
Lena Dunham calls for more diversity 'behind the camera'
The 39-year-old star previously enjoyed huge success with Girls, her hit HBO series - but the show was widely criticised for its lack of diversity and Lena now sympathises with that point of view.
Speaking to The Independent, she shared: "I think one of the profound issues around Girls, was that there was so little real estate for women in television that if you had a show called Girls, which is such a monolithic name, it sounds like it's describing all the girls in all the places. And so if it's not reflecting a multitude of experiences, I understand how that would be really disappointing to people."
Lena now believes that there ought to be more diversity in front of, and behind, the camera.
She explained: "The thing I have really come to believe is that one of the most important things is not just diversity in front of the camera, but it's diversity behind the camera.
"As a producer, one of my goals is to bring a lot of different voices into a position where they can tell their story."
Lena's new show, Too Much, follows a girl who moves from the US to London following a break-up.
The writer previously revealed that she wants the Netflix show to spread a message of "love and hope".
Lena - who has made a conscious decision to step back from acting in recent years - told Variety: "We're going for the girlies who pulled a geographic after a break-up. We've been shooting for three weeks and it's been an amazing experience."
Lena ultimately hopes that fans find Too Much to be a "loving and joyful" show.
She said: "I just love a woman in crisis getting what she deserves in the good way. And so that's what we're going for with that show.
"Also, speaking of this time in the world, trying to make something that's loving and joyful and still hopefully sharp and incisive and all the naughty scenes that people are used to from me, but with a kind of underlying, underpinned message of love and hope."

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News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's move to save cash amid luxe lifestyle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly laid off a number of employees in an effort to save cash amid their luxury lifestyle. According to Page Six, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have cut ties with their PR team. The move comes after several other employees left, including their two in-house reps. The outlet reported up to 25 staff members have either exited or been cut since the royal couple relocated to the US in 2020, with some departures not yet publicised. The Sussexes' Netflix deal – reported to be worth up to $US100 million ($A152 million), though sources say it's actually closer to $US20 million ($A30 million) – is also set to expire this year. 'It's the same old story – they cycle through staff as quickly as normal people cycle through toilet paper. Milk lasts longer than their employees,' a royal source told Page Six. It is not known whether Harry and Meghan are experiencing financial problems, despite their hit docu-series, 'Harry & Meghan,' and Meghan's Netflix show, 'With Love, Meghan'. But the couple has less success with documentaries 'Heart of Invictus' and 'Polo'. The streaming giant is reportedly now prioritising 'first look' deals rather than overall exclusive contracts, which means they could re-sign for significantly less money than their current deal. This could prove a headache for the pair, who have a heap of expenses – from travelling to an annual security bill believed to be around $US2 million ($A3 million). According to Page Six, the Sussexes splashed out $US14.65 million ($A20.9 million) on their home after moving to the US – it's now believed to be worth around $US27 million ($A41 million). Deeds showed they took out a $US9.5 million ($A14.5 million) mortgage to be paid back, plus interest, by the year 2050, indicating they put down a $US5 million ($A7 million) deposit. They also have to pay a huge yearly property tax of $US288,000 ($A439,000). They also foot the bill for their staff in communications alongside their personal office, the Archewell Foundation, production, as well as employees at their estate in Montecito, Calfornia. The Sussexes also pay for a portion of their 'faux foreign tours', which have seen them visit Nigeria and Colombia. Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, have now lost hardworking Kyle Boulia, their Los Angeles-based deputy press secretary, and Charlie Gipson, who had been serving as the couple's European communications director. They also lost Deesha Tank, Archewell's director of communications and Lianne Cashin, formerly head of operations at Archewell. Markle's social manager and a personal assistant, who have not been named, have also departed. Meredith Maines remains the couple's chief communications officer after coming on board in February after their last PR boss, Ashley Hansen, left to start her own consultancy firm. The only other in-house rep is Emily Robinson who, ironically, worked on Netflix royal drama 'The Crown'. Maines has also hired a team from Method Communications to help. 'As the Duke and Duchess's business and philanthropic interests grow, I have made the strategic decision to move toward a more traditional communications structure of specialist agency support,' Ms Maines said in a statement. 'Transitioning from a team of two to an agency support staff of eight, operating across five different time zones, will give international media and stakeholders better access, and critically, faster response times to inquiries,' she added. 'In a financial sense, it's cheaper to employ a PR firm, as opposed having to full-time staff,' an industry expert said. There have, of course, been a myriad of reports that Harry, and Meghan are not exactly the easiest to work with. Insiders told us the couple was infuriated and upset by an unflattering Vanity Fair cover story in January, which claimed Meghan could be cold and withholding to staffers at the drop of a dime if 'something went poorly'. It was 'really, really, really awful. Very painful,' an unnamed staff member who worked with Markle on media projects alleged, as another said she would throw employees 'to the wolves'. 'It was unfair, what could their staff truly do about it?' said a source in the know of the VF story, 'the sources were anonymous and things could not be refuted'. The Sussexes were also unhappy with a Hollywood Reporter exposé last September which claimed 'everyone's terrified of Meghan,' regarding her staff. A source added, 'She belittles people, she doesn't take advice. They're both poor decision-makers, they change their minds frequently. 'Harry is a very, very charming person — no airs at all — but he's very much an enabler. And she's just terrible.' Multiple sources told Page Six Harry was furious at the story and desperate to protect his wife, pushing his staff to work on a US Weekly cover story quoting former staffers saying they had loved working for the pair. Alongside this, Harry and Meghan's former communications secretary Jason Knauf famously filed an official complaint in 2018, accusing the mom-of-two of bullying her staff at Buckingham Palace. In emails leaked to the Times of London, he claimed the former 'Suits' star drove two personal assistants out and undermined the confidence of a third staff member. A Sussex rep hit back, saying, 'Let's just call this what it is — a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation', while Markle's lawyer, Jenny Afia, later told the BBC: 'What bullying actually means is improperly using power, repeatedly and deliberately to hurt someone physically or emotionally. 'The Duchess of Sussex has absolutely denied doing that. That said, she wouldn't want to negate anyone's personal experiences.' The results of the palace's probe have never been made public, but Knauf, who is now the CEO of the Earthshot Prize, launched by Harry's brother Prince William, recently told '60 Minutes Australia,' he 'wouldn't change a thing' about raising his concerns. Meghan debuted her rosé wine on Tuesday, on what would have been Princess Diana's 64th birthday, a move which did not go unnoticed by fans and royal experts. 'A source close to the royal household told me, it's not lost on Prince William that Meghan has launched an alcohol brand on his mother's birthday, the very mum he lost in a drink-driving tragedy,' royal reporter Kinsey Schofield told The Sun. Harry, meanwhile, is concentrating on his philanthropic endeavours – and trying to mend fences with his estranged family, including his cancer-stricken father, King Charles. In May, he spoke out yet again about his family rift after losing his fight for government-funded security for his family in the UK. 'I would love reconciliation with my family,' Harry told the BBC, 'There's no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has.' The Telegraph reported there are some moves within the palace to bring Harry and Charles together, claiming that Harry, Markle and their two children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, are being included within Charles' funeral plans. Regardless of what happens with their Netflix deal, a TV producer told us, 'I can see Meghan's show coming back for a third season, easily. People just love to hate her.'


Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Perth Now
Lily Gladstone cast in The Thomas Crown Affair
Lily Gladstone is set to star alongside Sir Kenneth Branagh in Amazon MGM's re-imagining of The Thomas Crown Affair. The 38-year-old actress and the 64-year-old actor are joining forces with Michael B. Jordan, who is starring in, directing and producing the project through his Outlier Society banner. However, details about Lily and Kenneth's characters are being kept under wraps for the time being. By contrast, it is known that Taylor Russell - who previously starred in the Netflix series Lost in Space - is set to portray a suave private detective in the film. The original Thomas Crown movie - which starred Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway - followed a woman who was hired to investigate the culprits of a multi-million dollar bank heist. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo starred in a remake of the film in 1999. The upcoming movie is taking place in Europe, and the art of thieving remains a central theme of the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Drew Pearce has written the script, while Patrick McCormick and Marc Toberoff will serve as producers. Alan Trustman, who wrote of the original film, has been hired as an executive producer on the upcoming movie. The romantic thriller is scheduled for release in March 2027. Meanwhile, Lily previously became the first Native American to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon. And the film star has admitted that she takes her responsibilities as a "role model" very seriously. Speaking to The Talks, Lily explained: "Given the community that I come from and the structure of what's expected of you at every stage of your life, you are constantly a role model for the generation to step right behind you. "I've always operated in this space of: 'There's somebody watching what I'm doing.' You conduct yourself a certain way when you know your younger cousins are watching what you're doing! "So any pressure does feel immense when we're talking about a film like Killers of the Flower Moon. But that's the gift of being part of a greater community, not just my family, not just my tribal nations, but all of it, everyone. We love seeing our own succeed." Lily is always conscious that she's representing an entire community, rather than just herself. The movie star said: "It doesn't feel like it's all for me, or all about me. It's about all the kids that I've gotten to do some theatre coaching with. This also felt like it was something I was sharing with them, you know?"

Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
'Poop cruise' Netflix documentary exposes 2013 nightmare aboard Carnival Triumph, featuring chaos, gross conditions
A newly released documentary on Netflix has continued to draw attention from viewers about how a vacation turned into a nightmare. The film covers the Carnival Triumph ship — which departed from Galveston, Texas, and set sail to Cozumel, Mexico for a four-night stay in Feb. 2013. The documentary, "Trainwreck: Poop Cruise," explores the incident in which an engine fire left 4,000 passengers stranded at sea without power and dubbed the incident the "poop cruise," according to Netflix's website. Passengers were stranded for about five days until finally making it to Mobile, Alabama. A Carnival spokesperson told Fox News Digital the incident from over 12 years ago was a teachable moment for the entire cruise industry. "A thorough investigation following the incident revealed a design vulnerability," the statement said, "which was corrected and led Carnival Cruise Line to invest more than $500 million across our entire fleet in comprehensive fire prevention and suppression, improved redundancy and enhanced management systems, all in support of our commitment to robust safety standards." The company's statement continued, "We are proud of the fact that since 2013 over 53 million guests have enjoyed safe and memorable vacations with us, and we will continue to operate to these high standards." The documentary features interviews with passengers, who shared their accounts of defecating in biohazard bags, seeing fights break out, having no power and revealing the chaos that unfolded aboard. Stewart Chiron, a Miami-based cruise industry expert known as "The Cruise Guy," told Fox News Digital the Carnival Triumph disaster was an unfortunate situation. Chiron said the incident "highlighted the significant safety measures available at that moment in time and lessons learned, as it has never happened again." "The ship did exactly what it was supposed to do and preserved lives," he added. "While the passengers and crew were uncomfortable, they were safe. Food and supplies were replenished by other ships sailing in the area as it was towed to Mobile, Alabama." Viewers have taken to social media to share comments about the outrageous incident. "Not me, watching the Netflix documentary about the 2013 carnival cruise that turned into a poop cruise," said one woman on X. Another X user posted, "OK, listen, hear me out. Other than the crew, who all seemed GREAT, these people seemed unbearable and really dramatic." Said another person, "My favorite part of the 'Trainwreck: Poop Cruise' situation was the part when all the toilets stopped working and they had no power, so they thought, 'We should open the bars and give everyone free booze.'" One X user wrote, "'Trainwreck: Poop Cruise' on Netflix is a perfect documentary to show how Americans would not be surviving a war on their soil for a single week." The same user called out "the audacity, incapability to handle inconvenience and the absolute lack of community and empathy for others in a crisis." An X user posted, "Oh, the entitled cruise passengers are the worst!" "So, you've never been camping, done a missions trip, been hospitalized for any period of time, walked your dog, gone to a music festival? Just poop in the bag! You made the sewage problem so much worse," the same user added. Originally published as 'Poop cruise' Netflix documentary exposes 2013 nightmare aboard Carnival Triumph, featuring chaos, gross conditions