Latest news with #SamuelLJackson
Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Celebrities are just like us – idiots': Ricky Gervais on Extras turning 20
Samuel L Jackson was a fan of The Office – one of many celebrity fans whom Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant encountered in the wake of their mockumentary sitcom success. Jackson had watched The Office on DVD, a concept that still amuses Merchant. 'It just seemed so weird,' he says. 'The image of Sam Jackson at home, trying to get the cellophane off of the DVD – having to get a key and scratching it off – then popping the DVD in and putting his feet up with a cup of coffee or whatever.' There was a common theme among their celebrity fans: many stars said they'd like to work with Gervais and Merchant in the future. 'It happened often enough that we thought it would be nice to take advantage of that,' says Merchant. The celebs had unwittingly cast themselves in Gervais and Merchant's follow-up sitcom, Extras, which first aired on BBC Two 20 years ago this week, on July 21, 2005. Across Extras' two series and feature-length Christmas special, A-list guest stars included Samuel L Jackson, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, George Michael, Daniel Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom, David Bowie, and Robert De Niro. Most played what Gervais and Merchant described as 'twisted' versions of themselves: egomaniacs, oddballs, fantasists, buffoons. 'It wasn't as common at the time to have these A-listers ridiculing themselves,' says Gervais. 'It was before social media – before everyone found out that celebrities are just like us. They're idiots!' But the celebs were, ironically enough, just supporting players to Extras' real lead characters: Andy Millman (Gervais) and best friend Maggie (Ashley Jensen). 'We didn't want it to be, 'look at my celebrity mates,'' says Gervais. 'They had to be bonuses, appendages. Because it was really about a guy who was struggling and selling everything for an ambition.' In the first series, Andy – a film extra and frustrated wannabe actor – scrabbles around film sets for one meagre line of dialogue, sucking up to and putting his foot in it with star names. In the second series, Andy's dreams seemingly come true when he gets his own BBC sitcom. But ratings-chasing compromises – broad gags, funny wigs and catchphrases ('Are you havin' a laugh?') – turn his modicum of celebrity into a series of humiliations. He sells any semblance of artistic integrity to cling on to fame while grumbling to Maggie that he should be higher up the showbiz ladder; that he deserves more respect. 'No matter how successful you are, you'll never be famous enough,' Maggie warns him shortly before he signs up for the ultimate profile-boosting indignity: Celebrity Big Brother. Who's who in Extras Maggie is the heart and conscience of Extras, Andy is the snark and insecurity, and his hilariously useless agent, Darren Lamb (Merchant) is the s--t-for-brains. The tragedy (and all great British sitcoms need a touch of something tragic) comes from the lower rungs of showbiz, a source of imagined desperation. Les Dennis lays his personal and professional woes bare (while also baring his backside) and Shaun Williamson – best known as Barry off EastEnders – plays himself as a down-on-his-luck sad-sack. He's so unable to shake the EastEnders image that even his agent, Darren, calls him Barry and describes him as having 'an undercurrent of tragedy'. Looking back, Gervais remembers an old sketch idea that now feels like a precursor to Extras. It was a Braveheart-like scene, with a Mel Gibson-like star, in which a camera would pan across the battle lines until one extra suddenly asked, 'What time's lunch?' 'Imagine being at the bottom of the pile and ruining it,' says Gervais. 'That was the funny seed.' Gervais likens it to a moment that sums up the first series, when Andy tries to edge into a shot – in the background of a Ross Kemp period drama – then hears the director say, 'Cut before that fat little extra gets his face in.' 'It was an absurd world' Extras was also inspired by the fact that Gervais and Merchant were, at the time, new to show business. 'It was such an absurd world that we'd entered,' says Merchant. 'It was bizarre encountering award ceremonies and film sets and celebrities. It was hard not to think of that as a fun subject. We felt like outsiders.' 'I worked in an office for nine years, so I wrote about it,' says Gervais. 'After that, my job was sort of show business. It's irresistible to write about your own job. Write what you know.' Merchant recalls that they originally planned to use A-listers as actual extras. 'They'd literally be walking around in the background,' he says. 'You'd see Sam Jackson or Kate Winslet, but they'd say nothing. They were just extras in the show. At some point, we thought if we got them all the way to the set, it seems silly to squander them. We started to think about how they could interact with the characters.' It wasn't a new idea. The Larry Sanders Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm had featured Hollywood stars playing fictionalised versions of themselves. In Extras, the celebrities are there to make Andy squirm under the backstage power dynamic and to hold up the cracked mirror of fame – they reveal themselves as out-of-touch with reality, or as massively out-of-step with their public persona. 'Famous people behaving badly' Ben Stiller turns his hand from comedy acting to directing a war drama. But he's a tyrant, threatening to shoot a child actor's mum in the face and screaming about Meet the Fockers' box office take. 'When I sent Ben Stiller the rough idea, he said, 'You've tapped into my inner soul,'' says Gervais, laughing. In another episode, Kate Winslet plays herself as a foul-mouthed nun in a Second World War film. She dishes out advice on dirty phone calls and admits that she's only doing a Holocaust drama for an Oscar. 'And then she wins an Oscar for a Holocaust film!' says Gervais, in reference to The Reader (2008). As smart as Extras is – tinkering with multiple levels of the fourth wall and playing out the John Updike quote that 'celebrity is a mask that eats into the face' – Gervais agrees there was some childish glee in getting their A-listers to say and do outrageous things. 'It was famous people behaving badly,' Gervais says. 'That's what it could have been called.' 'The more that these people said that they were interested, the more it became a game of what would be the most unpleasant or funniest version of themselves – the one that was most incongruous with their public image,' says Merchant. He adds: 'Normally, we'd get a tentative yes and we'd write a script with them in mind to see if they were happy. They almost all were. I think Kate Winslet had a couple of lines that were particularly offensive that she wouldn't say, but other than that she was game for it. They were just game for a laugh. There was very little push-back. It was surprisingly easy.' A personal favourite from the first series is Patrick Stewart, who begins by bellowing out a speech from The Tempest then tells Andy about a script he's written himself, in which he controls the world with the power of his mind – a power he mostly uses for making ladies' clothes fall off. ('Even before she can get her knickers back on, I've seen everything ... I've seen it all.') 'One of the most dignified Shakespearian actors in the world talking about knickers,' sniggers Gervais. Another highlight is Ross Kemp, who lies about feats of hard-nuttery ('I headbutted a horse once') and boasts he could batter Vinnie Jones – until Vinnie turns up to show him what being hard is all about. There's a touch of melancholy to Kemp – a wounded, lip-quivering Billy no-mates. 'He was a little bit nervous,' says Gervais. 'He did talk about portraying himself and going too far. He said, 'Well, it's OK if you're Sam Jackson!' He was very conscious and worried about perception. But he still did it!' Les Dennis goes close-to-the-bone The celeb who played the riskiest version of themself was Les Dennis. The episode is daringly close-to-the-bone, portraying the former Family Fortunes host as a washed-up has-been who – between panto performances – showers a much-younger girlfriend with £50 notes and calls up Heat magazine to report celebrity sightings of, well, himself. The lowest moment comes when Les discovers his girlfriend is cheating. He slumps into his dressing room chair, traumatised and naked. Gervais rates it as the best episode. 'It was the one where we sailed very close to the wind as to the public perception of him,' says Gervais. 'As opposed to playing against type or making something up.' 'It was a way of exploring how celebrity works,' says Merchant. 'It chews you up and spits you out.' It came after Dennis's real-life divorce from Amanda Holden and a maudlin stint on Celebrity Big Brother that made him a tabloid target. One headline read, 'Is this the most pathetic man in Britain?' 'My agent called to say Ricky Gervais wants you to call him,' says Dennis. 'I thought, 'What? Why would Ricky Gervais want me to call him?' It wasn't long after Big Brother. The phone wasn't exactly ringing at the time. Ricky asked me if I wanted to play a 'twisted, demented' version of myself.' Dennis visited their office to talk about the episode. 'They said, 'How far can we go?' and I said, 'Go as far as you like!' On the way out, Ricky said, 'How do you feel about the arse shot?' I said, 'What?' He said, 'You'll be naked in the dressing room. Do you want a double?' I said, 'No I'll do it myself.'' When they shot the scene, he wore nothing but a cricket box. 'Ricky said, 'I'm not having Les's offal in my face! I want him to wear something!'' Dennis recalls, laughing. 'There were tea and biscuits around and Ricky picked up the ginger nuts.' Dennis's friends were concerned about him taking the role – they were suspicious that it might be a Brass Eye-type set-up – but Dennis knew he had to do it. 'At the time I was known as 'Les Miserables,'' he says. 'I came out of the Big Brother house and had a lot of stuff going on. People thought I was grumpy, but I just didn't like being invaded by the press. I thought, just go for it and show you've got a sense of humour about all this stuff that's being written.' Dennis came up with lines to ridicule himself even more. For one climactic scene – in bed with a woman he's just pulled – Dennis suggested blurting out his Family Fortunes catchphrase: 'If it's up there, I'll give you the money me-self.' Dennis remembers that Gervais was laughing so much filming the scene that Merchant ordered him off set. 'He said, 'Ricky, you've ruined the take, you've laughed over the dialogue, you've got to go out,'' says Dennis. 'He got thrown out of the room by Stephen.' The role changed the public perception of Dennis and boosted his theatre career. 'They helped me reinvent myself,' he says. Orlando Bloom told us to 'go harder' Dennis wasn't the only celeb insisting they go more extreme. Orlando Bloom told Gervais and Merchant to 'go harder' when he's trying to prove he's a bigger heartthrob than Johnny Depp. 'Orlando Bloom said, 'Go harder, let me go after Johnny Depp harder, make it worse!'' says Gervais. 'Willy Wonka? Johnny w-----r! ' says Bloom, trying to impress Maggie on the set of a courtroom drama. In other ridiculous celebrity appearances, Daniel Radcliffe plays himself as a randy teenager and accidentally flicks an unravelled condom onto Dame Diana Rigg's head. Gervais had to delicately position the condom on Rigg's head himself. 'When Daniel Radcliffe flicks it, we had to get it to land,' says Gervais. 'So, at one point I was putting it over her eye a little bit. I was saying, 'Can you see? Is that alright?' She said, 'Yeah. That's alright.' And I just thought, that's a weird day at work.' Elsewhere, they cast George Michael as a kebab-chomping, joint-smoking troublemaker. The much-treasured singer uses his community service lunch break to scout Hampstead Heath for sexual encounters. 'What a performer,' says Gervais. 'Just willing to be cottaging, smoking a joint, eating a kebab … He'd just done that community service, so we had him in trouble with the police.' In the episode, George is in trouble for fly-tipping a fridge freezer with Annie Lennox. Sting grassed them up to the council. 'Because he's a f----er do-gooder,' says George. Gervais and Merchant were, of course, the new darlings of British comedy at the time. Stars wanted to be involved. 'We had a blank cheque of kudos that we could cash-in,' says Merchant. 'Ronnie Corbett said his grandchildren told him, 'You've got to do this,'' says Gervais. 'And then we've got him in the toilets at the Baftas taking coke! It's mad what they were willing to say and do.' 'Two celebrities turned us down' Gervais and Merchant can only remember two celebs who turned them down. One was Syd Little of Little and Large. 'He read the script and thought it was too much, the swearing or whatever. He was an old family entertainer,' says Gervais. The other was Orville the Duck ventriloquist Keith Harris, who thought the show was some kind of wind-up. 'But I think Ian McKellen said he thought it was a wind-up,' says Gervais. Looking back now, do Gervais and Merchant have favourite celebrity appearances? For Merchant, it's the one and only Robert De Niro, who appears briefly with Merchant in series two. 'We were making the show and kept on referring to Robert De Niro without knowing if he was going to do it,' says Merchant. 'Finally, he gave us an hour. Because of my giant height [6ft 7in] and his relatively normal human size, there's a wide shot where I look three times as big as him – because of the weird perspective. There were conspiracy theories that we were never in the same room. I was like, 'Are you kidding me?! We worked so hard to get me in the same room!'' Merchant adds: 'Ricky was behind the camera and gave me a couple of notes. Robert De Niro said, 'Any notes for me?' We just started laughing! ' Yeah, we're giving you notes!'' Gervais chooses Bowie. 'Working with my hero David Bowie – writing a song with my hero David Bowie – is off the charts.' In the episode, Bowie listens to Andy's complaints about the sitcom, at which point Bowie bursts into his song. Gervais admits it's a bit surreal in contrast to other celebs. 'You meet David Bowie and then he writes a song!' says Gervais. 'It's almost like cheating, that. But it was well done and I think we were allowed. If you've got David Bowie for the day and he's written a song, he's allowed to sing it!' Twenty years on, Gervais is still amused by the idea that their A-listers were – to quote When the Whistle Blows – very much up for having a laugh. 'Surprising,' Gervais says. 'Just surprising that they said yes and then went along with it.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Unholy Trinity review – Samuel L Jackson and Pierce Brosnan shine in bubbling potboiler of a western
From the moment he flashes a shit-eating grin at a man on the gallows, Samuel L Jackson makes a fine western antagonist here, if not quite rising to the heights of his blanket-blackmail sex act in The Hateful Eight. The fellow about to swing is Isaac Broadway (Tim Daly), who manages to communicate to his onlooking son Henry (Brandon Lessard) that he should seek revenge on one Sheriff Butler, who framed him for murder. But when Henry corners a different lawman, Gabriel Dove (Pierce Brosnan), in a church in the Montana town of Trinity, he learns that someone got to the previous sheriff first. It turns out that papa Broadway, a maligned patriarch who built most of Trinity, was embroiled in a stolen Confederate gold racket – ripping off his gallows tormentor, the ex-slave St Christopher (Jackson), in the process. Add to that a Blackfoot seeking revenge (The New World's Q'orianka Kilcher), a fake priest (David Arquette), a smattering of local thugs, and before you can say 'sins of the father' (luckily, someone does), we have a bubbling potboiler on the go. While The Unholy Trinity is always robustly enjoyable, director Richard Gray and writer Lee Zachariah aren't the best at laying out their convoluted screed. Not only does it feel as if Henry and Gabriel are always skulking around the peripheries of their own story without clear agendas, it never settles down for long enough to hit on the emotional core of this homecoming. Forced into cahoots as they try to locate the gold and fend off the loitering St Christopher, it is only near the end that the childless sheriff and prodigal son start to bond – and the theme of surrogate family belatedly flares up. The muddy psychology shows in some diffident directing from Gray when handling quieter scenes; he is more at ease in brothel shootouts and the gallops across ravishing Montana prairies. The impressively arrayed cast also help to keep this enterprise buoyant, even if a silver-haired and affable Brosnan and Jackson, effortlessly mesmerising a saloon full of punters, are doing exactly what you would expect. If following The Unholy Trinity's various tracks is sometimes frustrating, it's still rare enough: a red-blooded and essentially satisfying western. The Unholy Trinity is on digital platforms now and available on DVD from 21 July.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Oak Park, Illinois firefighters come to rescue snake gets stuck on CTA train
Back in 2006, Samuel L. Jackson starred in an action thriller called "Snakes on a Plane." In real life 19 years later, some Chicago Transit Authority 'L' passengers in Oak Park, Illinois, starred in a real-life situation of "snakes on a train." On Saturday, the Oak Park Fire Department was called to the Harlem/Lake Green Line terminal, on the boundary of Oak Park and Forest Park. A ball python named Lucius, after the Harry Potter character Lucius Malfoy, had gotten away from his owner and had gotten stuck inside the train's control panel. Firefighters were able to open the box, free Lucius, and return him to his owner — who happened to be dressed like a pirate. The Oak Park Fire Department posted on Facebook, "Not a typical rescue, but a memorable one for sure!"
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Unholy Trinity review – Samuel L Jackson and Pierce Brosnan shine in bubbling potboiler of a western
From the moment he flashes a shit-eating grin at a man on the gallows, Samuel L Jackson makes a fine western antagonist here, if not quite rising to the heights of his blanket-blackmail sex act in The Hateful Eight. The fellow about to swing is Isaac Broadway (Tim Daly), who manages to communicate to his onlooking son Henry (Brandon Lessard) that he should seek revenge on one Sheriff Butler, who framed him for murder. But when Henry corners a different lawman, Gabriel Dove (Pierce Brosnan), in a church in the Montana town of Trinity, he learns that someone got to the previous sheriff first. It turns out that papa Broadway, a maligned patriarch who built most of Trinity, was embroiled in a stolen Confederate gold racket – ripping off his gallows tormentor, the ex-slave St Christopher (Jackson), in the process. Add to that a Blackfoot seeking revenge (The New World's Q'orianka Kilcher), a fake priest (David Arquette), a smattering of local thugs, and before you can say 'sins of the father' (luckily, someone does), we have a bubbling potboiler on the go. While The Unholy Trinity is always robustly enjoyable, director Richard Gray and writer Lee Zachariah aren't the best at laying out their convoluted screed. Not only does it feel as if Henry and Gabriel are always skulking around the peripheries of their own story without clear agendas, it never settles down for long enough to hit on the emotional core of this homecoming. Forced into cahoots as they try to locate the gold and fend off the loitering St Christopher, it is only near the end that the childless sheriff and prodigal son start to bond – and the theme of surrogate family belatedly flares up. The muddy psychology shows in some diffident directing from Gray when handling quieter scenes; he is more at ease in brothel shootouts and the gallops across ravishing Montana prairies. The impressively arrayed cast also help to keep this enterprise buoyant, even if a silver-haired and affable Brosnan and Jackson, effortlessly mesmerising a saloon full of punters, are doing exactly what you would expect. If following The Unholy Trinity's various tracks is sometimes frustrating, it's still rare enough: a red-blooded and essentially satisfying western. The Unholy Trinity is on digital platforms now and available on DVD from 21 July.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Greek restaurant which has gone viral for its gushing Kylie Jenner post has a history of OTT celeb tributes, from 'legendary' Magic Johnson to Demi Moore's 'timeless beauty'
Their gushing post about Kylie Jenner visiting their restaurant has set the internet on fire. But Tassia in the Greek village of Fiscardo is no stranger to an over-the-top celebrity tribute. The Greek family restaurant can't help but share their pride when the rich and famous choose their establishment to dine at while on holiday. Shortly after reality star Kylie dined there last week, owners Polychronis Dendrinos and Tassia Dendrinou proudly posted about the 'true honor' of hosting the 'iconic entrepreneur and global trendsetter'. 'An inspiring guest, and one of the most influential women of her generation,' the Dendrinos Family wrote on Instagram. 'She experienced a taste of our Greek hospitality and cuisine. It was a true pleasure to host such a remarkable guest. We hope to welcome her again soon!' However Kylie is not the first to receive such sweet words, with the family previously welcoming the likes of Demi Moore, Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Camilla 's son Tom Parker Bowles, chef Rick Stein and former football manager Arsène Wenger. The last celebrity to grace Tassia was retired NBA star Magic Johnson on June 27, whom the owners described as a 'returning guest with legendary energy.' 'A true honor to welcome Magic Johnson back to our restaurant!' they wrote. 'A returning guest with legendary energy — thank you for choosing us again and embracing our Greek hospitality.' It was his second visit, after he dined on the same day as Django Unchained star Samuel and rapper Flo Rida back in 2022. The family wrote then: 'Yesterday we had the honor and privilege of being visited by three sparkling personalities with worldwide recognition, @magicjohnson, @samuelljackson & @official_flo. 'After trying several dishes from our kitchen and of course our famous lobster pasta, they complimented us on the professionalism and quality of our service. In the end, they gladly accepted to be photographed not only with Dendrinos family, but also with all of our staff. 'Let us highlight that they were very kind, humble and friendly. Thank you very much and we hope to see you again soon.' That same year, Oscar-nominated actress Demi Moore stopped by and they remarked that 'her timeless beauty and solid personality was bright enough to capture our hearts.' The Dendrinou family wrote at the time: 'Yesterday night the Hollywood actress @demimoore payed a visit to our family restaurant. We had the opportunity to meet her in person and treat her the best Kefalonian dishes. 'Her timeless beauty and solid personality was bright enough to capture our hearts. Thank you Demi and we hope to see you again soon.' Last August, French former football manager and player Arsène Wenger paid a visit to the restaurant. Sharing a picture of Arsène with two of the younger family members, Tassia wrote: 'It is a true honor to host the legendary Arsène Wenger, who is a visionary in the world of football, at @tassia_restaurant yesterday in Fiskardo Village! 'We're thankful for the unforgettable moments and wish him all the best in his ongoing journey. Can't wait to welcome you back, Arsène!' Among the other famous guests was British chef Rick Stein, to which the family said: 'A Memorable Visit by @chefrickstein. We were delighted to welcome the renowned British chef, television presenter, and seafood connoisseur, Rick Stein, to our family restaurant in enchanting Fiskardo Village, Kefalonia. 'Rick, it was a pleasure to share our authentic Greek cuisine and exchange ideas about different cuisines and flavors with you. Here's a delectable moment from his visit. As we near the end of the season, we're excited to share that Tassia's Restaurant continues to be a haven for guests seeking the genuine flavors of Greece. 'Join us to experience the allure that drew @chefrickstein to our doors. 'We extend our heartfelt thanks to Rick for gracing us with his presence, and we look forward to welcoming him as a friend anytime he wishes. Until we meet again!' Queen Camilla's son Tom Parker Bowles also dined there, with his gushing post reading: 'A Royal Thank You to Tom Parker Bowles! We had the privilege of hosting Tom Parker Bowles, the renowned British food writer, critic, and broadcaster, and son of Camilla, the Queen of the United Kingdom, at @tassia_restaurant in the charming Fiskardo Village of Kefalonia.
