Latest news with #ThePhoenicianScheme
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Michael Cera recalls getting schooled by Tom Cruise; reveals how he was called out for mumbling during the shoot
Michael Cera , the 'Juno' actor, revealed one of his pinch-me moments in his career, and it involves getting schooled by Tom Cruise . Not only was he called out by the 'Mission: Impossible' star, but he also remembered getting blasted in front of others. About Michael Cera getting schooled... In an appearance on the Louis Theroux podcast, Cera said that he met with the 62-year-old star on the sets of 'Tropic Thunder' in 2010. Michael said that he had dropped by the set to shoot some pre-taped scenes for the MTV Movie Awards. However, Cera was mumbling while Cruise was shooting, and the latter heard it even though they were 40 feet away from him. Recalling the incident, the actor revealed that he was called out in front of everyone when Tom asked whether he was talking during the shoot. 'Shut Up' 'We were just kind of mumbling while they were shooting, but they could hear us. It was just like 40 feet away,' Michael said, before adding, 'And Tom Cruise looks at me—I've never met him, and they're in the middle of a take, and he looks, and he goes, 'Is that Michael Cera talking during a f--king take?' He was joking, but it was also like, 'Do shut up,' you know? But so surreal.' While 'The Phoenician Scheme' actor thought the veteran actor might be kidding, it was clear that he wanted him to shut up. Furthermore, Michael said that Tom runs the sets and is always the leader. While he is friendly, Cera said that the film star is always the first Assistant Director, and would take care of the smallest details to perfection. After a couple of moments, when Tom met Michael in person, he went on to ask about the talk during the shooting incident. Citing that he knew what was happening on the set, Cera said that one of the writers was talking. Tom went on to say that he was just kidding, and Michael stated that so was he.
Axios
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
11 things to do in Richmond this very hot weekend
The weekend is coming in hot — literally — so here are 11 things you can do in town that don't involve (aggressively) sweating. 💦 Splash around at one of the nearly dozen of free splash pads around town. 🤿 Hit up a free city pool, or rent one via pool-sharing company Swimply. There are now 19 available to rent in town, and at least half of them are in the ground. 👙 Take the whole family to Pocahontas State Park and try out its water park, which has four pools, water slides and a spray area. Adult swim passes start at $10. 🍿 Stay cool in the Byrd Theatre with a flick ("The Phoenician Scheme" and "Sinners" play primetime this weekend). $9. 🚤 Rent a boat! Local options include self-captained retro boats at Rocketts Landing, pontoons from Kingfish Boat Rentals in Eastern Henrico and jet skis through an Airbnb-style boat rental company. 🛟 Float the day away in a tube on the James River. You can rent one or BYO.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Michael Cera snubbed Harry Potter role to stop becoming 'too famous'
Michael Cera used to turn down roles to stop himself becoming "too famous". The 37-year-old actor has opened up on his decision to snub certain projects in the past, including "kids movies" and parts in franchises like the Harry Potter spin-off films Fantastic Beasts. He told the Louis Theroux Podcast: "I did sort of, make a conscientious choice to limit my exposure a little bit, or just try and be a little more in control of it. "Doing like, especially little kids movies. I had a big fear of doing things that would get me too famous." Michael admitted he refused to "engage" with the Fantastic Beasts movies, which were based in the world of JK Rowling's Harry Potter novels. He recalled: "I don't even know if I was offered, I think I just declined to engage with it because, I think it would be like probably six years commitment or something." Although the Barbie star long shunned big Hollywood projects to keep a relatively low profile, Michael - who can currently be seen in Wes Anderson's new movie The Phoenician Scheme - has since altered his stance. He added: "I think that's changed a little. I think I've outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that's what that was at that time." Michael has always strived to keep his private life out of the public eye, and fans still don't know how exactly how long he and his wife Nadine have been together. In 2022, he made rare comments about their relationship as he opened up on how the couple - who have two young children together - first met in a bar in Paris. He told his friend Justin Long's Life Is Short podcast at the time: "There was no shyness, we just kept seeing each other and smiling. It was so comfortable. "It was a really unfamiliar way to experience a stranger, and I felt like I saw the whole thing."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
7 best Scarlett Johansson movies to stream right now
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Scarlett Johansson has been appearing in movies since she was 10 years old, and it sometimes seems like she has never not been a star. She's the rare performer who made a smooth, quick transition from child actor to adult actor, and she's remained prolific and acclaimed for the past 30-plus years. Those three decades have included two Oscar nominations (for 'Marriage Story' and 'Jojo Rabbit'), performances across multiple genres, and an ongoing presence as superhero Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In just a few months in 2025, she's appeared in Wes Anderson's typically offbeat 'The Phoenician Scheme,' hosted 'Saturday Night Live' (where she got to work with her husband, Colin Jost) and prepared to carry yet another blockbuster franchise as the star of 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' opening in theaters July 2. Here are my picks for the best of Johansson's many excellent film performances. After several years as a child actor, Johansson had her breakthrough role in this satisfyingly cynical adaptation of the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes. Thora Birch stars as acerbic teenager Enid, with Johansson as her more sensible best friend Rebecca. Although they begin the movie as partners in snark, hurling insults at classmates during their high school graduation, their paths diverge as Rebecca gets a job and sets out on a path to mainstream adulthood. While Enid strikes up a disingenuous friendship with an oddball older record collector named Seymour (Steve Buscemi) and continues to reject societal expectations, Rebecca sees a life beyond Enid's empty nihilism. Johansson's deadpan delivery gives Rebecca the right sense of ironic detachment, while also offering glimpses into the maturity that begins to set her apart from the entitled, condescending Enid. Watch on Prime Video Johansson received her first Golden Globe nomination for her adult debut, playing the disaffected wife of a rock photographer spending an aimless week in Tokyo. Johansson's Charlotte has a chance meeting with movie star Bob Harris (Bill Murray), a fellow American staying in her hotel, who's in town to shoot a commercial for a Japanese whisky company. The two of them form an unlikely bond as they wander the city, feeling disconnected from their surroundings and questioning their life choices. Johansson and Murray have sweet, understated chemistry that is almost entirely platonic, and writer-director Sofia Coppola captures the sense of isolation that can come from an unfamiliar environment. Like the movie, Johansson's performance is a mix of bitter melancholy and wry humor, hinting at deeper longings often left unsaid. Rent/buy at Apple or Amazon The third of Johansson's three collaborations with writer-director Woody Allen is the strongest, both as a film and as a showcase for her talents. Johansson and Rebecca Hall star as best friends spending a summer in Barcelona. Hall's Vicky is a pragmatic grad student set to marry a dull businessman (Chris Messina), while Johansson's Cristina is a more free-spirited seeker who fancies herself some kind of artist. They're both drawn to passionate Spanish painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), although it's Cristina who ends up in a relationship with him — as well as with his volatile ex-wife Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' is one of Allen's most sensual films, in both its intimate relationships and its depiction of Spain, and Johansson fits in perfectly as a woman who never quite knows what she wants, but isn't afraid of going after it anyway. Watch on Peacock Director Jonathan Glazer pares down the source novel for this eerie sci-fi movie to its bare minimum, and Johansson does the same in her performance, playing an alien who assumes human form to seduce and consume unsuspecting men. At least that's what appears to be going on, although Glazer's minimalist approach invites the audience to fill in numerous narrative gaps. The unanswered questions only make 'Under the Skin' more unsettling, as Johansson's unnamed character travels across Scotland, chatting up men and bringing them back to a blank void, where they're trapped and devoured by an unknown force. Johansson uses her movie-star image as a sort of costume, allowing this creature to lay on the charm just as easily as she turns cold and detached — at least until her burgeoning connection with humanity becomes too much to bear. Rent/buy at Apple or Amazon It's sort of astounding that Johansson never actually appears onscreen in Spike Jonze's prescient sci-fi movie about a lonely man falling in love with an AI operating system. Johansson wasn't even originally cast in the movie, and was only brought in during post-production to replace the original actress as the voice of Samantha, the AI assistant who makes a romantic connection with depressed writer Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix). Johansson's performance is so key to the movie's success that it's hard to imagine it without her. She makes Samantha sound alluring and relatable as Theodore gets to know her, and later conveys the AI's expanding consciousness as Samantha rebels against the constraints of a single human connection. 'Her' has only become more relevant in the current age of AI, and it provides a bittersweet counterpoint to common dystopian perspectives. Watch on Prime Video One of the best things about Noah Baumbach's equally harrowing and humane drama about a couple's acrimonious divorce is that it's easy to argue that either party is in the right. That's thanks to Baumbach's deft writing and direction, as well as the brilliant lead performances from Johansson and Adam Driver. Baumbach takes the time to let viewers understand why these people were in love and seemed ideally matched before he shows their relationship falling apart. The villain here isn't the husband or the wife, but the grueling divorce industry that turns an initially amicable split into a ferocious battle, culminating in a devastating central fight between the estranged spouses. Johansson and Driver are just as genuinely moving in that moment of intense anger as they are in the lighthearted scenes, portraying the full spectrum of emotion in such a life-changing process. Watch on Netflix Johansson appeared as former Russian spy Natasha Romanoff in nine Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, but this is the only one that places her front and center, and it came after her character had already been killed off. That makes it somewhat underappreciated in the MCU, but Johansson demonstrates why Natasha became so popular with superhero fans, who advocated for years for her to get her own movie. Set before and during the events of previous MCU movies, 'Black Widow' introduces Natasha's dysfunctional adopted family of fellow covert agents, played by David Harbour, Rachel Weisz and Florence Pugh. Their fractured dynamic is the best part of the movie, which delves into Natasha's brutal upbringing in the sadistic training facility known as the Red Room, and finally gives her a chance to take her revenge. Watch on Disney Plus 5 best Pedro Pascal movies, ranked The best movie of 2025 (so far) you missed in theaters just arrived on streaming — and it's a hilariously heartfelt watch Prime Video just got a hilarious new action comedy with Orlando Bloom — and it's 95% on Rotten Tomatoes
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Michael Cera Turned Down 'Harry Potter' for Strange Reason
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors If "The Phoenician Scheme" star Michael Cera had made a different choice, today he would be one of the stars considered part of the "Harry Potter" pantheon. Cera was on "The Louis Theroux Podcast," where he revealed he was in talks to become part of the "Fantastic Beasts" spinoff films, but he bowed out because he was worried about becoming too famous. Read More: Live-Action 'Street Fighter' Casts Horror Star as Chun-Li "I don't even know if I was offered, I think I just declined to engage with it because I think it would be like probably six years commitment or something," Cera said. "But also, I did sort of make a conscientious choice to limit my exposure a little bit, or just try and be a little more in control of it. And I felt like doing, especially little kids' movies, I had a big fear of doing things that I would get too famous." Michael Cera attends Focus Features' "The Phoenician Scheme" New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 28, 2025 in New York City. Michael Cera attends Focus Features' "The Phoenician Scheme" New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 28, 2025 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy/WireImage It's up for debate whether or not Cera ultimately had all that much to worry about. While the original plan was for five "Fantastic Beasts" films to be released, the box office saw diminishing returns with each additional entry. In 2022, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" suffered an underwhelming performance at the box office, and while the film series has never officially been canceled, there's no word of a fourth film in the works. Regardless, Cera says he's shaken off the feeling that made him pass on "Fantastic Beasts". "I think I've outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that's what that was at that time," Cera said. "But if a franchise came along now and seemed interesting, I don't think on the grounds of it being a franchise I would storm out of the office or anything." Asked about a possible role in the MCU, Cera joked, "A superhero who is a big fan of dairy, I could play." As far as the upcoming "Harry Potter" series set to debut on HBO Max, Cera is probably too late with most of the roles being filled. One of the only major roles left is that of the villain Voldemort, with some rumors pointing toward Cillian Murphy as a favorite. More Movies: Ezra Miller Eyes Possible Hollywood Return Russell Crowe Cast in 'Highlander' Reboot
