Paapa Essiedu, star of The Lazarus Project, says he’s taken a proactive approach to avoiding typecasting, even if it means turning down great roles in the process.
The 33-year-old actor has a complex part to portray playing George, a rule-breaking secret agent who needs to be both the everyman and action hero of the high concept show – as well as being able to get his head around time travel.
The second series of the BAFTA-winning sci-fi picks up with the world stuck in a time loop in which the world ends every three weeks.
Essiedu’s co-star, Caroline Quentin, who plays Elisabeth ‘Wes’ Wesley, the leader of The Lazarus Project admits: “I struggle to remember what I did yesterday in real life. So, trying to find my way through the backwards and forwards of the script was very challenging for me.”
Also challenging were the show’s filming conditions – with series one shot in the middle of the first COVID lockdown, and the second during a brutally cold winter.
Essiedu says he had to train for the role, which sees him take on numerous adversaries, fighting and shooting his way to saving humanity.
“It was a long shoot, very intensive… It requires a lot of mental resilience, emotional resilience, and physical resilience”.
Admitting to being somewhat accident prone, he didn’t survive the shoot injury-free.
“I could get injured like sat on this chair right now, you know? It really is a joke. My physio thinks I’m very talented in that particular sphere. So, yeah, I had a couple of injuries and a few fight scenes and whatever, but you keep calm and carry on.”
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So, in a show where the characters frequently live the same three weeks over and over again, do Essiedu and Quentin ever feel as actors they’re asked to play the same roles on repeat?
Essiedu, who’s played parts including Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; George Boleyn the brother-in-law to Henry VIII and a demon called Gaap in the guise of a disco star, says he’s taken a strong stance to avoid getting stuck in a career loop.
“I think for me I’ve had to be like quite conscious in things I say yes and no to in order to stop that from happening. Because you do a thing and people see it and they’re like, ‘OK more of that, more of that, more of that’.
“I’m quite rambunctious in my opposition to that, you know, and sometimes to the detriment of really great parts. I think if you’re lucky enough to get the opportunities that allow you to stretch your range or to show different sides of your capabilities, then you’ve got to be conscious to chase those opportunities.”
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Quentin, 63, who is perhaps best known for the role of long-suffering girlfriend Dorothy in 90s hit sitcom Men Behaving Badly has also had to battle with lazy casting.
“I’ve always struggled with that, you know, because I’ve done a lot of comedy and sometimes you just want to go, ‘I don’t just do that’. This is nice, it gives me an opportunity to do stuff that isn’t like that…
“If you’re good at something you don’t want to be bad at something, so people don’t ask you to do it again. But on the other hand, if you’re good at it, you don’t want people keep asking you do the same thing over and over again.”
So, what would they have done if their life paths had taken a different turn, and they hadn’t been actors?
For Essiedu, it would have been a complete jump away from the arts into the sciences: “I very nearly became a doctor. I had a place at medical school, and I often think about what my life would be like if I was doing that.
“I obviously love working with people and that’s one of the reasons I love being an actor because you get to meet many different types of people.”
Quentin would have stayed a little closer to home, becoming “either a potter or a painter or an illustrator or something in that world”.
Series two of The Lazarus Project is streaming now on Sky Max and NOW TV.
Scarlett Johansson has said she was “shocked” and “angered” after OpenAI allegedly recreated her voice without her consent for a new ChatGPT system.
The actress released a statement where she personally criticised the company’s CEO Sam Altman for insinuating she was the voice named ‘Sky’ by posting the word ‘her’ on X, a reference to a film where she voiced an AI which a human fell in love with.
“Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system,” the 39-year-old Oscar nominee said.
“He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI. He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people.”
She went on to say that eventually for personal reasons she declined his offer then, nine months later, her attention was drawn to how much the “Sky” voice sounded like her.
“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” Johansson said.
“Mr Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word “her” – a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.
“Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there.
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“As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr Altman and OpenAI, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the ‘Sky’ voice. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the ‘Sky’ voice.”
“In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity. I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.”
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On Monday OpenAI released a statement saying it would “pause” the use of a ChatGPT voice after users noticed it sounded like the actress.
OpenAI said: “We’ve heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky.
“We are working to pause the use of Sky while we address them.”
The artificial intelligence (AI) company offers five voices that can speak generated answers through its ChatGPTservice.
Scarlett Johansson’s statement in full
Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system.
He told me that he felt that by my voicing the system, I could bridge the gap between tech companies and creatives and help consumers to feel comfortable with the seismic shift concerning humans and AI.
He said he felt that my voice would be comforting to people.
After much consideration and for personal reasons, I declined the offer.
Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named “Sky” sounded like me.
When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference.
Mr Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word “her” – a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human.
Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Before we could connect, the system was out there.
As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr Altman and OpenAI, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the “Sky” voice. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the “Sky” voice.
In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity.
I look forward to resolution in the form of transparency and the passage of appropriate legislation to help ensure that individual rights are protected.
OpenAI earlier denied it intentionally copied Johansson and said it believed “AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity’s distinctive voice”.
The New York Times sued OpenAI at the end of last year over allegations it, and its biggest investor Microsoft, unlawfully used the newspaper’s articles to train and create ChatGPT.
The suit alleges that the AI text model now competes with the newspaper as a source of reliable information and threatens the ability of the organisation to provide such a service.
Stars have hit out at rapper P Diddy following the release of CCTV footage showing him attacking singer Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016.
Warning: This story includes images readers may find distressing
The video, which was obtained by CNN, was shot on 5 March eight years ago and shows the 54-year-old – whose real name is Sean Combs – shirtless and wearing just a white towel and brightly coloured socks, punching and kicking Ventura.
The R&B singer, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, was his protege and girlfriend at the time.
The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging her across the floor, as well as throwing a glass vase in her direction.
It closely resembles the description of an incident at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles described in a lawsuit filed by Cassie last year.
Commenting on the video on X, formerly known as Twitter, actress Emily Ratajkowski, wrote: “Monster”.
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Fellow rapper 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, shared the video, writing sarcastically: “Now I’m sure Puffy didn’t do it, he is innocent this proves nothing! This is what his lawyers are gonna say, God help us all.”
Jackson also re-posted a screenshot of a statement shared by Combs in December last year, denying allegations against him and accusing those making them of “looking for a quick payday”.
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50 Cent wrote: “The lie detector test has determined this was a lie…”
He also shared a statement from LA police which called the footage “extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” but explained that it happened too long ago to be prosecuted.
California law has a one-year statute of limitations for assault.
The husband of Ventura, Alex Fine, shared a lengthy statement on Instagram titled “Letter to women and children,” calling out men who perpetrate violence against women.
‘Men who hurt women hate women’
He wrote: “Men who hit women aren’t men. Men who enable it and protect those people aren’t men…
“Hold the women in your life with the utmost regard. Men who hurt women hate women.”
The personal trainer also shared the number of a domestic abuse helpline, urging those who need help to call.
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs issues an apology
Meanwhile, lawyers representing Ventura branded Combs’s apology “pathetic,” after he shared a short video on social media on Sunday, saying he was “truly sorry,” and was “disgusted” by his own behaviour.
‘Disingenuous words’
Meredith Firetog, who is a partner at Wigdor LLP, said in a statement: “Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt.
“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday.
“That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”
‘Leave god and mercy out of this’
US singer and reality star Aubrey O’Day, who previously worked with Combs, also hit out at Combs’s apology video, writing on X: “Diddy did not apologize to Cassie. He apologized to the world for seeing what he did… Leave god and mercy out of this, they aren’t present here, and you know it.”
It is the first time Combs has responded directly to allegations of physical and sexual violence levelled at him in recent months.
Ventura, who began dating Combs a few years after meeting him in 2005, and split with him in 2019, sued him in November, alleging she was trafficked, raped, plied with drugs and beaten by Combs over a 10-year period.
The lawsuit claimed he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them. The case was settled the day after it was filed.
Combs has previously denied the allegations in the lawsuits and his lawyers have said he denies any wrongdoing.
Sienna Miller has walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with her daughter Marlowe Ottoline Layng Sturridge.
The 42-year-old actress, who was born in the US but brought up in the UK, has been promoting her new film Horizon: An American Saga, directed by Kevin Costner.
Miller – who will appear in this film and its next instalment – plays East Coast settler Frances Kittredge, who moves to the Horizon settlement with her husband and two children.
Miller wore a pale blue floor-length gown, while 12-year-old Marlowe wore a white dress with a large pale pink bow around the waist for her red carpet debut.
Miller gave birth to Marlowe, whose father is The Sandman star Tom Sturridge, 38, in 2012.
She had a second daughter earlier this year with The Crown actor Oli Green, who also attended the premiere.
Miller and Green, 27, met at a Halloween party thrown by a mutual friend and have since moved to London together.
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Costner – who not only directs the film but also co-wrote and stars in it too – had plenty of family support on the red carpet.
The 69-year-old Hollywood star brought five of his seven children – Annie, 40, Cayden, 17, Grace, 13, Lily, 37, and Hayes, 15. The latter makes his screen acting debut in the movie.
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Horizon: An American Sagaspans four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, and is described by the studio behind it, Warner Bros, as an “ambitious cinematic adventure” telling the story of the United States of America “through the lens of families, friends and foes”.
Brace yourself for a three-hour epic – and more to come
The two-part western – of which this is the first chapter – received a 10-minute standing ovation when it premiered on Sunday.
Costner also says he has scripts ready for two further instalments in the story, which would extend the epic to four parts if commissioned.
The Yellowstone star, who first pitched a version of the movie back in 1988, has plenty at stake in the project, and personally financed around $100m for the film and its sequel.
He will be hoping to emulate the success of his 1990 directorial debut Dances With Wolves, which he also starred in and produced. The movie was a box office hit, winning multiple Oscars including best picture and best director.
Horizon: An American Saga runs for over three hours and will come to UK cinemas at the end of June.
It also features Avatar star Sam Worthington, Donnie Darko actress Jena Malone and Owen Wilson’s brother Luke Wilson.