Olivia Munn claims a 'Newsroom' director tried to 'ruin' her career
The Your Friends & Neighbors actress said that she and one of the show's many directors clashed over her character, Sloan Sabbith."There was one director who came in multiple times," Munn said on Monday's episode of the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast. "And there was a storyline where my character and Tom Sadoski's character are dating and falling in love. He kept trying to force me to carry that storyline only on my side."
She described the director encouraging her to stop focusing on what her character was doing in the scene to shower Sadoski's character, Don Keefer, with attention."He's like, 'Can you look out at him and smile?' And I'm like, 'Why? She's busy doing this.' Or, 'Can you stop and snuggle up to him or flirt with him?' Or, 'Can you give him a kiss?' And I'm like, 'This is in the middle of working.'"
The Emmy-winning series aired for three seasons between 2012 and 2014. Created and written by Aaron Sorkin, it depicted a working TV news room with an ensemble cast that also included Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr., Alison Pill, Dev Patel, and Sam Waterston.
None of this sat well with Munn at the time, and then the conflict arose again later.
"I was on the one-yard-line for the movie, and my manager calls me and says, 'Hey, you're gonna get the role. But first, I guess there's another director who they know, and he says that, on The Newsroom, you were late all the time and really combative."
Munn insisted that wasn't true, and she suspected that what was being said about her was because of their differing views on her character."I lived seven minutes from there. I was never late," Munn said. "And I was like, 'I know who this is.' He just was trying to bash me. And I told my reps, 'Please tell the directors this.' And then I still got the role. But I will always remember that, just because of our conflicts of how we approached a role, he wanted to ruin my chances of getting anything else."
Munn's post-Newsroom work has included movies Office Christmas Party, Ocean's Eight, and X-Men: Apocalypse, to name a few.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vogue
8 minutes ago
- Vogue
Ty Haney Is Ready to Give Outdoor Voices Another Go
It's likely to at least catch the attention of current and former fans of the brand; Haney's challenge now is to successfully introduce the OV aesthetic — heavily associated with millennials — to Gen Z women. To do so, she's updated her go-to-market strategy. Outdoor Voices was part of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) retail gold rush of the 2010s, flush with VC cash, which she says eventually diluted her business to the point where she lost control. Gone are the days where a brand's trajectory could be supercharged thanks to Facebook and Instagram arbitrage. Haney now has a new trick up her sleeve thanks to Try Your Best (or TYB), the community rewards platform she launched in 2022 during the Web3 boom, which raised $11 million last month from investors including Offline Ventures and Strobe Ventures. The concept behind TYB is that brands can build fan channels and reward subscribers with early launches, discounts and more, while using the community to gauge new ideas, get feedback and build brand loyalty. Haney's CBD brand Joggy was one of the first to launch on TYB, while other brands on the platform include Glossier, Rare Beauty and Poppi. Outdoor Voices will go live on TYB this week with the product launch, giving those that join early access on 4 August. 'Really, TYB was a direct reaction to what worked and what didn't at OV. It came from understanding the power of community,' she says. With all Outdoor Voices stores closed, the focus is on e-commerce, though Haney says they're in talks with some select retail partners. Some collaborations that will hit on new categories are in line for spring. The Sun Shirt. Photo: Outdoor Voices The Sugar Cardigan. Photo: Outdoor Voices It's clear speaking to Haney that she's back in her element. She says TYB, Joggy and Outdoor Voices are three pieces of the brand world she's building. She has big ambitions, saying that she wants Outdoor Voices to be the next Patagonia (a brand more reflective of her current time spent between her hometown of Boulder, CO, and San Francisco). When she left in 2020, Outdoor Voices was at around $90 million in annual sales; the plan is to hit a new revenue high in the next 12 to 18 months. But she says she's not thinking about growth targets so much as she is building something that lasts, and she says the partners that she has in place this time feel like ones she can trust, ones that she had time to vet and get to know before deciding to return. She's stepping back in as a part owner of the company she started, which was a non-negotiable. 'Ownership matters a lot to me,' Haney says. 'How we fund the company, what the expectations are. That matters.' What happened with her first run at Outdoor Voices feels present. While she initially says she's 'put a bow on those eight years, and I'm very kind and grateful to them', she later addresses how difficult the period was. 'I'm an optimistic person. I think I blocked out those years.' Haney is not the only female founder of her era that left her company in a blaze of allegations of mismanagement and workplace toxicity. Is it vindicating to return? 'From a founder perspective, challenges are par for the course,' she says. 'But I don't think that era where there were so many takedowns was good for women wanting to be founders. So at the end of the day, I couldn't be more excited for this to be a model to show what's possible, and I hope that there's a wake of new interest from young women, to see what's possible in the brand and business-building world.'
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Star Trek' Star Steps Out With 25-Year-Old Fiancée After Viral Engagement Reveal
'Star Trek' Star Steps Out With 25-Year-Old Fiancée After Viral Engagement Reveal originally appeared on Parade. is continuing the engagement celebrations at San Diego Comic-Con! The 42-year-old Star Trek actor coupled up with his fiancée, model Natalie Kuckenburg, at the CBS Studios SDCC Cocktail Reception on Saturday night (July 26) — just a week after announcing their engagement. At the event, the pair posed for photos on the red carpet and later snapped a few pics with friends in a photo booth. Kuckenburg even shared a series of photos with Wesley's Star Trek: Strange New Worldsco-star Christina Chong and Ethan Peck. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Wesley and Kuckenburg shared the happy news about their engagement earlier this month while on a romantic Italian getaway. Kuckenburg later revealed that Wesley proposed at Castello di Casole, the hotel where they stayed on their very first vacation together. "Paul and me came to this hotel 3 years ago for our very first trip together and immediately fell in love with the place. A charming little town, the most beautiful views of amalfi, amazing hospitality, cute street cats… the list goes on," Kuckenburg wrote in an Instagram post. She continued, "Thank you @belmondhotelcaruso for now being part of our story together forever 💍" The couple first went public with their relationship back in 2023. Wesley and Kuckenburg haven't shared exactly how they met but they have been linked since 2022, around the time that Wesley split with ex-wife Ines de Ramon. While they have kept details of their romance relatively private, Wesley has shared that Kuckenburg is one of the funniest people in his life. 'There's two people that are the funniest people in my life — Number one, my dog, and number two, frankly, my girlfriend," Wesley shared during an interview with PEOPLE. "I think the reason we get along so well is because all we do is laugh and I think it's probably one of the most important things in a relationship." 'Star Trek' Star Steps Out With 25-Year-Old Fiancée After Viral Engagement Reveal first appeared on Parade on Jul 27, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Sopranos' Star, 73, Makes Heartbreaking Admission About His Mental Health
'Sopranos' Star, 73, Makes Heartbreaking Admission About His Mental Health originally appeared on Parade. Joe Pantoliano, best known for his Emmy-winning role as Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, has candidly shared his decade-long struggle with clinical depression — a battle that nearly wrecked his marriage and life. At 73, Pantoliano revealed he suffered from depression for over 10 years before receiving a formal diagnosis in 2007. During his darkest moments, he admitted to self-medicating through what he calls his 'seven deadly symptoms' 'Alcohol, what was available, women, you know, risky behavior, act first and then ask questions second,' he explained to Page Sixat the off-Broadway opening of Ginger Twinsies on Thursday, July 24. The Goonies star confessed that he saw himself as 'a mess for a long time.' He traces much of his mental health challenges back to a turbulent childhood with his mother, who also struggled with mental illness. 'My wife Nancy Sheppard and my kids were ready to throw me out,' Pantoliano recalled. 'The only people who were happy to see me weren't people. They were my dogs.' He credited his pets with saving his life, saying they were 'the only spark that was left in me.' He then likened himself to Tinkerbell, whose "light" was fading. Since his diagnosis, Pantoliano has taken steps to raise awareness around mental health. He wrote two books addressing his depression and, in 2009, founded the organization 'No Kidding, Me Too!,' dedicated to removing the stigma associated with mental illness. 'We've done such a great job,' he explained. "Our mission for 'No Kidding, Me Too!' was to make the discussion of mental disease cool and trendy." 'And we've succeeded,' he quipped. 'You can't get them to shut up now!' Fans know Pantoliano best as Ralph Cifaretto, the sarcastic and volatile mobster on The Sopranos, where he starred alongside James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli and Lorraine Bracco. His unforgettable performance earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. 'Sopranos' Star, 73, Makes Heartbreaking Admission About His Mental Health first appeared on Parade on Jul 28, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
