‘It was an earth-shattering reality right away': director Catherine Hardwicke on life after Twilight
Street Smart, now in post-production, is a low-budget ensemble drama, executive-produced by Gerard Butler and partnered with charities Covenant House and Safe Place for Youth, that centres on a group of unhoused teens bonding through music, trauma and humour while fending for themselves on the margins of LA society. It stars Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish), Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan) and Michael Cimino (Never Have I Ever), as well as a group of unknown actors whom Hardwicke describes as having 'big hearts and compassion for others; otherwise, they would be trying to work on a superhero film'.
Homelessness is a major issue affecting the Californian city. Just last week, US district judge David O Carter ruled that Los Angeles officials had 'flouted' their responsibility to create new shelters for unhoused people by June 2027. The humanitarian crisis in Los Angeles, exacerbated by the Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires in January, is an issue that longtime Venice Beach resident Hardwicke was keen to explore. 'We shot on my street, so it's very close to my heart,' she says. 'It's a love letter to Venice, because we have so many eccentric, strange characters of all economic levels.
'Everybody's going through so much, and [there's] such high rent in LA,' she adds. 'Even if you have a job, you still might be homeless, crashing here [and] there, because a job doesn't pay that much. The kids in our movie have jobs – how do you make ends meet?'
Hardwicke, who is in Malta as a jury member at the Mediterrane film festival, says her film addresses a bigger target: Trump's rollback ofprovisions such as reproductive healthcare access, welfare budgets, and diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 'Even though we wrote it before he got elected, Street Smart is directly addressing some of [these] issues,' she says. 'It's telling a compelling story that shows people who do not look like Donald Trump, or think like him.'
Hardwicke is no stranger to film-making hardship. Despite her early successes, which included sparking the YA movie boom with the hugely successful adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight, Hardwicke discovered a harsh truth: 'No, people aren't going to hire more women directors. They're not going to give you the next job and let you do something great. It was an earth-shattering reality right away.'
She recalls the offices of Twilight producers Summit Entertainment soon after the film's initial box-office success in 2008. She knew that successful male directors might be gifted 'a car, or a three-picture deal, or [getting] to do basically whatever you want' – but none of that happened. 'I walked into a room with all these gifts, and everybody was congratulating the studio, and they gave me a box,' Hardwicke says. 'I opened it up, and it was a mini cupcake.'
Hardwicke was replaced by Chris Weitz for the first Twilight sequel, New Moon, and male directors were hired to helm the remaining three films in the franchise. Hardwicke went on to direct 2011's Red Riding Hood, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and starring Amanda Seyfried, but 'it was much more challenging', she says. 'It had a lower budget than we had on Twilight, and it was all fantasy, so we couldn't shoot any real locations and had to build all the sets. They didn't give me much freedom.'
Still, Hardwicke has been able to exert her will when it comes to casting, and in the process has launched the careers of some of Hollywood's biggest actors, from Evan Rachel Wood and Robert Pattinson – she was at his birthday party 18 months ago – to Oscar Isaac in The Nativity Story and her 'buddy' Jeremy Renner in Lords of Dogtown, which this year marks its 20th anniversary. 'I gave him an early shot,' Hardwicke says of the Hawkeye and Avengers star. 'I thought Jeremy and Shea Whigham would be funny brothers who sell [cocaine]. I love all of my kids.'
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Hardwicke also has a cheerful memory of working with Tom Cruise. Before switching to directing, she was a production designer with credits on Richard Linklater's The Newton Boys, David O Russell's Three Kings and Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, the last of which Cruise starred in and produced. Hardwicke had been a last-minute addition, replacing the previous production designer two weeks into the shoot. She remembers late nights with the actor-producer: 'He was inspiring because he does not settle for anything less than excellence.'
Hardwicke says Cruise offered to stay late to work out a conference-room set up. 'He and I are acting out the scene, we're rearranging the furniture until one in the morning,' she says. 'I'm like, 'Dude, aren't you even tired?' He had to be back at [7 am], but he wanted to get it right. Every chance he had. He never stopped.'
Nowadays, Cruise's intense commitment is mostly seen in the Mission: Impossible franchise, but despite her fondness for Cruise's work ethic, when asked if she'd ever helm one of his spy films, Hardwicke chuckles: 'Not necessarily.'
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Times
13 minutes ago
- Times
Ashley Roberts: how life in the Pussycat Dolls almost broke me
Scattered across Ashley Roberts's body are a series of intricate, finely drawn tattoos. Dandelion seeds run up one arm, as if blown there by the breeze. But nowhere among them can I see the symbol of the Pussycat Dolls — a heart with 'PCD' inside. Being a member of the group defined Roberts's life for a decade. They came to be considered one of the world's most successful girl bands, but by the end left her in pieces. Led by frontwoman and main singer Nicole Scherzinger, the Dolls conquered the world between 2001 and 2010. They sold 40 million singles and 15 million albums. Their stage act, depending on your perspective, epitomised booty-shaking female empowerment or the oversexualisation of women through explicit dance routines and lyrics. When the group reunited for a performance on The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019, in the lead-up to an announced 36-date comeback world tour in 2020 (it never materialised due to Covid), there were complaints to Ofcom. The Dolls danced and writhed on stage as if they'd never left it, Roberts in leather hotpants with a bare bottom. 'We wanted to come back with a bang,' she says. 'We knew we represented being sassy and being 'out there' but, I mean, my little butt cheeks… Oh my gosh.' She was 37 by then, but she danced as if she were still the 19-year-old who had left Phoenix, Arizona, for Los Angeles. She had begun dancing at three, singing at eight. Her father, Pat Roberts, was in the world of rock'n'roll as a percussionist in the Mamas & the Papas. She had seen Janet Jackson on stage with her mother, Peggy Lorraine, and thought, 'I want to do that.' Today Roberts, at 43, looks relaxed, happy and wholesome. She is wearing a cute lilac shorts and crop-top gym set. Her skin is lightly tanned, her hair highlighted. She is now a breakfast presenter on Heart radio, with Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston, and she has her own Noughties show on Saturdays. We are meeting because Roberts has written a book, Breathwork: Techniques for Better Mental, Emotional and Physical Health, which seems to have taken her by surprise. It is about the power of learning how to breathe properly and how to self-soothe. She's aware of how woo-woo it sounds, voicing what most of us think: 'Who the hell has time to stop and do breathing exercises?' Apparently, 45 per cent of us — and about 67 per cent of men — would prefer to give themselves an electric shock than sit for 15 minutes a day quietly with their own thoughts. 'I get it,' she says. But there can be no better example than Roberts of a life transformed by its practice. Interwoven with the exercises is the story of what happened to Roberts before, during and after becoming a Pussycat Doll. She has had — until discovering breathwork — an almost lifelong dependence on the benzodiazepine Xanax. It started during high school but even as a small child she self-soothed with NyQuil (like Night Nurse in the UK), before moving on to the antidepressant Lexapro, then finding Xanax. 'I was so young and I didn't have the knowledge I have now. I think A led to B led to C. Xanax is addictive. For me, for decades I was just leaning on what I could get to help me crash out. My brain just wouldn't shut off and my anxiety was too intense. It was, 'I want to sleep; I need to sleep,' and I was willing to take whatever would help me.' Cut to life as a global pop star, which began when she joined the Pussycat Dolls in 2003 when she was 22. She was discovered in LA, as a dancer, by the group's founder, Robin Antin. By 2005, their album PCD was multiplatinum, with global hits such as Don't Cha and Buttons selling many millions. 'I remember being on stage in New York with the crowd singing back the lyrics and thinking, 'Oh, this is really happening.' It was a fast, extreme rocket ship. There were no discussions around, 'How is your mental health?' It was a different era. Now, artists are coming forward to talk about their struggles and concerts are rejigged. I remember once we were in three countries in one day. Eventually, my body just got to the point of shutdown. I was really, really sick.' Roberts's account — which, incidentally, she tells apportioning no specific blame to the male-dominated music industry — is nonetheless a revealing insight. You can't help but be struck by how hard the band worked. The breaking point came almost five years after that platinum album. The toll on her body was too much: a reliance on Xanax; years of bad eating; bad sleeping; intense adrenaline with nowhere for it to go after a show; a life on the road with no home comforts as well as managing what is now openly acknowledged to have been the band's complex dynamic, with Scherzinger, as the main singer, wielding more power than the rest. Eventually, Roberts was admitted to hospital. The Pussycat Dolls were in London. Even at this point, she remembers worrying only about her place in the band. She initially resisted medical advice to have an emergency MRI — thinking, there's no time — but it was suspected that she'd had a brain aneurysm. It was, in fact, extreme stress, exhaustion and burnout. 'I remember saying [in the hospital], 'I need to get on a flight to Germany. I've got a show to do. You gotta give me something.' That was the mentality. I was having extreme headaches, being sick. They found viral arthritis in my knee. I couldn't do anything really. But that was my drive. And then when I finally got out of the Dolls [in 2010], I had eczema all over my legs, shingles across my face and a stomach ulcer. An acupuncturist told me then, 'If you don't scream, your body's gonna scream for you.' It was a manifestation of 'go, go, go' for years or 'grind, grind, grind', an accumulation of being on the road at a time when nobody really spoke up about anything. There was also this feeling that we could be replaced in some way. But also there was my own drive, growing up as a dance competitor. So it was a combination of the two.' In the book Roberts refers to 'trauma experiences'. Eight years after the Dolls disbanded, and after she had lost her father, Pat, to suicide following his own lifelong battle with mental illness, she resorted to eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy, a type of psychotherapy used to heal trauma after distressing life events. She was not the only Doll who had therapy. How bad was it? Roberts is diplomatic, saying, 'There was just so much going on, so many different levels.' In explosive tweets, one former temporary band member — Kaya Jones — launched an attack on the treatment of the group by music execs and Antin, who refuted the charges. Roberts's story echoes the trajectory of other talented young women in the music industry (Amy Winehouse being one) — women who pursue their dreams, who love what they do, but do so at risk to their wellbeing because of the 'system'. Britney Spears was an early supporter of the group and look what happened to her during her career. Stars such as Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Charli XCX have changed that and not a moment too soon. In the book, Roberts is funny and self-deprecating. In person, now the picture of good health, she is similarly low-key and modest. I get the impression she genuinely wants other people to be able to calm themselves down without medication. 'It's probably a bit of having grown up, but I really feel like practising breathing has allowed me to understand how my body feels around certain people. 'My foundation is stronger. I'm not saying I'm some kind of guru, or that I've got a certificate saying I've got everything figured out. If anything, it's the opposite. But I do feel better.' It got her off Xanax, it changed her relationship with herself — which was always the primary goal — and it changed her relationship with men. Her partners post-the Dolls were 'macho' men who made her feel safe on a surface level, but were essentially repeating unhealthy patterns. 'For whatever reason,' she writes, 'probably something to do with being so lost without my dance and what I went through with losing my dad, I got caught up in a series of relationships that weren't healthy. The one thread that ran through was that I was finding myself attracted to these ultra-masculine types who would then treat me in an unduly controlling way. 'It was traditional gender roles, a lot of possessiveness, and this very strange contradiction of feeling so safe with these big dudes who had the physical power to protect me, but at the same time not safe at all because of the way they spoke to me and treated me. It was more that I was on edge, constantly feeling guilty and worried I was about to do something wrong. There was a sense of surveillance and constant judgment.' Two years ago she met her present partner, George Rollinson, an artist and tattooist. He is 25 to her 43. 'I was having my hot girl summer. I was 41, I was finally feeling fabulous, the best I've felt in my life, comfortable in my body, just being free and enjoying myself. In the beginning, we were just having fun and I was thinking. 'Well, this is not going to go anywhere because you're too young.' But then I thought, 'You are the most emotionally intelligent, most transparent, most kind guy. I feel like I'm in the healthiest relationship ever. I've finally got there, you know?' Her early blueprint of male behaviour was her beloved father, but she says from an early age her nervous system was affected by his up and down moods. Some days he was a 'goofy big child'; at other times she worried about him surviving. Her parents separated when she was 14. At 16, her brother, Jayce, was diagnosed with a severe mental illness after years of misdiagnosis. 'We didn't necessarily think anything of it until he got a bit older and things started to shift a lot.' Jayce lives in a psychiatric institution in the US. 'When I visit my brother, I get a real awakening of the freedom we all have. I've sort of dedicated [the rest] of my life to making sure I live it, because my brother doesn't get to make that choice.' Pat Roberts died in 2018. 'He couldn't take it any more. He'd had enough. I'd watched him struggle my whole life and it's something you think you are prepared for, that [suicide] could be a possibility, but you never really prepare yourself.' Roberts had ruled out parenthood herself early on, even as a child. 'I was very clear that the cycle would end with me,' she says, referring to the Roberts family's apparent genetic predisposition to mental illness. And now? 'There's still a huge part of me that doesn't want to take that risk [of passing on mental illness]. I love travelling and I love furry animals and I'd probably be really happy having five dogs running around and jumping on my face.' There is something so joyful and optimistic about Ashley Roberts. Her social media is full of funny little skits. When the Dolls broke up for good she found a life coach, took acting lessons in LA, learnt improv and revisited cities and countries that she had only experienced via hotel rooms. She went to an ashram in California and dedicated a month of her life to doing something new (swimming with sharks, skydiving, riding a motorbike). In 2012 she appeared on I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! without really understanding what it was. 'Snakes and rats, that's not my vibe. But I was like, 'F*** it, I'll have stories to tell,' ' she explains. It turned out to be a great career move. 'It changed the trajectory of my life. I slept the best I've ever slept. To this day, I don't know why.' The British public loved her and she made it to the final. There were also rumours that Dec, before his marriage to his former manager, was smitten with her. She would go on to have a spell on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (2013-6), the duo picking up that Roberts didn't remotely take herself seriously. 'They're great boys,' she says. 'Amazing humans. I loved working with them.' The world of UK entertainment adopted her and, after a period of living partly in LA and London, she moved here full time. Strictly Come Dancing was mooted in 2017 but was delayed until 2018. Her father had intended to fly over to watch her, but missed seeing her dance. 'I felt like I could honour him,' Roberts says. She danced with her partner, Pasha Kovalev, on Remembrance Sunday weekend, and dedicated the routine to her father. The judges were reduced to tears. Even now, bereaved people come up to her in the street to thank her. A year after Strictly, while working at Heart, she was also in the West End musical Waitress. So why would she even have contemplated embarking on a 36-date world tour in a band that had destroyed her health? 'I'm a woman now,' she says. 'I feel more connected to my body. I was like, 'I'm gonna enjoy this.' And I always loved the feeling of being on stage with an audience.' Despite everything, there are no regrets. 'It all had to happen. It was outrageous, brilliant, exhausting, challenging, tough. It was everything.' The tattoos prove it, from 'KA' — kick ass — on a finger to 'love and transformation' on her left foot. 'Now I'm in a space where I have the tools. I know I am not alone having difficult things to cope with. I just want to share what I've learnt. Maybe it will help other people.' Breathwork: Techniques for Better Mental, Emotional and Physical Health by Ashley Roberts (Leap, £20) is published on July 17. To order a copy go to or call 020 3176 2935. Free UK standard P&P on online orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members Hair: Lewis Pallett at Eighteen Management using Authentic Beauty Concept. Make-up: Lan Nguyen-Grealis at Eighteen Management using Armani Beauty
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Struggling Yankees star's dad gets into explosive argument with Mets fan
The father of New York Yankees star Anthony Volpe was seen in a heated argument with a rival fan - as he jumped to the defense of his son. The incident occurred during the Yankees' 6-4 win over the New York Mets and was caught on camera by another fan, who later posted it onto social media. In the clip, Volpe's father - Michael - could be seen remonstrating with the rival fan while his wife, Isabelle, tried to calm him down. The clip begins with Michael shouting: 'Let's go!' at a Mets fan, whose face was out of shot throughout the video. It's unclear what the supporter said to agitate Volpe's father however he was seen shouting: 'Bad mouthing my son. F*** you. F*** you. F*** you. Bad mouthing my son you scum bag. You f***ing scumbag.' Another supporter could be heard in the background saying: 'Your son's the best'. It's unclear whether it was a sarcastic comment to try and further agitate Volpe's dad. @shlomo_szmidt Anthony volpes dad getting into it and defending his son from some Mets fans at citi field today @ESPN @MLB @MLB Network @YES Network @Barstool Sports @House of Highlights #volpe #yankees #yankeesbaseball #mlb #newyork #newyorkyankees #citifield #subwayseries #dad #baseballdad #viral #viralmoment #yankeesfan #viralvideo #fyp ♬ original sound - shlomo szmidt The situation was unable to escalate further as, during the argument, 'God Bless America' began playing at Citi Field and fans quickly rose to their feet. It's no secret that Yankees star Volpe has struggled in recent times. He went 1-for-11 during the Subway Series as his side fell to two defeats out of three. The 24-year-old is slashing .219/.296/.398 and is third among MLB shortstops in errors this year with 11. Moreover, Volpe leads the MLB in runners left on base while at bat - 176 - which perhaps indicates his struggle to perform when it matters most. He has, however, hit 10 home runs and produced 48 RBIs, across 89 games, for the Yankees. There is still plenty of time in the season to Volpe to turn his form around and prove his doubters wrong - and his father right.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Latest 'Tiger King' twist finds 'Doc' Antle facing possible prison sentence for animal trafficking
Five years after the true crime documentary 'Tiger King' captivated a country shut down by COVID-19, the final legal troubles for one of its main characters will be resolved Tuesday in a courtroom in South Carolina. Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle faces up to 10 years in prison for trafficking in exotic animals and money laundering after pleading guilty in November 2023. Exactly what punishment prosecutors are asking for and any arguments for leniency from Antle's attorneys were kept from the public before Tuesday morning's hearing in federal court in Charleston. Three others who pleaded guilty in his investigation received either probation or a four-month prison sentence. Antle's sentence is the final true-life chapter of the Tiger King saga. The Netflix series debuted in March 2020 near the peak of COVID-19 restrictions. The show centered on dealers and conservationists of big cats, focusing on disputes between Joe Exotic, a collector and private zookeeper from Oklahoma, and Carole Baskin, who runs Big Cat Rescue in Florida. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 21-year federal prison sentence for trying to hire two different men to kill Baskin. Antle, who owns a private zoo called Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in the first season of the documentary and was the star of the third season. Antle's zoo was known for charging hundreds or thousands of dollars to let people pet and hold baby animals like lions, tigers and monkeys that were so young they were still being bottle-fed. Customers could have photos or videos made. Antle would sometimes ride into tours on an elephant. Myrtle Beach Safari remains open by reservation only, according to its website. Antle has remained out on bail since his arrest in June 2022. Antle's federal charges were brought after the Tiger King series. Prosecutors said he sold or bought cheetahs, lions, tigers and a chimpanzee without the proper paperwork. And they said in a separate scheme, Antle laundered more than $500,000 that an informant told him was being used to get people into the U.S. illegally to work. Antle was used to having large amounts of money he could move around quickly, investigators said. The FBI was listening to Antle's phone calls with the informant as he explained a baby chimpanzee could easily cost $200,000. Private zookeepers can charge hundreds of dollars for photos with docile young primates or other animals, but the profit window is only open for a few years before the growing animals can no longer be safely handled. 'I had to get a monkey, but the people won't take a check. They only take cash. So what do you do?" Antle said according to a transcript of the phone call in court papers. Two of Antle's employees have already been sentenced for their roles in his schemes. Meredith Bybee was given a year of probation for selling a chimpanzee while Andrew 'Omar' Sawyer, who prosecutors said helped Antle launder money, was given two years of probation. Jason Clay, a Texas private zoo owner, pleaded guilty to illegally selling a primate and was sentenced to four months in prison, while charges were dropped against California ranch owner Charles Sammut. Antle was also convicted in 2023 in a Virginia court of four counts of wildlife trafficking over sales of lions and was sentenced to two years of prison suspended 'upon five years of good behavior.' An appeals court overturned two of the convictions, ruling that Virginia law bans the sale of endangered species but not their purchase. Antle was found not guilty of five counts of animal cruelty at that same Virginia trial.
