Connect with us

Published

on

Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza plays a woman who turns to crime to pay the bills – and realises she’s good at it, and enjoys it – in new movie Emily The Criminal.

Here are five things worth knowing about the film:

Plaza, who rose to fame doing comedy roles, says she when she read the script she loved Emily “immediately” because the character was something new to her.

“It’s hard in Hollywood, in the industry, because people see you do one thing, and then they just want you to do it over and over again,” she told the Sky News Backstage podcast.

“So it’s always hard to show people all sides of yourself.

“So I’m always looking to do something different, I never want to do the same thing.”

Read more: Aubrey Plaza hopes ‘that we go back’ to Parks And Recreation and says film is ‘horror movie in your mind’

Writer and director John Patton Ford wrote the film as “wish fulfilment”

“I worked a lot of the same jobs that she has in the movie, I worked these catering jobs and I had a ton of student debt and I wanted to behave the way that she behaves in the movie,” he told Backstage.

“I didn’t behave that way, but I think I wrote it like that because it was like wish fulfilment – those are the things I wanted to say, those are the things I wanted to do, and I thought ‘well, if I felt like that, a lot of other people may also feel like that, so I’m going to create this character, so we can all live vicariously through her’ – that was the idea.”

Click to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcasts

The whole movie was shot in just 21 days

“It was a sprint, the whole thing, and there was no time to stop and reflect on what we had done,” Patton Ford said.

“It was like you’d finish the scene, and then you would run and shoot the next scene, then run and shoot the next scene and then go home and collapse and sleep for like four hours and get up and do it again – for weeks and weeks and weeks.

“So there was no time to stop and think… it was just non-stop.”

Plaza thinks the time constraints helped them to hone their instincts

She said: “I think the energy kind of infuses into the movie.

“Like the production really mirrors the movie in a lot of ways, it had the same kind of energy.”

The film’s themes – of normal people turning to crime because they can’t cover their bills – seems only to be getting more pertinent as the cost of living crisis hits

“I wish I had answers, I wish I could make a movie about solutions to these problems, that would be cool,” Patton Ford added.

“I’m not smart enough to do that, the best I can do is just ask a question, you know?

“But yeah, it’s frustrating, and it’s real and that’s been my experience – cost of living gets higher and higher and wages do not increase at the rate of inflation, that’s really the maths and if that’s the reality, then how do people win?”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Watch Backstage live from the London Film Festival

Plaza says as well as being relatable, it’s also just a great film.

“I don’t choose movies for any kind of political reason or to try to have some kind of political message or social commentary, but I think I’m just naturally drawn to movies that are really relatable and that do say something because I think those are the kind of characters that you just care about the issues because you relate to them,” she explained to Backstage.

“So it kind of makes the movie better in that way, it’s like a bonus that it has this other kind of commentary.

“But I mostly just want to make really great films, entertaining films, and if they have a message like that, that’s all the better.”

Emily The Criminal is available to rent and own now.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Terence Stamp, Superman villain and star of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, has died

Published

on

By

Terence Stamp, Superman villain and star of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, has died

British actor Terence Stamp – who famously played General Zod in Superman and Superman II – has died at the age of 87.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who was born in London’s East End, also starred in hits such as Theorem, A Season in Hell, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

He formed one of Britain’s most glamorous couples with Julie Christie, with whom he starred in “Far From the Madding Crowd” in 1967.

In a statement, his family said: “He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Cara Delevingne reveals how Topshop inspired her fashion sense – as brand relaunches in London

Published

on

By

Cara Delevingne reveals how Topshop inspired her fashion sense - as brand relaunches in London

Fashion brand Topshop celebrated its relaunch with its first catwalk in seven years.

The company’s website promised everyone was invited as models strutted down a runway on Trafalgar Square in front of noughties fashion icons Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah and the London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.

The label has been operating on the online fashion platform ASOS after ceasing to operate as a standalone business in 2020.

Topshop held a catwalk in Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA
Image:
Topshop held a catwalk in Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA

A model on the catwalk
Image:
A model on the catwalk

Its previous owner, Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia group, collapsed into administration and all of Topshop’s physical stores – including the Oxford Circus flagship in London’s West End – closed soon after.

Delevingne told Sky News she was “totally blown away” by the relaunch event.

“It was like nostalgia mixed with something eclectic but also something brand new,” she said.

“For me, it really brings back a time of exploration of my own fashion sense because I think for me at Topshop I got to discover so much.”

The model, who is working on a capsule collection for next year, has already unveiled a choice edit in this year’s show and said her relationship with Topshop precedes her fame.

She said: “I would go in and my friends would be like ‘you would look good in that’ and I would go ‘no, that’s not really me’, and then you’d try it on and be like ‘oh maybe I can explore more’.

“They really have everything for everyone, and I feel like they brought that back.”

The runway showcased highlights from its Autumn-Winter 2025 collection, as well as an early preview of pieces set to drop later this season, including showstopper gowns, the classic white tee, and an aloe vera-coloured faux fur coat that surely should not have been on display – to prevent just about everyone rushing to buy it.

Topshop's relaunch was staged at Trafalgar Square
Image:
Topshop’s relaunch was staged at Trafalgar Square

Models in front of the National Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA
Image:
Models in front of the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA

Reclaiming the high street

But sharp tailoring and statement outerwear suggest the brand is ready to reclaim the high street.

Must-have denim pieces completed the womenswear line-up while the Topman collection screamed modern utility by blending refined formal wear with sharp new silhouettes.

Casual pieces are grounded by authentic denim in deep indigos, which stood out on Trafalgar Square’s magnificent stone steps.

Topshop’s relaunch comes as the high street continues to struggle and as the UK operation of Chinese fashion giant Shein announced pre-tax profits of £38.3m for the year, up some £14m from 2023.

‘Top end of the market’

Moses Rashid, global marketing director at Topshop/Topman said they are competing in a different space.

Topshop has been operating on the online fashion platform ASOS after ceasing to operate as a standalone business in 2020
Image:
Topshop has been operating on the online fashion platform ASOS after ceasing to operate as a standalone business in 2020

“We’re at the top end of the market. We’re about elevation. We pride ourselves on the quality of the product,” he said.

Those products are being designed in north London, and managing director Michelle Wilson said the aim is to stay that way.

“We are a British brand, we want to be a positive force for fashion. We want to bring London to the world. It’s fundamental to who we are as a brand, our style is very much London-driven.”

The majority Danish-owned company has suggested it will slow fashion down by opening physical stores where customers can touch the products, browse collections and try things on, though the flagship on Oxford Circus is unlikely to return because a Swedish fast furniture brand has since occupied the space.

Designer Wayne Hemingway has previously collaborated with Topshop and said the relaunch must be more than nostalgia.

Read more on Sky News:
Hurricane strengthening
Trump/Putin summit body language
Weather affected by wildfires

“They can’t rely on their old customers because their old customers have now got kids of their own to spend their money on, and they’ve got mortgages and all of those things of what being an adult means.

“They’ve got to have designers, marketeers, people who understand – who are on the pulse – who understood, number one, what was a success back then, and also a young generation of people who are there saying, ‘this is what our generation needs’, and who are bright and can help deliver that. They can’t rely on the past.”

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Comedian Milton Jones reveals he’s cancer free

Published

on

By

Comedian Milton Jones reveals he's cancer free

Comedian Milton Jones has revealed he is cancer free after being treated for prostate cancer.

In April, the 61-year-old, who is known for his appearances on Mock The Week, announced he was cancelling a number of UK tour dates to undergo surgery.

Jones said in a statement: “A few months ago, I had to stop my tour HA!MILTON because I needed treatment for prostate cancer. I’m glad to say I’ve had that treatment and am now cancer-free!

“So, many thanks to all the doctors and nurses who helped me get better – I couldn’t do their job (I tried, but apparently you have to be qualified).”

Thanking his family, friends and fans, he went on to joke: “I have to admit there were a few dark moments when I wondered if anyone would ever see me again, but then I realised that I was leaning against the light switch.

“Thankfully, I’m now in a completely different place, and if you look at my website, you’ll see that very soon I’ll be in lots of other different places on tour too”.

Jones picks up his tour on 15 September in Stafford, touring until the end of November 2025.

The show, whose name is a play on the title of the hit musical Hamilton, promises laughter and unforgettable comedy moments, as well as jokes about giraffes and tomatoes.

The Richmond-born comedian has been hailed as the king of the one-liner, basing his jokes on clever wordplay and surreal humour.

He has performed on Live At The Apollo, Lee Mack’s All Star Cast, and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.

Continue Reading

Trending