Prince William was the Photoshopped man-child cover of the Sunday Times Magazine this weekend and whew, this thing was a whole mess. The entire Windsor klan’s PR has been obvious, amateurish clownery in the lead up to and wake of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Oprah interview, but William in particular has been particularly pathetic. The more obvious he becomes, the more I’m convinced that William was the one to comment on what color Harry and Meghan’s children would be and THAT is why the brothers began to fall out. The Sunday Times Magazine does nothing to dispel this – while “The Other Brother” (lol) mentions Harry directly several times, there is no actual contradiction to what Harry and Meghan said in their interview. It largely reads as just pure propaganda, and poorly done propaganda at that. There’s so much in this piece, I’m splitting it up into two posts. Here’s the stuff about Harry and Meghan:

How is Poor Baldy in the wake of the interview? In the immediate aftermath of the interview William was “reeling”, a source close to the duke says. “His head is all over the place on it.” A close friend of both brothers says Harry’s “trapped” comment was “way off the mark”, insisting that William does not see it that way. “He has a path set for him and he’s completely accepting of his role. He is very much his grandmother’s grandson in that respect of duty and service.”

William was part of the post-interview meetings: In the hours and days after the Oprah broadcast, William was at the heart of all discussions with the Queen and the Prince of Wales about how to respond to the Sussexes. He was keen that the issue of race should be acknowledged in the Queen’s statement as an area of particular concern that “will be addressed”

Small-c conservative: William has always railed against being a “ribbon-cutter royal” and the issues he champions — mental health, battling racism in football, homelessness and his ramped-up eco-warrior role — are a window into where the future King William V will take the House of Windsor. A friend says: “He’s a small-c conservative. He values tradition and the need to go around the country, but he realises he can make a difference beyond traditional royal duties.”

The 2017 incident where he missed Commonwealth Day to go skiing: It was the first public nosedive for William, who was still working as an air ambulance pilot. “That pissed him off,” a friend says. “He was leaving home at 5.30am, getting home after dark and saving lives in between, but people were still being critical of his commitment to his [other] job.”

Weird timing for when the Cambridges began full-time work: A former royal aide says: “Immediately after their wedding he had a very clear idea of the pace at which he wanted to take things.” William was adamant he wouldn’t curtail his day jobs, first as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot in Anglesey and then with the air ambulance. “If you’re not careful, duty can weigh you down an awful lot at an early age,” he said, insisting he didn’t “lie awake waiting or hoping” to be king. He delayed full-time royal duties until the autumn of 2017, when, acknowledging the Cambridges’ future required more time at “monarchy HQ”, they moved from Norfolk to London and George started school.

Harry was not keen on ‘family hierarchy’: As the brothers clashed more over the substance and style of their work, and the family hierarchy that William is a stickler for but Harry is less keen on, a split was inevitable.

The long walk: The pair went for a long walk to clear the air after the “Sandringham summit” when the Megxit deal was hammered out, but did not part shores as friends. What upset William the most was Harry and Meghan’s surprise launch of their “Sussex Royal” website before the summit, which featured their blueprint wish list of a part-time, commercial royal future…Both “the content and that it’s still online is staggering”, a senior royal source says. “That was it for William, he felt they’d blindsided the Queen in such an insulting and disrespectful way,” says a source close to him, who reveals it was still at the forefront of William’s mind at the Commonwealth Day service one year ago. It was the Sussexes’ final engagement as working royals, and the froideur between them and the rest of the family was unmistakable.

Baldy misses Harry: It is a year since the Sussexes left for California and William misses Harry. “Once he got over the anger of how things happened, he was left with the absence of his brother,” an aide says. “They shared everything about their lives, an office, a foundation, meetings together most days and there was a lot of fun along the way. He’ll miss it for ever.” A close friend says William “definitely feels the pressure now it’s all on him — his future looks different because of his brother’s choices, it’s not easy.” Another friend says: “It’s still raw. He’s very upset by what’s happened, though absolutely intent that he and Harry’s relationship will heal in time.

William got closer to Charles: While a chasm has opened up between the brothers, William has grown closer to the Queen and Prince Charles. He has helped them to navigate their way through Megxit, Prince Andrew’s removal from public life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and, now, the Oprah controversy. “That has changed the way the Queen sees him and values his input,” a courtier says. William also feels his relationship with his grandmother has “massively improved” in recent years and their views are “more aligned than ever… Part of William’s evolution is that as he has become closer to his father, he sees their similarities. At William’s wedding there was a gag in one of the speeches that he was more like his father than he’d ever admit, which made a lot of us laugh. As their respective destinies get closer, it weighs more heavily on them and strengthens the bond. The rift with Harry has also brought them closer.

William’s commitment to diversity: William “thinks the public look to him to keep royal work looking modern”, a confidante says. “The Queen and Prince of Wales are providing continuity and stability. He’s carving out his own relationship with diverse communities. He sees it all as a way of doing things now that will help a smooth transition when the time comes.

[From The Sunday Times Magazine]

Throughout the piece, William continuously takes credit for everything under the sun, and the talk of William’s inclusion in all of the palace meetings about Harry & Meghan are some of the most notable examples. William wants credit for saying that the racism issues will be “addressed.” He also wants credit for saying his family isn’t racist, that he single-handedly fixed racism at the BAFTAs, that he’s William the bold small-c conservative who is also a brave pilot and he’s quite mad at Harry so he’s trying to copy everything Harry does. By the way, William is actually a capital-C Conservative. Everyone who works for him is a Tory. And the part about William needing to go skiing on Commonwealth Day because his fake-ass job was so hard? Please. William barely showed up for that job.

“His future looks different because of his brother’s choices, it’s not easy…” Why? Was William planning on blaming Harry for everything bad forever? And of course William is trapped – but Harry was wrong about one thing. William is trapped in a prison almost entirely of his own making. William is too stupid to realize it though. Which is why we’re getting these horrid propaganda pieces. At least the palace propaganda made the effort to make it sound like William isn’t incandescent with rage 24-7.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

I’m sorry for not seeing this Variety cover profile of Anthony Mackie when it came out earlier this month. My friend Zakia sent me this Twitter thread, using quotes from this interview, where people are pointing out that Mackie is an incredibly underrated and under appreciated actor. He’s joking around in the quote that’s in the title to this post, but there’s so much truth in it. Despite his talent and presence, Mackie gets overlooked and overshadowed in his industry in favor of white men. As a fan of Mackie for years (see this post, one of my favorites, and I’ve been crushing on him for over a decade), I have my fingers crossed that he’s about to blow up with Falcon and The Winter Soldier. I hope that Mackie gets more attention than his costar, Sebastian Stan. He knows that’s not typically the case though. Here’s more from his Variety profile.

On if he’s going to be Captain America
“I was really surprised and affected by the idea of possibly getting the shield and becoming Captain America. I’ve been in this business a long time, and I did it the way they said you’re supposed to do it. I didn’t go to L.A. and say, ‘Make me famous.’ I went to theater school, did Off Broadway, did indie movies and worked my way through the ranks. It took a long time for this shit to manifest itself the way it has, and I’m extremely happy about that.”

He lost his mom when he was 15
“It was unexpected and very untimely. I was 15 when she was diagnosed with cancer, and a few months later, she was gone. She passed the day before my ninth-grade graduation. If my mom wouldn’t have passed away when I was so young, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“Everything I did, I did for my mama. The idea of leaving home at 17 to go away to school would have never been an option if she was still around. She was my best friend. Losing her gave me a kind of strength, and a desire to succeed.”

On his career
“There were certain pegs. My first was ‘8 Mile.’ It was a monumental step at the beginning of my career.

“After that it was ‘Half Nelson.’ It blew up Ryan Gosling, so I was there to ride the wave. Then ‘The Hurt Locker,’ and it blew up Jeremy Renner. It was the joke for a long time — if you’re a white dude and you want to get nominated for an Oscar, play opposite me. I bring the business for white dudes.”

He thought that The Hurt Locker would bring more change in his career
“I thought I would be able to move forward in my career and not have to jostle and position myself for work. To get into rooms with certain people. I thought my work would speak for itself. I didn’t feel a huge shift,” he says, “but I 100% think that ‘The Hurt Locker’ is the reason I got ‘Captain America.’”

He wants to do a romcom
“My team gets mad at me for saying this, but I would love to do a cheesy old-school ‘When Harry Met Sally’-type of project. One of those movies where I’m working outside and have to take my shirt off because it’s too hot. I want a romantic comedy. I want to do every movie written for Matthew McConaughey that he passed on.”

[From Variety]

Mackie is a Juilliard trained actor who has put in the work to learn his craft and it shows. This is a guy who kept restoring houses in New Orleans, doing a lot of the work himself, despite starring in huge films and turning down a lot of money because the roles didn’t feel right. He He’s not sitting around waiting for roles, not that there’s anything wrong with that, despite his very high profile. I’ve always found Mackie compelling on screen and in interviews. I know he rubs some people the wrong way and that’s fine, I get that. I just hope that his industry and the fans give him the chance he truly deserves. Oh and I watched Falcon and the Winter Soldier and loved it! He’s about to blow up, fingers crossed. I just wish it happened sooner for him.

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photos credit: Avalon.red and Netflix press

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Before Meghan Markle entered the royal family, she was known for her work ethic, philanthropy and her all around loyalty and kindheartedness. Since entering the royal family, there have been accusations about how difficult it has supposedly been to work with Meghan. The royal family even had the nerve to launch a bullying investigation into Meghan several days before her tell all interview with Oprah. The royal family has continued its terrible smear campaign against Meghan, but many of Meghan’s ex-coworkers and friends are now able to speak out on her behalf. Janina Gavankar and Patrick J. Adams are among the people who have spoken up for Meghan. Another one of Meghan’s Suits costars is opening up about working with her. DB Woodside played Jeff Malone, Jessica Pearson’s (Gina Torres’) boyfriend. He was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight to promote his role on Lucifer.

“I’m going to say this because this is one of those things that’s really, really made me angry. Meghan is one of the sweetest, nicest, most intelligent, thoughtful human beings that I have ever met in my life,” Woodside expressed. “Meghan went out of her way to always see how I was doing, to just talk to me when we didn’t have any scenes together, but we might just be on set at the same time. She is an amazing human being. And it bothers me so much what’s happening to her because I know that what they’re saying is untrue.”

“It’s very, very upsetting. And just to be direct, it’s bullsh*t,” he candidly stated. “It seems to me there are people who are setting her up to be the fall person. There’s people who are setting her up to blame her for something. And listen, every single one of us as human beings, we’ve had bad days. Maybe we’ve sent not the best email. Who cares about that? Give me a break. Every single one of us has left a message that we might think, ‘Oh, I was crabby that day.’ Every single one of us.”

“It just seems to me, these people are really reaching for any little thing that they can reach for. And all I have to say is that she’s one of the most incredible human beings that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” Woodside stated. “She’s incredibly smart and generous and kind and lovely and thoughtful. I mean, I can go on and on and on. So I wish her nothing but the best. And I just hope people over in Britain, excuse my French, leave her the f**k alone.”

Woodside, on his end, believes Markle will pull through and overcome any obstacle and rumor that comes her way.

“Listen, the thing about her is she’s strong and she’s resilient. And if they think that this kind of stuff is going to knock her off her game for very long, they picked the wrong woman to mess with.” he shared. “She is the wrong woman to mess with. They need to back up, back off, apologize because she’s not the one.”

[From ET Online]

DB Woodside only said what we already know about Meghan. Those of us who followed Meghan’s career and philanthropy knew who she was. We never believed the smears from the British media and royal household. But that Oprah interview was illuminating for people who weren’t aware of what was going on the last few years. It also hurt to learn the extent to which Meghan’s friends were kept silent. I happy that her co-workers and friends have taken the gloves off and I am loving the drama of it all. Meghan’s friends are putting the palace and media on notice by letting them know that Meghan ain’t the one to f*ck with. I do believe the royal family underestimated Meghan and her supporters. They thought that they’d be able to smear her in peace and run her off. It is evident that Meghan has been playing chess while everyone else has been playing Parcheesi. I hope to continue to see more people who have worked with Meghan push back on the narrative that has gone unchecked. Meghan deserves all the support she is now receiving. As for me, I am enjoying watching the royal family set themselves on fire. Good luck to them and their diversity czar.

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About fourteen months ago, Prince Harry met with his father, brother and grandmother at Sandringham for the “summit” which would figure out Harry and Meghan’s future roles in the Firm. The Sussexes offered a half-in/half-out approach which would see them live outside of the UK for part of the year, earn a living and pursue commercial ventures, all while fulfilling their royal work and keeping one foot in the UK. That was flatly rejected very early in the Sandringham Summit. The Queen apparently told Harry that he was either in or out and Harry chose out. During that same summit, I’ve always believed that William pursued his own ultimatum with his father and grandmother: back me and let’s push out Harry. There was so much talk of Charles being so saddened to see Harry go, but honestly, William had largely orchestrated the entire f–king mess, and William was the one forcing his father and grandmother to “choose.” I bring this up because there are a couple of shady stories about Charles now and I just… wonder what William’s up to.

Prince Charles “took the lead” over the Royal Family’s response to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview, an expert says. The Firm were said to be locked in crisis talks after the couple made a string of sensational claims in the tell-all chat with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan, 39, accused an unnamed royal of raising “concerns” about Archie’s “skin colour” before he was born. The Queen then released a statement almost two days after the chat saying the claims would be taken “very seriously”.

But royal expert Robert Jobson says Charles may have led discussions on how best to respond to the allegations. Writing for Hello! magazine, he said: “I think the Prince of Wales has also taken the lead on how the Palace has responded. The Queen is 94 and the Duke of Edinburgh is incapacitated, so he will be trying to placate and learn lessons from this so something can be worked out to everyone’s satisfaction. The royal family like to do things as a team, and if the team is being trashed they like to react as a unit and a family.”

[From The Sun]

It’s possible Charles has taken the lead on this and that’s why everything went sideways from the jump. I think it’s far more likely that Charles believes he’s taking the lead on this but the Queen and her courtiers have another agenda, and then the amateur hour clown show over at Kensington Palace keeps creating problems too. Speaking of, People Magazine has a story about how Charles’ relationships with his sons have always been more strained than other father-son relationships. Ya think?

Prince Charles doesn’t have a “straightforward father-son relationship” with Prince William and Prince Harry. Prince Harry revealed in his interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month that his father had stopped taking his calls at one point amid his and Meghan Markle’s royal exit. While Charles and Harry spoke over the phone last weekend, sources say the relationship between Prince Charles and his sons has been complex for years.

“There has always been this complicated relationship with their dad,” a palace source tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. In addition to Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s painful divorce and consequent marriage to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who he had an affair with during his relationship with Diana, Prince Charles controls the money.

“It’s not a straightforward father-son relationship,” the palace source adds. “He is their father and their boss, and they are beholden to him to fund their offices and lives.”

A close insider says, “Tension between Charles and the boys has always surrounded money, because Charles is the one who holds all the power.”

Through his lucrative Duchy of Cornwall estate, which generates an income of nearly $30 million a year, Charles funds his own official office along with William and Kate Middleton’s. He previously funded Harry and Meghan Markle’s office as well.

[From People]

“Charles is the one who holds all the power…” Who said that?? I doubt even Charles would say that! Charles has more power than people realize and Charles wields the power of the purse over his two sons more than we realize, but make no mistake… William has a lot of power over his father and grandmother. William is the wild card, the rage monster, the holy terror who terrifies his grandmother and father. While Charles finances William and Kate’s keen adventures right now, when the Queen passes, William will take over the Duchy of Cornwall and then he’ll have so much money and power too. William gets whatever he wants from his father right now anyway. Charles literally cut off his youngest son to make William happy. Ugh.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and WENN.

Prince Harry has written the foreword to a children’s book called Hospital by the Hill by Chris Connaughton. The book is for kids who have lost a parent during the pandemic, and it’s the story of a “young person coming to terms with the loss of their mother who was a frontline worker at a hospital.” The book will be released for Britain’s National Day of Reflection, which is March 23rd and it will be “free of charge to any child or young person in the country who has been affected by the loss of loved ones to COVID-19.” I mean…best to just make it free of charge to every kid so you don’t get children sobbing in bookstores and having to tell a book store employee that they lost a parent to Covid? You can read more about the project of creating the book here. And here’s Harry’s foreword:

If you are reading this book, it’s because you’ve lost your parent or a loved one, and while I wish I was able to hug you right now, I hope this story is able to provide you comfort in knowing that you’re not alone.

When I was a young boy I lost my mum. At the time I didn’t want to believe it or accept it, and it left a huge hole inside of me. I know how you feel, and I want to assure you that over time that hole will be filled with so much love and support. We all cope with loss in a different way, but when a parent goes to heaven, I was told their spirit, their love.

Now, I never met them, but I know this person was special to you, and they were someone incredibly kind, caring and loving because of where they chose to work. Helping others is one of the most important jobs anyone can ever do.

You may feel alone, you may feel sad, you may feel angry, you may feel bad. This feeling will pass. And I will make a promise to you – you will feel better and stronger once you are ready to talk about how it makes you feel.

I hope this book helps remind you of just how special your parent or loved one was. And how special you are too.

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

There were some tweets going around recently, with some personal stories from people in or around some of the mental health, bereavement and grief charities which are associated with Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The stories were basically like: Harry is the only one who actually gave a sh-t whenever he visited. He was the one connecting with people and emotionally present. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, because that’s how Diana was too. There was a rawness to her emotional availability and vulnerability. That’s why she had such a high level of emotional intelligence, just like Harry. Anyway, what a nice project for Harry to be involved with.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

A lot of people in the US and UK have late June/early July marked on their calendars as the start of “getting back to normal” in some kind of post-pandemic world. Will the pandemic actually be OVER at that point? No. But that’s when we’ll have a tipping-point amount of vaccinated people and that’s when many restrictions may begin to be lifted. Still, it’s best not to get too far ahead of ourselves, which is why Queen Elizabeth’s annual birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, has already been cancelled in its traditional form. Last year, the Queen still wanted a mini-parade, so she ordered one to happen at Windsor Castle, just for herself, as she sat there maskless. It’s possible the same thing could happen this year:

Queen Elizabeth’s traditional parade, Trooping the Colour, has been canceled for the second year in a row due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Plans are being explored for a scaled-down celebration likely to take place in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, like last year, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.

In a statement, the palace said, “Following consultation with Government and other relevant parties it has been agreed that The Queen’s Official Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, will not go ahead this year in its traditional form in central London. Options for an alternative Parade, in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, are being considered.”

The statement added that the annual Garter service that usually takes place at St. George’s Chapel on the Monday after Trooping the Colour, will also not be taking place.

Although vaccinations are continuing successfully and rates of COVID-19 illnesses are falling steadily in the U.K., restrictions around large public gatherings are not likely to be eased for months. Trooping the Colour usually brings thousands of people onto the streets of central London to view the procession of horseback-riding royals and carriages.

[From People]

I mean… maybe they should just do away with Trooping all together? I guess the reason to do it is to encourage tourism? Do tons of tourists come specifically for Trooping? Or is it more like British people coming into London for their own “theme park” experience? As for cancelling it this year ahead of time… I think that’s actually pretty smart, and it shows that they actually learned to take better precautions FINALLY.

Meanwhile, did you know that the Queen wants it to be known that she isn’t actually full of hate for Prince Harry and Meghan?

Queen Elizabeth II is reportedly “sad” not “angry” by Prince Harry’s bombshell TV interview with Oprah Winfrey — but has privately pledged to stand by her grandson. Harry and Meghan Markle made a series of stunning allegations during their sit-down with Oprah, including that an unspecified member of the royal family had raised “concerns” over how dark their unborn son Archie’s skin would be. The 94-year-old monarch ordered a private family investigation into the claims as she took personal control of healing the bitter divide that was laid bare in the tell-all, according to The Sun.

“She is not angry, she is just sad,” an insider told the news outlet about the Queen, who is privately said not to be livid with the Sussexes, whom she has described as “much loved family members.”

“They have always worried about him (Harry) and the Queen feels very protective about him,” the source told The Sun. “They always tried to support him when Meghan came along. They all worried less about him when Meghan was on the scene as he seemed so happy.”

[From Page Six]

I think it’s possible that the Queen is genuinely sad about the turn of events, although that doesn’t explain why she refused to allow Harry’s wreath to be laid at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day last year, but whatever. I also think it’s interesting that there were such high hopes that Harry would fly back to the UK in June for Trooping the Colour and his grandfather’s birthday (not to mention the stupid Diana-statue unveiling) but sh-t keeps getting cancelled. Oh well.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

We recently learned that Skeet Ulrich and Lucy Hale are dating. It’s notable for a few reasons, mostly about their age difference and life/romance experience. I never realized before now that Ulrich, who is 51 years old, is sort of a serial monogamist who has spent the past thirty years cycling out of major relationships, including one eight-year marriage, one three-year marriage and one broken engagement. Dude likes to propose. Meanwhile, Lucy is 31 years old and she has never been married, but she’s dated around and been in some Hollywood relationships. As for the age difference, apparently Lucy and Skeet don’t think it’s an issue.

Age is just a number! Lucy Hale and Skeet Ulrich have “both fallen pretty hard for each other,” a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly.

“Lucy and Skeet have been dating for a little over a month now,” the insider says. “While it’s very new, they spend a lot of time together.” The Pretty Little Liars alum, 31, and the Jericho alum, 51, “try to see each other as much as possible,” the source explains, adding, “it’s clear they’re very into each other.”

The new couple met thanks to their “mutual friends through the Archie universe,” the insider notes. Ulrich starred on Riverdale for five seasons while Hale was the lead on spinoff Katy Keene, which ran for one season on The CW.

The Life Sentence alum and the Craft actor may have friends in common, but their age difference — Hale is 20 years younger than Ulrich —has still raised a few eyebrows among some fans. The source tells Us, however, that although the duo does “have a huge age gap, it doesn’t bother them.” They’ve instead connected over their similar interests. “They are both kind and have a funny, but dark sense of humor,” the insider adds.

The Truth or Dare actress was first linked to Ulrich last month when the duo were spotted kissing on February 21 while out in Los Angeles. They were seen holding hands across the table before Hale kissed her man’s hand.

Ulrich shares 19-year-old twins, Jakob and Naiia, with ex-wife Georgina Cates, whom he split from in 2005 after eight years of marriage. He was then married to Amelia Jackson-Gray from 2012 to 2015 and engaged to Rose Costa from 2016 to 2017. Hale, for her part, was most recently linked to Colton Underwood in July 2020, after his split from Cassie Randolph. She’s also dated actors David Henrie, Chris Zylka and Ryan Rottman.

[From Us Weekly]

Honestly, when I was 31 years old, a man twenty years older than me wasn’t a dealbreaker either. There are some nice-looking and lovely dudes in their 50s! Would I have married one of them? Eh. Probably not, but different strokes for different folks (and no one says Lucy and Skeet will get married either). I would totally feel differently about this is she was 20 and he was 40 though – I think the fact that Lucy is in her 30s, she’s worked in the industry for a while and she’s not some naif (romantically or professionally) is what makes this story not all that scandalous. She knows what she’s doing, he’s not taking advantage of her, etc. All that being said, I do hate the “age is just a number” thing.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

George Clooney is one of W Magazine’s March covers, all for their annual Best Performances issue. George had a new movie out recently called The Midnight Sky – he starred in it and directed it. He’s been giving a ton of interviews to support it, and honestly, this might be my favorite version of George? He’s almost 60, he’s got a bad back, he survived a terrible motorcycle crash, he’s got twins and he’s putting all of his years of self-sufficiency to good use during the pandemic. He just seems pretty chill these days. You can read read the full W Magazine piece here. Some highlights:

Deciding to take the role in The Midnight Sky: “I haven’t been acting very much lately. But this was a part that, the minute I read it, I felt like I was probably the right guy to play it. When we got hit with that first blast of 70 mph, 40 degrees below zero weather [in Iceland], I questioned everything I’ve ever done in my life. There was a moment when I thought, I volunteered to do this?! But nobody said I’m smart. I loved that there was a dreamlike quality to the film. You can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. He might be losing his mind. Or he might be sane. Originally, the narrative was about regret and seeking redemption. But as the pandemic took over, the film became about our inability to be home and hug the people we love.

Watching The Ides of March for the first time in years: “When we did The Ides of March, I knew that we were going to talk about how we elect our officials. But I also knew that if we just did that, then it would be preachy. So that’s why I made him [Governor Mike Morris] the bad guy along the way… He wants to get elected, but he’s also having sex with an 18-year-old intern. It’s funny, Amal and I actually saw the movie recently. We were just flipping through the channels, and it was on. We watched the last half of it. And I tell you, the first thing that comes to your mind is, I really miss Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was such a powerhouse and so much fun to work with. I miss him.

What originally looked like a disaster but turned out to be a great thing: “Batman & Robin. It’s a terrible movie, I’m terrible in it. I get it and I always make fun of it. But the truth was, the next film I did was Out of Sight, which is a great film. Up until then, I had just been an actor getting jobs. When somebody says, “You want to play Batman?” you’re like, “Yeah, man, I’ll play Batman!” So after that, I realized I was going to be held responsible for the movies that got made, and what the film was, not just my performance. I thought, I’ve got to focus on screenplays. The next three films I did were Out of Sight, Three Kings, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? It really taught me a quick lesson in what to look for and how to look at your career.

Pandemic hobbies: “I’ll tell you what I’ve taken on as a hobby: two or three loads of laundry a day, dishes all fucking day, because these kids are all slobs. Apparently, you have to wash your children every once in a while. I cut [my son’s] hair, and I cut my own hair too, but I’ve always cut my own hair. My hair is like straw. I haven’t cut my daughter’s hair. I’d get in trouble if I did. If I screw up my son’s hair, he’ll grow out of it. But my wife would kill me if I touched my daughter’s hair.

The best piece of advice he’s ever received: “My aunt Rosemary [Clooney, the actor and jazz singer] told me, “Never mix grain and grape.” No wine and tequila. Or vodka and champagne. I was 7. We learned early in Kentucky.”

[From W Magazine]

I wish I knew “never mix grain and grape” when I was in college, that would have saved me a lot of puking and hangovers. The one lesson I did get during that time was never drink liquor after beer, but liquor before beer is fine (there’s a rhyme about it too). Add another one to the booze lessons though – no grain and grape mixing. Anyway, what else is there to say? I miss Phillip Seymour Hoffman all the time and I still can’t believe he’s gone. I also think Out of Sight is probably George’s best film? It’s the Clooney film which holds up to a ridiculous degree, and a huge chunk of it is George and Jennifer Lopez’s amazing chemistry. Sigh.

Cover courtesy of W Magazine.

Is it OK if I don’t want to be an expert in whatever the f-ck is happening with Armie Hammer because every update is worse than the one before and man, Elizabeth Chambers, I hope she had a really great support system because this is such a nightmare for her and their children. (Pajiba)   It’s not th…

Pour one out for Iker Casillas and Sara Carbonero. If you’ve been visiting this site over the last decade or so, you know they were once an obsession of mine. Their split was confirmed last week and then I got distracted by the Grammys and there have been other priorities this week so I haven’t give…