its six-night stand in Los Angeles, and he came away duly impressed.

Posting a series of photos and videos from the show, the actor wrote, “My videos are blurry, but I had an amazing time with my daughter at the @taylorswift show. I was absolutely blown away watching her art bring so many people together.”

Costner, who’s also a musician and leads his own band, Modern West, added, “I had a great view of her band and had a blast watching them, too. An inspiring night. I’m officially a Swiftie!”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

International relations take on a whole new meaning in the new romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue, based on the bestselling novel by Casey McQuiston.

The film follows fiery first son of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), and buttoned-up British prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) as they fall into an enemies-to-lovers romance that threatens to upend their prestigious families’ carefully curated public image.

It marks the directorial debut of Tony-winning playwright Matthew Lopez, who tells ABC Audio he knew he had to make the film after first connecting with the book.

“For me, I think it was my connection to Alex as a character and my strong desire to make a film that had such a positive depiction of a young Latin man in its center,” he says. “In addition to the fact that it was this beautiful queer love story.”

That love story hinges on the chemistry between Perez and Galitzine. Lopez says he saw hundreds of actors for the roles, but those two “stood out as special” and were able to bring the characters to life.

“I spent many months just sort of putting them through their paces and checking to make sure that I was right about them, including putting them together in a chemistry read on Zoom and seeing how well they played together,” he says. “And it was very clear to all of us over time that these two were just the perfect actors for these roles.”

As for what he hopes audiences feel while watching the film, Lopez simply says, “Love, hope, swooning romance and fun.”

Red, White & Royal Blue is available now on Prime Video.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The hikers who found the remains of actor Julian Sands on June 24 on California’s Mt. Baldy, five months after the actor went missing, are speaking out. 

Although an autopsy was inconclusive, the hikers spoke to the Los Angeles Times about what outdoor adventurers can do to avoid his fate.

Sands, 65, went missing in the winter, amid snowy and icy conditions that made the already dangerous hike deadly. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department led eight exhaustive searches for him, but came up empty. 

The hikers knew the location of Sands’ last cellphone “ping” and figured Goode Canyon was likely the spot he’d end up if he’d slipped from the trail or got disoriented. One of their party found a boot, then the rest located bones and Sands’ wallet, containing the driver’s license they used to identify him.

His cellphone was found perched on a rock, likely in a vain effort to get a signal. 

They also found that Sands wasn’t wearing a helmet. They noted he was dressed “like a ninja,” according to Bill Dwyer, one of the search party.

Bright clothing would have made him easier to spot.

Also, Sands wasn’t carrying a backpack with gear or ice axes. He’d used small studded appliances called microspikes on his boots, not crampons that could have given him traction on the ice. 

Dwyer said he was “shocked” at that. “They were just the wrong tools for the job at hand.”

Sands had no way to get in touch with rescuers. The hikers’ satellite phone, however, saw reinforcements heading to them within minutes. 

“Can you imagine the despair, the isolation?” said the group’s organizer, who wanted to remain anonymous.  “Hearing the helicopters, knowing people are looking for you, but having no way to signal to them. I still have nightmares about that.”

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Sir Ben Kingsley meets an alien in the new movie Jules, in theaters this weekend. He plays a man leading an unremarkable life in a small town, when an alien ship crashes in his backyard, forcing him out of his daily repetitive routine.

So is there life out there? Kingsley told ABC Audio prior to the actors strike, “Well, look at the odds. I think we’ve hardly begun to nudge the edge of our own galaxy, which is part of a universe that I’m told is ever expanding.”

“What’s on the other side of it? Nothing,” he adds. “But there’s no such thing as nothing.”

At the same time, Kingsley remains skeptical, offering, “If there is other life, why hasn’t it visited us?”

“Or maybe it has and thought nah,” he says with a laugh.

“But of course, I’m very intrigued by it. And on a clear night, you look up at the stars and you see the rim of the Milky Way, the rim of one galaxy of many, many galaxies,” he continues. “Maybe we will survive long enough to know more. I hope so.”

The alien in the film is played by actress Jade Quon, and though she doesn’t speak, Kingsley says he was very impressed with her performance.

“She wore, for hours…very large contact lenses so that one could never actually see her eyes,” he explains. “So she expressed with her eyes through contact lenses as well.”

Jules is one of 10 new and upcoming projects for Kingsley, who turns 80 later this year, and he has no plans to slow down.

“My function on this earth is probably a tribal storyteller. So as long as there’s a tribe, I’ll be a storyteller,” he shares. “…So I do have stories to tell. So I’ll carry on.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Oprah Winfrey, a part-time resident of Maui, is helping volunteering efforts for those displaced by the deadly wildfires there.

Hurricane winds spread the flames in several parts of the island quickly; the death toll now stands at 55.

The BBC spotted Winfrey at Maui’s War Memorial Stadium, which has been turned into an evacuation center. It was there she handed out supplies, and helped make up beds for the evacuees.

“It’s a little overwhelming, you know,” said the 69-year-old icon on Thursday, August 10. “But I’m really so pleased to have so many people, you know, supporting, and people are just bringing what they can and doing what they can.”

She added, “So I came earlier, just to see what people needed, and then went shopping because often you make donations of clothes or whatever, and it’s not really what people need. So I actually went to Walmart and Costco…and got pillows, shampoo, diapers, sheets, pillowcases.”

She even took photos with fans.

Authorities say the blaze in hard-hit Lahaina has been contained; they put containment on a fire in central Pulehu at 70%, and there’s still a fire raging in Upcountry Maui.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Netflix has released the first images from its series adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe‘s Fall of the House of Usher, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The supernatural limited series follows Roderick — the ruthless CEO of a pharmaceutical company, played by Bruce Greenwood — who is forced to confront his shady past when each of his children begin to die in brutal and mysterious ways. One image features members of the Usher family — played by Sauriyan Sapkota, Rahul Kohli and Samantha Sloyan — seated at a dinner table, as Mark Hamill‘s Arthur Pym, hovers over them in the background. Fall of the House of Usher debuts October 12 on Netflix…

The Writers Guild of America will resume negotiations with the studios on Friday, August 10, the guild told members in an email. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is set to deliver a response to the guild’s proposals. “[AMPTP president] Carol Lombardini has asked the WGA Negotiating Committee to meet with AMPTP negotiators on Friday,” the union said in an email. “We expect the AMPTP to provide responses to WGA proposals. Our committee returns to the bargaining table ready to make a fair deal, knowing the unified WGA membership stands behind us and buoyed by the ongoing support of our union allies.” The two sides last met August 4, but were unable to reach an agreement to resume bargaining…

Control, Kevin Spacey’s first film following his acquittal for sexual assault in the U.K., is slated for a Christmas release, according to Variety. The thriller, stars Spacey as the voice of “a mysterious figure hellbent on revenge who remotely hijacks a British government official’s car,” per the outlet…

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