Casting Director Says Ariana DeBose Turned Down 'West Side Story' Audition Four Times

Paramount‘s big ViacomCBS Investors Event held this afternoon dropped a barrage of Paramount+ television offerings news about the Taylor Sheridan-verse, yet another “Yellowstone” spin-off, more “South Park,” “Halo” news, and more. However, that’s not all the offered in their battalion of announcements meant to dazzle investors and Wall Street.

Radio Times: "I said, 'Look, I’m not Jewish – and really, really think about it because if you want to withdraw the offer to me, I have absolutely no hard feelings."'I would absolutely understand if you want to go another route.'"He did think about it and he said, 'Yes, I want you to do it,’ and so that gave me, in a way, the confidence to go forward.'The movie star added that casting has "sort of exploded from the inside out", but she does agree that "it’s all about opportunity"."Without opportunity, you can do nothing," she smiled."And if the discussion has to be had around my performance then – oh my God – I hope that I’m all right as Golda, because if I’m not..."While Mirren may feel a little apprehensive about her debut, we are without doubt that her portrayal will be nothing short of fantastic.She is undeniably one of Britain's most iconic actresses, having starred in countess movies and TV series, won an Oscar and 126 other awards alongside 134 nominations for her portrayals on-screen.While working on Golda, the 76-year-old has also got another film out this year; one that she hopes will help her "break free" from a character she's been associated with for a decade.The Duke, which is set in 1961, follows 60-year-old taxi driver Kempton Bunton, who steals Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London.He sends ransom notes saying that he will return the painting if the government invests more in care for the elderly.Mirren spoke about her character in the comedy-drama, the final film from director Roger Michell, who died last September.She plays Dorothy Bunton, a charlady who's married to real-life character Kempton Bunton, played by Jim Broadbent, and Dorothy's drab, worn-down

Dolly Parton, 76, has managed to keep her marriage to husband-of-55-years Carl Thomas Dean, totally elusive.

InStyle, the actress, 63, said she actually picked out the dress on her own — and, per her contract, she got to keep her entire wardrobe."The costume designer, Ellen Mirojnick, took me to Rodeo Drive and said, 'You can pick out any one thing that you want for your character,'" Sharon said. "At this point in my life, the idea that I could go into one of those high-end stores where a purse costs $20,000 and not feel like an impostor was beyond my comprehension."Sharon, a newcomer to film at the time, felt it was important to be able to keep her wardrobe, largely based on the fact that co-star Michael Douglas was making $14 million for the movie.

A primary school has received numerous complaints from outraged parents after it banned meat from its lunch menu.

Miguel, 36, and Nazanin Mandi, 35, are back together and look happier than ever! The singer and model, who split five months ago after getting married in 2018, posed for epic PDA-filled black and white pics that they shared to their Instagram pages on Feb. 15 and wrote captions that called themselves “the Pimentel’s” and talked about how “love heals.” In the snapshots. the lovebirds are showing off various affectionate poses and kisses and flashing nonstop smiles.

K.J. Yossman Graduates of Netflix’s first ever Documentary Talent Fund have launched their short films.Ten U.K.-based filmmakers were chosen to receive £40,000 ($54,000) as well as mentorship and access to production workshops covering legal, creative, HR, production and finance in order to create a short film with the brief of “Britain’s Not Boring And Here’s a Story.”The ten films received their premieres in London on Wednesday evening and will be livestreamed on Netflix’s 21.9 million strong TikTok page at 7pm GMT on Feb.

Julia Fox, 32, wants to set the record straight about her brief relationship with Kanye West. The actress is claiming the 44-year-old rapper, who she split from this month, “wanted” her to talk publicly about their romance, which she sometimes did after they started dating in late 2021. The claim came when she directly responded to a comment from an Instagram user that accused her of talking to the press because she was “desperate for attention.”

Although Elizabeth Olsen used to be known as the lesser-known younger sister to superstar twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, she’s now made such a name for herself as an actress, arguably surpassing the twins’ fame. The California native, born February 16, 1989, started acting when she was four, but didn’t really start to find her stride until after she graduated from New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts in 2013 after studying drama and finding critical acclaim for her leading role in the 2011 indie flick Martha Marcy May Marlene. She went on to act in a slew of other indie films and subsequently found her place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starring in many Avengers and Captain America films and also standing out as Scarlet Witch in Disney+’s WandaVision.

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Ryan Michelle Bathe on her toes — and guessing along with everyone else where her character, no-nonsense FBI agent Val Turner, is headed next on the NBC drama, premiering Monday (Feb. 21) at 10 p.m.“I have to say that Val doesn’t have much of a character evolution,” Bathe, 45, told The Post. “We’re shooting the seventh episode now … and literally hours have ticked by since we met her.

Netflix Wednesday. The hip-hop star breaks down his mental-health struggles since the 2007 death of his beloved mother Donda West in “Act III: Awakening” — the third episode of the three-part documentary, which will begin streaming on March 2.

Millie Court and Liam Reardon recently celebrated their first Valentine's Day with a cosy night in at their £1million Essex pad. Love Island winners Millie, 25, and Liam, 22, opted for a relaxing evening together watching TV instead of heading out to celebrate. Millie, who recently opened up about her struggles with acne, took to her Instagram Stories to reveal that the pair were currently cuddled up in bed waiting for a takeaway, as Liam wasn't "feeling 100%" ahead of an upcoming operation.

Paul Plunkett An assembly line follows a simple formula. Use the most efficient way to mass-produce something and repeat.

Rachel Zegler had the ultimate New Jersey experience.

Zack Sharf Disney’s slate of live-action remakes has included “Cinderella,” “The Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast,” and coming soon is Marb Webb’s live-action reimagining of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Webb, best known for helming “500 Days of Summer” and Andrew Garfield’s “Spider-Man” films, has cast “West Side Story” breakout Rachel Zegler in the title role and Gal Gadot as the villainous Evil Queen. Not everyone is too thrilled with idea of remaking “Snow White,” most notably Peter Dinklage.

Ariana DeBose almost didn’t play Anita in Steven Spielberg‘s new adaptation of West Side Story, according to casting director Cindy Tolan.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorAs Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” steamrolls through awards season, gaining traction for leading ladies Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose, casting director Cindy Tolan talked about how DeBose almost missed out on playing Anita.It was just over four years ago when casting director Cindy Tolan received a call from producer Kristie Macosko Krieger who said, “Cindy Tolan, I have four sentences for you; Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner, ‘West Side Story,’ what do you think?’”A week later Tolan met with Spielberg, who told her he had no intention of remaking the 1961 film, but instead would base his movie on the 1957 stage production. With that, she was on board to cast the film which stars Ariana DeBose, Rachel Zegler, Mike Faist and Ansel Elgort.

Maane Khatchatourian News Editor, Variety.com“Actors on Actors” is back with another star-studded season.Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Jamie Dornan and Ariana DeBose are among the awards-season heavyweights featured on the 15th season of “Actors on Actors,” premiering Feb. 18 on PBS SoCal.Gaga will be paired with a mystery actor, who will be revealed when Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” issue hits newsstands on Wednesday, for the three-time Emmy-winning series.

Tim Gray Senior Vice PresidentWhen Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” screened for industry audiences in late November, Oscar pundits were rapturous but immediately worried: “It’s great, but could a remake win best picture?”The answer, of course, is yes. (Pundits like to either predict the Oscar outcome five months in advance or else predict dire scenarios, nothing in between.)This year, there are some terrific remakes.

GLAAD announced its nominees for their 33rd Annual Media Awards. The organization nominated a variety of movies, TV shows, musicians, and programs, recognizing a wide variety of Latinos and Spanish-speaking projects and artists.The 2022 Grammys have a new date and location!West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler, Javier Bardem, Ben Affleck, Lady Gaga, more score Golden Globe nominationsA post shared by GLAAD (@glaad)Highlights of the nominees include “West Side Story,” starring Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose for Outstanding Film - Wide Release, and “Parallel Mothers,” starring Penélope Cruz, for Outstanding Film - Limited Release.