Latest news with #FindingNemo
The South African
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Ellen DeGeneres: I moved to the UK because of Donald Trump
US television icon Ellen DeGeneres has made her first public appearance in the UK since relocating to the Cotswolds, revealing that she and wife Portia de Rossi decided to stay permanently the day after Donald Trump was re-elected as US president. Speaking at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham on Sunday in conversation with broadcaster Richard Bacon, the 67-year-old said the decision to move was deeply personal and political. 'We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis,' DeGeneres recalled. 'I was like, 'He got in', and we said, 'We're staying here.'' Ellen said the couple originally planned to split their time between the US and the UK but have since embraced full-time life in the countryside, calling it 'a simpler, more beautiful way of life.' DeGeneres is known globally for The Ellen DeGeneres Show and for voicing Dory in Finding Nemo . 'Everything here is just better – the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here,' she said. 'We saw snow for the first time in our lives.' The couple briefly kept sheep on their rural property, but they had to be rehomed after repeated escapes. De Rossi also relocated her horses to the UK. DeGeneres also spoke candidly about rising fears over LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, confirming she and De Rossi are considering renewing their vows in the UK if same-sex marriage rights are reversed. 'The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage,' she said. 'If they do that, we're going to get married here.' She expressed concern that Hollywood still remains hostile to openly gay actors, adding: 'If things were better, all these actors I know who are gay would be out – but they're not, because it's still a problem.' DeGeneres also revisited the toxic workplace allegations that led to the cancellation of her long-running talk show in 2022. 'I'm a direct person, and I'm very blunt, and I guess sometimes that means that… I'm mean?' she said, dismissing much of the criticism as 'clickbait.' The scandal resulted in the firing of three senior producers and an on-air apology from DeGeneres. She said the controversy left her deeply hurt. 'It's certainly an unpleasant way to end something I loved. I hate that people think I'm that [mean], because I know who I am – and I'm empathetic and compassionate.' While Ellen said she misses her talk show 'a lot', she's uncertain whether a similar format would work in the current media climate. 'I would love to do that again, maybe in the UK,' she said. 'But people are just not watching TV the same way anymore.' As for the future, Ellen says she's undecided but open to new projects. 'I do like my chickens… but I'm a little bit bored,' she joked. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Ellen DeGeneres on UK move: 'Life is just better here' following Trump re-election
CHELTENHAM: Veteran American TV personality Ellen DeGeneres has made her inaugural public appearance in the UK, revealing that her decision to relocate to England was directly prompted by Donald Trump's re-election as US president. Speaking to an audience in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, the comedian and host declared that life across the pond "is just better." DeGeneres, 67, shared that she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, are contemplating a renewed marriage ceremony in England. This consideration comes in light of recent legislative efforts in the US to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, a situation that, according to DeGeneres, can still make America "scary for people to be who they are." Featured Videos During her conversation with broadcaster Richard Bacon at the Everyman Theatre, DeGeneres also addressed the allegations of a toxic workplace environment that ultimately led to the conclusion of her long-running chat show in 2022. While admitting she could be "very blunt," she largely dismissed the claims as mere "clickbait." A prominent figure in US TV for three decades, DeGeneres is known for her daytime talk show, a self-titled 1990s sitcom, and her roles as host of the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys, as well as voicing Dory in Disney's Finding Nemo. After her talk show's cancellation, she embarked on a "final stand-up tour" in the US in 2024 before purchasing a property in the picturesque Cotswolds. DeGeneres clarified that she and de Rossi initially intended to spend only three to four months annually in the UK, acquiring what they believed would be a "part-time house." However, their plans drastically shifted. "We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, 'He got in'," she said. "And we're like, 'We're staying here'." Since their November move, DeGeneres has offered glimpses of her new rural lifestyle on social media, sharing videos of her farm animals, which included sheep that have since been sold because they kept escaping. "It's absolutely beautiful," she said about her new home. "We're just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture - everything you see is charming, and it's just a simpler way of life. It's clean. "Everything here is just better - the way animals are treated, and people are polite."
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Ellen DeGeneres reveals she and Aussie wife Portia de Rossi 'moved to the UK because of Trump' and plan to stay 'for good'
Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed she and her wife, Australian actress Portia de Rossi, permanently relocated to the UK after Donald Trump's return to the White House. The 67-year-old comedian made the candid admission during a live conversation with BBC broadcaster Richard Bacon at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham on Sunday. DeGeneres explained the pair initially planned to spend just a few months each year in the UK and purchased what they believed would be a "part-time house" in the Cotswolds in 2024. But the couple decided to stay put after Trump defeated Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the latest US election. "We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, 'He got in'," she recalled. "And we're like, 'We're staying here'." The Finding Nemo star also hinted that she and de Rossi, 52, may remarry in the UK, after tying the knot in Los Angeles back in August 2008. "The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage," she said. "They're trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it. Portia and I are already looking into it, and if they do that, we're going to get married here." She continued: "I wish we were at a place where it was not scary for people to be who they are. I wish that we lived in a society where everybody could accept other people and their differences." DeGeneres' revelation follows a wave of celebrity moves out of the US, including fellow comedian and Trump hater Rosie O'Donnell, who recently relocated to Ireland with her 12-year-old child. "Good for you @Rosie," DeGeneres wrote on Instagram last week, alongside a screenshot of Trump's Truth Social post claiming he was "giving serious consideration" to revoking his long-time nemesis's US citizenship. More recently, DeGeneres publicly condemned the Trump administration's move to shut down The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention service for LGBTQ+ youth. "I helped launch the Trevor Project over 30 years ago. What kind of person would do this?" she posted on Instagram on Saturday. When she's not hitting out at Trump or sharing throwbacks from her now-cancelled daytime show, DeGeneres has been delighting her 135 million Instagram followers with snaps of her new life in the British countryside. "Everything here is just better- the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here," she told Bacon. "We moved here in November, which was not the ideal time, but I saw snow for the first time in my life. We love it here. Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens, and we had sheep for about two weeks." The couple initially moved into a £15 million (about AUD$30 million) estate in the Cotswolds, but their 43-acre property was hit by severe flooding shortly after their arrival. They have since relocated just around the corner, into a modern mansion boasting sweeping views of the countryside. The 10,000-square-foot home includes a cinema, gym, steam room, outdoor infinity pool and a striking open-plan kitchen with a hanging fireplace. The master suite features a vast walk-in wardrobe and dual en-suites, while four additional bedrooms also have private bathrooms. While DeGeneres and de Rossi appear thrilled with their new home, the bold design hasn't won everyone over. "Does not belong in the Cotswolds," one user commented under a Luxury Listings post showcasing the property, earning more than 200 likes (at time of writing). Another wrote: "I'd rather have a gorgeous traditional Cotswolds manor that pays tribute to the history of the area," with over 700 likes. "That house doesn't reflect the Cotswolds whatsoever. Shame it got planning permission," added another critic. A fourth remarked: "I'm sorry you move to the Cotswolds and THAT is what you live in? No way." But others were quick to defend the contemporary build, with one fan writing: "Completely utterly exquisite!!!!" and another saying: "This is stunning and I get it on all levels."
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Ellen DeGeneres reveals Trump's re-election led to UK move
Ellen DeGeneres has opened up about her recent move to the UK, revealing that she and wife Portia de Rossi decided to relocate to the Cotswolds the day after Donald Trump was re-elected. Speaking at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, the former talk show host shared that life in the UK feels 'simpler and better,' praising the polite culture, treatment of animals, and overall charm of the British countryside. DeGeneres, known for her long-running daytime show and voice work in Finding Nemo, admitted that political and social shifts in the U.S. were key factors in their decision. With movements attempting to roll back gay marriage rights, the couple is now considering renewing their vows in England. She also addressed her career-ending controversy regarding workplace toxicity on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which concluded in 2022. While acknowledging that she is 'blunt,' Ellen dismissed the allegations as 'clickbait,' expressing frustration at being labeled 'mean.' The 67-year-old entertainer reflected on her legacy as one of the first openly gay TV stars, noting that while progress has been made, many celebrities still hide their sexuality. She praised younger generations for being more open and fluid, offering hope for greater acceptance. Though she misses her show, Ellen isn't planning a return just yet—but hinted she'd 'love' to do a British talk show in the future. For now, she's enjoying farm life with chickens and simpler days in rural England.
Buzz Feed
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
27 Cool Movies Facts
In It: Chapter Two, a record 5,000 gallons of fake blood (the most for any movie ever) were used to shoot that iconic bathroom scene. To get the shot just right, Jessica Chastain basically had to bathe in a kiddie pool of fake blood, which she said was freezing. Megan Mullally was fired from her role in Finding Nemo for refusing to do her high-pitched Karen Walker voice from Will & Grace. According to Mullally, the studio originally agreed that she could do whatever voice she wanted for the undisclosed character, but as time went on they kept requesting the one she used for Will & Grace. She refused, so they fired her. In Singin' in the Rain, Gene Kelly insulted Debbie Reynolds' dancing so much that she once hid from everyone under a piano, crying. Reynolds only had a few months to learn what Gene Kelly had been doing his whole life, yet he "came to rehearsals and criticized everything I did and never gave me a word of encouragement." She also worked so hard that her feet literally started bleeding. One day she had enough and hid under a piano on the studio lot, crying, and Fred Astaire found her. He started working with her on the dance routines: "I watched in awe as Fred worked on his routines to the point of frustration and anger. I realized that if it was hard for Fred Astaire, dancing was hard for everyone." In Home Alone, the prop department originally created a fake tarantula to put on Daniel Stern's face, but the director made them use a real one. Also, the tarantula's name was Barry. While prepping for the scene, the animal trainer on set said, "Just don't make any sudden, threatening moves, and you'll be fine.' Daniel responded, "But I'm going to be screaming in Barry's face. Do you think he'll feel threatened by that?!' The animal trainer simply said, "Barry doesn't have ears. He can't hear. Relax." In Crazy Rich Asians, Henry Golding almost turned down the main role because he thought it called for a "legitimate actor," and that just wasn't him. Golding was a travel host for seven years. Crazy Rich Asians was going to be his first movie ever, so when they offered him the chance to audition he thought he "wasn't good enough," saying, "Oh my god. I've heard of this, but it's for someone else who's a legitimate actor that the studio is going to gamble on." In A Star Is Born, Bradley Cooper spent six months with a dialect coach trying to imitate Sam Elliott's he even knew Sam was going to be cast as his on-screen brother. Bradley Cooper worked on his character's voice for four hours a day. When Sam Elliott agreed to be in the film, Cooper responded, "Thank god he said yes, because I would have had to rewrite the whole thing. Six months of work on my voice would have gone down the drain." In Miracle on 34th Street, actor John Payne, who played Fred Gailey, loved the movie so much that he actually wrote a sequel to it when he was older. In Maureen O'Hara's autobiography, she said, "We talked about it for years, and he eventually even wrote a screenplay sequel. He was going to send it to me but tragically died before he could get around to it. I never saw it and have often wondered what happened to it." In The Incredibles 2, Frozone's wife (Honey) was set to finally make an appearance, but they unfortunately cut her scene for two key reasons. According to writer-director Brad Bird, the scene with Honey (which would have occurred in the opening fight sequence) was removed because: "1. We felt like we stayed away from the big action scene too long and that we were killing the momentum we were gaining by having the big action scene, and 2. We decided the off-camera-ness of it is part of the joke, and then Honey can kinda be anyone you imagine her to be." In Hostel, writer-director Eli Roth came up with the premise for the film after discovering a Thai website where people can pay to torture and kill another human. Roth was talking to a friend about the worst, sickest things they'd ever seen on the internet. "He told me about this website, in Thailand, where for $10,000 you could shoot someone in the head... I thought it would be a great subject to do a documentary on, but I thought, 'do I want these people knowing where I live?' If it's real, they've got my address, and if it's fake, they've probably run off with my credit card!" In Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer literally had to be vacuum-sealed into her Catwoman costume, which made it very difficult to move and breathe. She described the process as one of the most uncomfortable things she's ever done: "They had to powder me down, help me inside, and then vacuum-pack the suit. They'd paint it with a silicon-based finish to give it its trademark shine. I had those claws, and I was always catching them in things. The face mask was smashing my face and choking me." In Mammia Mia! Here We Go Again, Cher was basically forced to be in the sequel by the head of Universal Pictures. Cher recalled the events, saying, "I've never planned a single thing in my entire life. It's like this Abba album. I did the film. I didn't ask to do it. My friend Ronnie Meyer called and said, 'You're doing Mamma Mia' and hung up. In Hocus Pocus, the main role of Max almost went to Leonardo DiCaprio, but he backed out to film two other movies. The role ultimately went to Omri Katz. Director Kenny Ortega talked about Leo's audition, saying, "He's just the most sincere and most centered and a wild child at the same time. He was feeling awkward and was like, 'I just feel really bad being here because I'm up for two other movies and I really want them both and I don't want to lead you on.'" DiCaprio ended up booking both of those films (This Boy's Life and What's Eating Gilbert Grape), resulting in his first Oscar nomination. Flynn Rider's appearance for Tangled was designed during a "Hot Guy Meeting" where women from the studio picked out their favorite physical attributes from pictures of Hollywood's leading men. Directors Nathan Greno and Bryon Howard described the whole process, saying, "When we were designing the character, we were trying to get the look down, so one of the things we did was bring a lot of the females in from the building. We wanted this guy to be really, really handsome, so we put up photos all over the walls of the most handsome men in all of Hollywood history and sort of picked out which features sort of worked best. We just listened and let the women have at it. In the end, we put all this stuff together, so he's this very handsome fellow." Chris Farley was originally cast as Shrek, and he even recorded most of his lines for the movie before his death. Chris Farley recorded about 85% of his lines before dying in December of 1997. There was talk about having someone impersonate Farley for the remaining 15%, but they ultimately brought in Mike Myers to do his own version: "We spent a year banging our heads against the wall until Mike Myers came on board. Chris's Shrek and Mike's Shrek are really two completely different characters, as much as Chris and Mike are two completely different people. Myers asked that the script be completely rewritten so that he wouldn't be starring in the Chris Farley version of the film.' Jackie Cooper couldn't make himself cry while filming a particular scene in Skippy, so the director threatened to have Cooper's dog killed if he couldn't produce tears. The film's director, Norman Taurog, was also Cooper's uncle. Cooper wrote in his autobiography that the whole exchange was traumatizing for him: "I could visualize my dog, bloody from that one awful shot. I began sobbing so hysterically that it was almost too much for the scene. [Taurog] had to quiet me down by saying perhaps my dog had survived the shot, that if I hurried and calmed down a little and did the scene the way he wanted, we would go see if my dog was still alive.' Cooper earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in 1931. He was 9 years old. To this day, he's still the youngest nominee for Best Actor in the history of the Academy Awards. In Candyman, Tony Todd had to fill his mouth with real bees during that trademark scene, and he got stung 27 times because of it. Todd wore a mouth guard to keep the bees from crawling down the back of his throat. He also was sprayed with the pheromone of a queen bee to try to keep all the honeybees on set happy. Cleopatra was one of the most expensive movies to ever be made. It had an original budget of $5 million, but after two years the film still wasn't finished, and more money kept being put into it, totaling over $370 million by today's standards. The movie almost bankrupted 20th Century Fox. Filming began in September of 1960, but "two years later the film was not yet finished, and Fox executive Darryl F. Zanuck said the cost was $35 million, though Variety later estimated that the true figure was closer to $44 million." Lon Chaney, who played the title characters in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera, did his own makeup for the roles. Chaney acted in more than 150 films and was also recognized as one of the best makeup artists in the business. He even wrote the entry for 'make-up' in the 1929 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. In Home Alone, that picture of Buzz's girlfriend was actually a picture of the art director's son wearing a wig. Devin Ratray, the actor who played Buzz, admitted that the girl in the picture was actually the son of the movie's art director: "[They] decided it would be unkind to put a girl in that role of just being funny-looking. The art director had a son who was more than willing to volunteer for the part. I think if he had known it would become the highest-grossing family comedy of all time, he might have had second thoughts about it." For Moonlight, Naomie Harris had only three days to shoot all of her scenes because of visa issues. Still, her performance was so good that she was nominated for an Academy Award. In an interview, Harris revealed that she "couldn't get a visa to come and film [in America], so that was a problem." It was ultimately resolved at the last minute, and she claimed this actually helped her performance: "I didn't have any time to kind of get in my head. I was just doing it. I wasn't, like, waiting around in my trailer, thinking, 'Oh my god, I've got an emotional scene to do today.' I just had to get on and do it and work." In The Muppet Christmas Carol, Michael Caine insisted that the only way he'd play Scrooge was if he pretended like the Muppets were real people and that he was acting in the Royal Shakespeare Company. Before shooting, director Brian Henson (Jim Henson's son) met with Michael Caine to talk about how he might portray Scrooge in the film. Caine said, "I'm going to play this movie like I'm working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink. I will never do anything Muppet-y. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me." Tiffany Haddish turned down Jordan Peele's offer to audition for Get Out because she refuses to be in scary movies. Tiffany Haddish had worked with the writer-director before, so he sent her the script and asked her to audition for the movie. Her response was pretty simple: "I don't do scary movies, dog. I don't do that. You know, that's demonized kind of stuff. I don't let that in my house." In Die Hard, Bruce Willis's role was actually offered to 73-year-old Frank Sinatra first. Sinatra was contractually obligated to get first dibs because he starred in the film's prequel in 1968. In 1968, Frank Sinatra starred in a movie called The Detective, which was based on a book. Over a decade later, a sequel to that book was published. That new book was the inspiration for the 1988 movie Die Hard, which technically made it a sequel to Sinatra's movie. Because Sinatra starred in that first movie, he was contractually obligated to get first dibs on the sequel. He was 73 at the time, so he graciously turned down the role. Angela Lansbury recorded the song "Beauty and the Beast" in a single take, even after staying up all night on a flight. Paige O'Hara, who voiced Belle, revealed what happened in an interview, saying: 'I remember the day we were in the recording studio with the amazing Broadway singers in the background chorus and the amazing orchestra. And then Ms. Lansbury – who I have admired my whole life – came in after being up all was a trooper. We were all worried she would be too exhausted, and then she comes out and sings 'Beauty and the Beast' in one take.' While filming Move Over Darling, James Garner picked up Doris Day from the ground and accidentally broke two of her ribs. Doris Day said that James Garner was so big and strong that he "picked me up under his arm a little too enthusiastically and cracked a couple of my ribs. I made that movie mummified with adhesive tape, which made it difficult to breathe and painful to laugh." The two remained friends for years, and she even joked about the incident with him later on, saying, "Jim, if we don't speak for a while, I forgive you for breaking my ribs. Both of them. Don't give it another thought." Steven Spielberg refused to collect a paycheck for Schindler's List, saying it would have been "blood money" and that all profits should be returned to the Jewish community. Spielberg said that he always planned on giving away the money he made from Schindler's List to help support the Jewish community: "I'm committed to Holocaust education. But I wanted to strengthen the Jewish community as it is today, to engage Jewish youth, to support the arts, to promote tolerance, and to strengthen the commitment to social justice." And finally, but most importantly, The Princess Diaries was actually produced by Whitney Houston. And the movie's sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, was even co-written by Shonda Rhimes. Iconic, tbh!
