Man vs Baby filming locations as Rowan Atkinson’s comedy steals top Netflix spot – The Mirror
Man vs Baby sees Rowan Atkinson reprise his role as Trevor Bingley.
Rowan Atkinson opened up about filming (Image: Netflix)
Everything you need to know about where Man vs Baby was filmed
Man vs Baby is a four-episode series set in London and it follows Rowan Atkinson as Trevor Bingley, who has traded his house-sitting duties for the role of school caretaker. Trevor discovers himself caring for an unplanned little visitor after a baby is abandoned at a school nativity.
Most of the series takes place at a luxury London penthouse, but the apartment is not real. Director David Kerr explained to Reach and other press: “It was a set build, but the fact you had to ask is it a real penthouse, I hope that’s what people think when they watch it.”
Some of the scenes were filmed in Piccadilly Circus and its famous underground station. Trinity Square and the Tower Hill vicinity were also used as sets, as well as Myatt’s Fields Park on Cormont Road in Camberwell.
Viewers may also recognise St James’s district of Westminster and, outside of London, Ongar Railway Station in Chipping Ongar, Essex. At the start of the series, Trevor’s house is in Hertfordshire, but he is forced to leave to attend an important job interview in London.
MOLLY-MAE Hague and Tommy Fury looked all loved up as they cuddled up on a festive day out with daughter Bambi.
The influencer and businesswoman, 26, hailed the moment “everything” as they posed for a selection of snaps.
Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter
Thank you!
Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury looked all loved-up in sweet family snaps from their festive day out with BambiCredit: InstagramThey were joined by the tot’s pal StorieCredit: InstagramThey enjoyed a fairground ride with Molly-Mae’s BFF, TaylaCredit: InstagramThe little family snuggled up in the snowCredit: Instagram
They headed to a winter themed event where their two-year-old daughter looked delighted as she pulled on a helmet and some chunky winter snow boots.
Doting dad Tommy, 26, wearing a black puffer jacket held Bambi tight as she hovered above the snow while Molly-Mae beamed at his other side.
She donned a long-line black coat and matching scarf as she wrapped up against the elements.
The Maebe brand founder styled her hair in a chic bun and opted for natural make-up.
The bunch then posed for a super sweet selfie before following up with another playful snap which Molly-Mae captioned with a series of white love heart Emoji icons.
She then captured a glimpse of Bambi on a roundabout with the star’s pal Tayla-Blue Watts and Tommy, as well as Tayla’s daughter Storie.
The little girls were then treated to a visit from Santa.
Molly-Mae uploaded a snap of their very special visit and wrote: “Went and found Santa going around the houses.
“Pjs and dressing gowns.”
Tommy also captured Santa’s visit on his Instagram Stories with the words: “Ending the day with finding Santa and making sure he knows we’ve been good this year.”
He also shared snaps of the family playing in the snow and put: “Another special weekend with my family.
They have since gotten back on track and are in the process of renovating their new family home and preparing to have their first Christmas together since reuniting.
However, things haven’t been smooth sailing when it comes to parenting Bambi, as the couple admit she’s a handful.
The first-time mum, who previously confessed parenting so far has been an “emotional rollercoaster”, said last week that Bambi is like having a “teenager”.
“The way Bambi acts it’s like she’s a teenager in a two year old’s body. She knows exactly how to work both me and Tommy.”
Tommy and Bambi also enjoyed a daddy daughter date night over the weekendCredit: instagramThe businesswoman recently opened up on difficulties parenting their firstbornCredit: Youtube/Amazon Prime VideoThe pair reignited their romance earlier this yearCredit: Instagram/MollyMae
Rob Reiner, a writer, director, producer, actor and political activist whose career in Hollywood spanned more than six decades and included some of the most iconic titles in movie history, was found dead Sunday with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, at the home they shared in Brentwood. He was 78.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner,” a spokesperson for the family said in a statement Sunday. “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Reiner will be remembered as the director of the seminal 1980s rom-com “When Harry Met Sally,” the actor whose character “Meathead” faced off regularly against Archie Bunker, and the political activist who backed early childhood programs in California and railed loudly for years against President Trump.
The oldest child of comedian Carl Reiner and singer Estelle Reiner, Robert Reiner was born March 6, 1947, in the Bronx, N.Y. Raised by a father who won 11 Primetime Emmys and a Grammy in addition to the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Rob Reiner attended Beverly Hills High School and studied film at UCLA. He then went to work in Hollywood as an actor and writer before moving on to directing and producing.
Reiner’s writing credits in the 1960s included “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” and the TV movie “Where the Girls Are.” In the 1970s, he wrote several episodes of “All in the Family” as well as the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast in 1978 and episodes of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
Reiner married Penny Marshall, star of TV’s “Laverne & Shirley,” in 1971 and adopted Tracy, the daughter Marshall had from a previous marriage. Reiner and Marshall divorced in 1981.
He wrote for the first “Comic Relief,” hosted by Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg. That and the dozen “Comic Relief” telethons that followed raised awareness and money to fight poverty in the U.S. and elsewhere.
“This Is Spinal Tap” in 1984 further established Reiner’s comedic sensibilities in the American milieu. His work took a dramatic turn when he directed the 1986 adaptation of Stephen King’s novella “Stand by Me,” which starred Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell, but he returned to comedy with 1987’s “The Princess Bride” starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright and Mandy Patinkin. Also in 1987, he co-founded production company Castle Rock Entertainment.
Then he directed what would emerge as one of the most beloved rom-coms ever — “When Harry Met Sally,” starring Crystal and Meg Ryan.
On the set of the movie he met photographer Michele Singer and the two married in 1989, the year the film came out. They went on to have three children, Jake, Nick and Romy, born in 1991, 1993 and 1997, respectively.
Reiner was finally nominated for a best picture Academy Award in 1994 for “A Few Good Men,” starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, though the movie lost out that year to Clint Eastwood’s Western “Unforgiven.”
Reiner’s work had sweeping cultural impacts. Three of his movies, “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Princess Bride” and “This is Spinal Tap,” are on the National Film Registry. The phrase “up to eleven,” coined in “This Is Spinal Tap” during an improvised sequence between Reiner and Christopher Guest, is in the Oxford English Dictionary.
“It’s weird that something that we just threw off like that suddenly becomes part of the lexicon of our lives,” Reiner said on NPR’s “Fresh Air” in September. “It’s very strange how these things have taken root.”
In 2015, Reiner was the producer on “Being Charlie,” a drama based on his family’s struggles while son Nick was addicted to hard drugs and rotating in and out of rehabs and homelessness.
“It was very, very hard going through it the first time, with these painful and difficult highs and lows,” Reiner told The Times in 2015. “And then making the movie dredged it all up again.”
Growing up, Reiner balanced conflicting feelings about his relationship with his own father, who was someone he strongly admired. But he also felt as though his father didn’t fully know him. That dichotomy inspired a scene in “Stand by Me” when Gordie declares his father hates him.
“Loving your father and looking up to your father doesn’t necessarily mean you’re feeling that back,” Reiner said on “Fresh Air” in September, recalling how writing that scene made him cry. Reiner, added, however, that he had two “great guides” in his life, his father, who died in 2020, and “All in the Family” creator Norman Lear.
Reiner was a writer on “The 40th Kennedy Center Honors” in 2017, capping a career that included myriad variety show writing credits. “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” which he directed, was his final project as a scribe. “Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale,” due out in 2026, was his final directing credit.
Reiner was nominated five times for supporting actor Emmys for his “All in the Family” work, winning in 1974 and 1978. He was up for two Emmys in 2024 for the documentary “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life.”
A staunch liberal, Reiner also emerged as a force in California politics and child welfare and education issues, and campaigned for presidential candidates including former Vice President Al Gore, endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president and spoke up for President Biden’s reelection. Reiner was also an unapologetic critic of President Trump.
He campaigned in California against tobacco use and in 1998 saw the passage of Proposition 10, which called for a tax on tobacco products to be spent on early childhood programs. Reiner became chairman of the First 5 California Children and Families Commission in January 1999. He resigned in March 2006 amid accusations that the commission had used tax money to boost his campaign for the ultimately unsuccessful Proposition 82, which would have raised income taxes on wealthy Californians to pay for preschool for 4-year-olds. An audit later concluded that he and the commission had not violated state law.
“Rob Reiner has always put California’s kids first, and I thank him for the great work he has done over the last seven years,” then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement at the time. “Because of Rob’s efforts, California has become a national leader in providing early childhood health and education services for our youngest children and their families.”
Times editor Brittany Levine Beckman contributed to this report.
Wake Up Dead Man has bagged a stellar 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, with many viewers already crowning it as the best thriller in the series.
This comes as no surprise considering its talented cast, which includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, and Mila Kunis.
But the ensemble cast has caught moviegoers’ attention with more than just their acting chops. Many have pointed out that each instalment in the franchise has featured at least one actor that Craig worked with during his James Bond days.
Taking to Reddit, one fan posted a series of images of Bond actors who have also appeared in the Knives Out trilogy.
They shared their discovery, writing: “Something interesting I noticed after watching the movies back to back. With Wake Up Dead Man featuring Andrew Scott and Jeffrey Wright , Daniel Craig has worked again with at least one other actor from his James Bond movies on all 3 Knives Out films.”
Fans of the series will remember that the first film featured Oscar nominee Ana de Armas as nurse Marta Cabrera.
Craig and de Armas also collaborated in No Time to Die, in which the actress played CIA agent Paloma.
However, as some fans on Reddit pointed out “Ana de Armas was a Knives Out actor in a Bond movie, not the other way around,” since she joined the Bond universe two years after starring in the mystery film.
Craig later reunited with fellow Bond star Dave Bautista in Glass Onion, the Knives Out sequel.
Spectre fans will remember Bautista as terrifying henchman Hinx, a character worlds away from his light-hearted Glass Onion role as gamer Duke Cody.
Irish actor Andrew Scott also featured in the same 2015 Bond film as intelligence agent Max Denbigh.
Scott plays misguided writer Lee Ross in Wake Up Dead Man, though he sparingly shares scenes with Craig.
Another No Time to Die star, Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright also reunites with Craig in the new Knives Out film.
Wright plays Bishop Langstrom, who serves as something of a mentor for main character Father Jud Duplenticy (O’Connor).
Fans were especially thrilled to see this duo collaborating again, four years after Wright played Bond’s ally Felix Leiter.
Responding to the Reddit thread, one fan penned: “God I love Jeffery Wright,” with someone else agreeing: “Was the best surprise seeing him!”
And a third added: “The Jeffrey wright one really made me happy. Didn’t know he was in it!”
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is streaming now on Netflix
AFTER nearly two decades of filling Saturday lunchtimes with her wit and warm charm, Zoe Ball is stepping away from her BBC Radio 2 show.
The beloved presenter will air her final programme on December 20, bringing an end to a chapter that has made her a fixture of British radio.
Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter
Thank you!
Zoe Ball announced she is leaving BBC Radio 2Credit: PAThe 55-year-old teased she has a new manCredit: Getty
Her announcement comes after she was included in the BBC’s “Golden Ten” shortlist of presenters tested for the perfect on-screen partnership to replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
It comes after Zoe quit the Radio 2 breakfast show at the end of 2024 following the heartbreaking loss of her mum, Julia Peckham, to cancer in April last year.
She left the coveted slot she’d held for six years to “focus on family,” and took a four-and-a-half month break from theradiofollowing her mother’s death.
Zoe has spent nearly two decades at the stationCredit: PAZoe set to be replaced by presenter Emma WillisCredit: Peter Jordan
At the time, Zoe shared a touching tribute to her late mum on social media, saying: “Sleep tight dear Mama.
“Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts.”
Opening up about her grief, Zoe revealed she found the first birthday of her mum, Julia, since her death especially hard.
She said: “It’s a year and a bit since we lost mum, and I found her birthday this year, the toughest, the toughest, you know, a whole year later.
“That was brutal. It was a week of absolute weeping, I still get quite emotional sort of talking about mum, even now.”
Speaking on her podcast, Zoe choked back tears as she admitted suffering an “emotional breakdown” during a this “brutal” period of her life last year.
The presenter bravely told how she was left unable to move on the kitchen floor after being struck down with grief following her mum’s passing.
It’s been a chaotic time for Zoe and her family with her dad, TV legend Johnny Ball, revealing earlier this year he had been secretly fighting prostate cancer.
The 87-year-old broadcaster endured three brutal months of daily radiation treatment back in 2022, but is now “through it” and feeling”fine”.
She has admitted she occasionally questions whether leaving her flagship BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show was the right move, after stepping down to spend more time with her teenage daughter.
“Someone had smashed the front window of my car, that’s never happened to me before,” she revealed.
Initially frozen from the shock of the attack, she said: “I got in and I had a massive cry.”
Despite leaving her regular radio show, she promises fans she isn’t disappearing completely, with special broadcasts lined up over the festive season and into the new year.
The 55-year-old broadcasting favourite is set to be replaced by presenter Emma Willis.
She said: “I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh (Ranganathan) and Rylan (Clark), and you know, I love you all to bits, but I’m not disappearing completely.
“Obviously, it’ll be Christmas Crooners and I’m doing an eras show in the new year, more on that later.
“But I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a superwoman who is no stranger to you all, but this does mean that she will officially become a member of theRadio 2family.“
The adored host first took to the air as co-host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show nearly thirty years ago, before becoming the first female DJ to host the primetime slot solo.
Zoe was the BBC’s second-highest paid presenter while she was hosting the coveted morning slot, pocketing £950,000 between April 2023 and 2024, just behind Gary Lineker.
Zoe had been one of the contenders to replace the much-loved pair on Strictly, amongst others including Alan Carr and Rylan Clark.
After quitting herradioshow, the mum-of-two is now pipping the rest at the top.
Emma Willis, who is due to replace Ball on her Radio 2 show from next weekend, said:
Willis said: “I’m a huge fan of Radio 2, so I’m absolutely chuffed to be joining the family, and it’s a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore.
“I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!”
Los Angeles police are investigating an apparent homicide at the Brentwood home of Rob Reiner, where two people were found dead Sunday afternoon.
The bodies of a 78-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman were found at the home in the 200 block of Chadbourne Avenue, according to Police Capt. Mike Bland.
Law enforcement sources told The Times that a family member was being questioned in connection with the death. .
The sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation, confirmed that there was no sign of forced entry into the home. The names of the victims have not been released.
Margaret Stewart, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman, said the department was called to the residence around 3:30 p.m. for medical aid. Inside the home, fire personnel discovered the bodies of the man and woman.
Rob Reiner and wife Michele Reiner attend the 46th Kennedy Center Honors gala at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington in December 2023.
(Kent Nishimulra / AFP via Getty Images)
Reiner, 78, has had a five-decade-long career in Hollywood.
Early in his career, he played Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the iconic sitcom “All in the Family” from 1971 to 1979, alongside Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker.
As a director, Reiner helmed a string of hits including “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Princess Bride” and “This Is Spinal Tap.” His work took a dramatic turn when he directed the 1986 adaptation of Steven King’s novella “Stand by Me.”
Reiner was finally nominated for an Academy Award for 1993’s “A Few Good Men,” which starred Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, though the movie lost to Clint Eastwood’s western “Unforgiven.”
Reiner also was a leading political voice in Hollywood.
He was a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization that led the fight to overturn Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. He’s also been active in children’s issues through the years, having led the campaign to pass Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, which created an ambitious program of early childhood development services.
Proposition 10 was considered landmark policy. Reiner enlisted help in the effort from Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, and his own father, comedy legend Carl Reiner.
Reiner was married to Penny Marshall, star of “Laverne & Shirley,” from 1971 to 1981. He met photographer Michele Singer on the set of “When Harry Met Sally” and the two married in 1989, the year the movie came out.
Michele Singer Reiner began producing films over the last decade, including “Shock and Awe,” “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” and “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” all directed by her husband. She also produced “God & Country,” a look at Christian nationalism in the U.S.
By Sunday evening, law enforcement had swarmed Reiner’s sprawling estate in Brentwood, though an eerie quiet hung over Chadbourne Avenue, which had been sealed from the public with yellow crime scene tape.
Police cars were stationed at either ends of the block where the Reiner residence is located while a chopper circled overhead.
Officers spoke to a young man inside of the sealed off area, who left the scene around 7:30 p.m. in a white Tesla and declined to speak to the media.
Councilmember Traci Park, whose Westside district includes Brentwood, said in a statement that the LAPD had increased patrols in the neighborhood “out of an abundance of caution.”
“As we continue to wait for more updates, I want to express my profound concern and sadness at the news coming out of Brentwood,” Park wrote in the statement. “We are in close contact with LAPD as the homicide unit continues their investigation.”
This breaking news story will be updated.
Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Amber Davies was the subject of brutal comments from social media trolls after defeating Lewis Cope in a dance off but is brushing off the abuse to focus on the positives
Amber Davies has spoken out after making it to the final(Image: instagram/@amb_d)
On Sunday night, TV fans watched as Strictly judges unanimously voted to save Amber and Nikita after they danced against EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and her dance partner Julian Caillon – a week after they had saved the duo in a dance off against Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope and dancer Katya Jones.
The 23rd season of Strictly has been fraught for some of the contestants as they have faced abuse online, with Amber targeted after defeating Lewis, and for her West End stage career, which some have felt has given her an unfair advantage in the contest. And the star has seen comments reach beyond criticism to become nothing short of bullying.
On Sunday night, following the latest results show, Amber took to social media to tell her fans and lavish praise on her fellow contestants – and embrace all the positive experiences she has enjoyed over the past few months. Sharing a photo of herself with defeated semi-finalist Balvinder, the stage star wrote: “To do this experience next to you has been the biggest gift & life lesson, your strength and resilience has inspired me every single day. You are one of a kind, I will always be #TeamBal.”
In a video message to followers, Amber explained that she was supporting her fellow finalists, YouTube star George Clarke and footballer Karen Carney, as they all faced a final together. She said via Instagram: “I just wanna come on here and say in the close to a decade I’ve been in the public eye, I’ve never experienced an outpouring of love the way I have in the last 48 hours.”
She continued: “And to make the Strictly final is…I’m speechless. From how it started, I genuinely can’t believe I’ve made it to the end, but you know, I’ve just realised, I think I’ve needed to do Strictly to realise that there is so much kindness in this world.”
And she explained: “Like Nikita said, we’re stronger when we’re kinder and I’m going to literally enjoy every single second of this week. I’m rooting for George, I’m rooting for Kaz, and I’m just gonna be there to enjoy the ride.”
On Saturday night, Nikita took an opportunity during the live show to defend Amber, who has endured weeks of social media abuse. He told Amber in the Clauditorium: “You have had so much hate every single day from the moment you joined, you’ve had so much hate this week, and yet, you came every single day into the training room with a big smile, ignoring everybody.
“And just giving me love, giving me a ginger shot as well. But you gave so much love, you always were kind, so caring, you care more about me when I’m supposed to care about you. You care about me every single day, you are such a lovely kind person.
“And I think sometimes, and I speak to the audience at home, just please be kind because it costs nothing and you [Amber] don’t deserve none of it. You only deserve love because without you, I wouldn’t be here, and the show wouldn’t be as good as it is.”
Following Sunday’s results show, Amber shared photos of herself with Nikita on the dancefloor alongside an upbeat message about their final week on the show. She began by writing on Instagram: “Strictly 2025 finalists,” alongside an emotion-filled face emoji.
She wrote: “To those who have supported and voted for us from day one, you are the reason we are here and have made it!! 12 live shows, 3 dance-offs, 3 40s!!!! It’s not about winning for me, it never EVER has been, it’s always been about making the most of this incredible opportunity that was gifted to me so last minute. And now I will wholeheartedly cherish every single second of this last week with my partner in crime, one last week of pushing, laughing, learning, growing & of course knowing me lots of crying.”
She added: “I feel an overwhelming emotion of gratitude to you @bbcstrictly the greatest team in the world. Let’s go DANCE OUR HEARTS OUT FOR US @nikita__kuzmin TEAM BLOMMING CHAOS MADE IT TO THE END.”
Zoe Ball spent this weekend celebrating daughter Nelly’s 16th birthday with ex Norman CookCredit: InstagramNelly and her older brother Woody beamed for a snap taken by their mum ZoeCredit: InstagramThe party fittingly featured a DJ deck and giant balloons spelling out NellyCredit: Instagram
She is set to be replaced by Emma Willis, who says she is a “huge fan” of the show.
Speaking on air on Saturday, Zoe told listeners: “I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh (Ranganathan) and Rylan (Clark), and you know, I love you all to bits, but I’m not disappearing completely.
“Obviously, it’ll be Christmas Crooners and I’m doing an eras show in the new year, more on that later.”
“I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a super woman who is no stranger to you all, but this does mean that she will officially become a member of the Radio 2 family.”
Emma said she is excited to be taking on the role: “I’m a huge fan of Radio 2, so I’m absolutely chuffed to be joining the family – and it’s a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore.”
The new host signed off: “I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!”
The news comes as Zoe is one of the “Golden Ten” shortlist of presenters that BBC bosses have lined up to step into the shoes of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
Zoe announced just hours before the bash that she is stepping down from her Radio 2 showCredit: PAShe is leaving behind fellow presenters and close friends such as Rylan ClarkCredit: BBCIt comes as Zoe is rumoured to be in the running to present Strictly Come Dancing
George Clooney plays the title character in Netflix’s “Jay Kelly,” a Clooney-esque movie star who is seemingly on top of the world — but is, in fact, at a crossroads. He’s finished his latest movie and is at a point in his career where he’s begun to worry that every project could be his last. His hope to spend the summer with his youngest daughter, Daisy, is squashed when he realizes she’s set to travel in Europe before heading off to college in the fall. (Jessica, Jay’s eldest daughter, barely speaks to him.) His mentor, a British director who cast him in his first movie, has recently died; on top of the looming sense of mortality is the guilt Jay feels for not attaching his name to the director’s final project in order to get the financing. And after the funeral, Jay runs into the former friend who brought him to that fateful audition as emotional support — and who remains bitter that Jay got the role and “stole his life.”
Instead of sitting down to process these conflicts, Jay decides to run away from them, dropping out of his next movie to follow Daisy to Europe. His professional entourage — a group that includes his longtime manager and friend Ron (Adam Sandler) and his no-nonsense publicist Liz (Laura Dern) — immediately springs into action, accompanying Jay on a chaotic trip abroad, with the final stop being an Italian film festival where Jay is set to receive a career achievement award.
“I did have an idea of an actor having a crisis of some sort, and it would be a journey forward and backward at the same time,” says writer-director Noah Baumbach of the spark that eventually became “Jay Kelly.” As Jay flees Hollywood, the city and its people continue to haunt him. Visions of himself as a young actor float in and out of his mind as he recognizes the mistakes he made by screwing over his friend and neglecting his older daughter. But no matter where he goes — even on board a crowded train from Paris to Tuscany — he’s instantly recognized as the A-list star that he is. Jay Kelly cannot escape himself no matter how hard he tries.
Laura Dern, George Clooney and Adam Sandler in “Jay Kelly.”
(Peter Mountain / Netflix)
Baumbach wrote “Jay Kelly” with British actor and screenwriter Emily Mortimer, who also appears in the film as Jay’s go-to makeup artist: “It really wasn’t until I brought Emily into it that it started to shape itself more into the movie you see,” Baumbach says.
One might assume that the pair’s years in the business (now in their 50s, Baumbach and Mortimer both got their start in the mid-1990s) informed their depiction of fame and stardom, but Baumbach is adamant that he didn’t set out to write a satire of their industry. “As Emily and I were focusing on the characters and the story, meaning started to reveal itself,” he explains. “Part of our job is to be open and aware of that.”
It tracks that a megastar like Jay would be surrounded by a close-knit circle of people managing his life, which led to Baumbach and Mortimer exploring those complicated relationships. One central storyline is the friendship between Jay and Ron, who have worked together for decades. Despite his devotion to his wife and kids, Ron’s top professional priority is Jay, and the inherently transactional nature of their relationship is a conflict that slowly bubbles up to the surface. There’s simply no getting around the fact that the person Jay is the closest to is also someone who takes 15% of his earnings.
Filmmaker Noah Baumbach.
(Sela Shiloni / For The Times)
It’s an awkward situation that many who work in the entertainment industry will recognize — but it’s also a humorous truth, the kind that underscores all of Baumbach’s films. “Jay Kelly” isn’t his first film set, at least in part, in Los Angeles. In “Greenberg,” Ben Stiller’s title character is a cantankerous and neurotic New Yorker who has fled west after a nervous breakdown. In the autobiographical “Marriage Story,” Adam Driver’s Charlie, a New York-based theater director, finds himself trapped in L.A. during his divorce from his actor wife, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson).
Baumbach, a Brooklyn native, calls his relationship with Los Angeles complex. “It’s a place I don’t always love being in,” he says — a bit of an understatement. But he’s more fascinated than repulsed by the city. “I was never drawn to be satirical about it. I think it’s such an interesting, strange place. [My films that] take place here do so for a reason. With ‘Greenberg,’ L.A. is a metaphor for loneliness. In ‘Marriage Story,’ Charlie is forced to fight for a home outside of where he feels his home is.” And at the end of the day, where else could a star like Jay reside? “I mean, Jay Kelly couldn’t have lived in New York, right?”
There is, of course, show business, an industry that values make-believe and vanity and couldn’t possibly exist anywhere else. “Ron has the line, ‘Death is so surprising, particularly in L.A.,’” Baumbach says, reciting Sandler’s dialogue from early in the film. “[These characters are] living in a place that, for the most part, doesn’t change — and that helps support the collective illusion that we’re all going to live forever.”
National treasure Dame Judi Dench has admitted she is concerned that social media is taking over, and believes that theatres could pay the price
Judi Dench is worried about the future of the arts in this country(Image: Radio Times)
Dame Judi Dench has admitted she fears for the future of theatre. In an interview to promote a new TV show with fellow theatre star Kenneth Branagh, Judi was asked if theatre had evolved since she first took to the stage in 1957.
She said: “All I can hope is that theatre has evolved. With the onset of social media and I believe a marked lack of interest in the Arts, I fear that the younger generations won’t have the benefit or interest in the theatre like we all had.”
Judi, 91,insisted the stage had been a huge help to her acting during an incredible career. She is known for starring in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth.
She said: “In every single play or production I have ever done, I’ve learnt something new. That comes not just from the play or the director, but also from your fellow actors. Each production offers countless opportunities to keep learning and growing.
“I knew in Antony & Cleopatra that there was a line of Cleopatra that was intended to get a laugh – on the 100th performance I got the laugh.”
In Peter Hall’s 1987 National Theatre production of Antony and Cleopatra, Judi Dench took Shakespeare’s character and re-created it from her own personality and imagination. She was alongside Antony Hopkins as Antony. Critics have described it as one of Dench’s greatest performances.
Michael Billington wrote in the Guardian: “Dench gave us a Cleopatra whose sexuality stemmed from her volatility, intelligence and wit: a woman of infinite variety who was enthralling company and an irresistible magnetic force, drawing Anthony Hopkins’s jaded warrior of an Antony back to Egypt.”
But it didn’t always go this week. Recalling her first ever stage performance playing Ophelia in 1957, Dench told Branagh: “I was in a kind of haze. We opened at the Liverpool Playhouse. It didn’t go well.
“They didn’t like somebody completely unknown playing the part. It was a bit dodgy.” Thankfully, she was encouraged and kept on in the theatre company and given smaller roles to build up her confidence again. She would go on to become one of the great British actors.
Dench has won an Oscar, two Golden Globes and six Baftas. As well as her stage performances, she is well known for portraying M in eight James Bond films.
Tea with Judi Dench sees her joined by Branagh for a one-off show on Sky Arts. They reflect on their remarkable careers and personal journeys in an intimate and insightful discussion. Dench said they share a similar sense of humour and she added: “What I admire most is his attitude to work, his commitment to what he does, and of course his sense of humour – those are the first things that stand out. Also, his respect for the theatre and the work he does.”
* Tea with Judi Dench airs 22 December on Sky Arts, Freeview, and streaming service NOW
