Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor has told Sky News that being in the running for a BAFTA “means the world” after the nominations for its Rising Star award were announced.
“With social media, there’s a very curated kind of idea of what it is to be an actress,” she said. “And actually, it’s a lot of rejection and a lot of getting back on the horse and days like today make it feel really worth it.”
She was speaking at the announcement of the nominees for this year’s EE BAFTA Rising Star award.
Saltburn’s Jacob Elordi, The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri, and stars of the films How To Have Sex and Talk To Me – Mia McKenna-Bruce and Sophie Wilde – are also among the nominees.
It is the only BAFTA award voted for by the public.
Dynevor, 28, has been nominated for her work in the film Fair Play – a role she admits she practically begged director Chloe Domont for.
Dynevor said: “I read the script and it was a female director, it’s a female story and it’s kind of roles that I dreamed about doing when I was a kid. So to be recognised for this film in particular is… very gratifying.”
She is best known for Netflix‘s Bridgerton, in which she plays Daphne, who has a romance with Rege-Jean Page’s character the Duke of Hastings in the first season.
Advertisement
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:36
‘Being an actress means a lot of rejection’
Australian-born actor Elordi has recently starred in Saltburn, a thriller about high society, and as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biographical drama about the famous musician’s ex-wife, Priscilla.
The 26-year-old, also known for HBO’s Euphoria and Netflix romance trilogy The Kissing Booth, said he is “deeply honoured” to be recognised.
Meanwhile, Edebiri, 28, who is in 2023 teen comedy Bottoms about a fight club started to find romance, said it is “wonderful and humbling to receive this nomination”.
She is in the running for the BAFTA after winning the award for best television actress (musical or comedy) at the Golden Globes.
That win was for her work on the hit Hulu series The Bear, for which the American comedian, writer and producer starred as young chef Sydney Adamu opposite Jeremy Allen White. She has been nominated for an Emmy for the same role.
McKenna-Bruce, who plays a teenager under pressure to lose her virginity in coming-of-age drama How To Have Sex, told Sky News she’s also grateful to be recognised for this particular piece of work.
“I think the fact that all of this is coming off the back of How To Have Sex is really incredible because it’s such a special film. And even when we were making it, it was so important to every single person on that set,” the 26-year-old said.
“So for it to just continue is incredible. It is bittersweet as well because it obviously resonates with so many people, which is a heartbreaking reality.
“But then hopefully it means that we can start to bring about some kind of change for people as well.”
Image: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Sophie Wilde and Phoebe Dynevor at the BAFTA EE Rising Star Award 2023 nominees announcement
Last year may have seen Hollywood shut down after strikes by writers and actors but it also saw the box office ignited thanks to Barbenheimer and other cinema successes.
Nominated for her role in horror Talk To Me, 26-year-old Sophie Wilde told Sky News she’s looking forward to seeing last year’s releases recognised during awards season.
She said: “Last year was such a fantastic year for cinema, like such a breath of fresh air, so many incredible filmmakers and films and showcases of actors.
“So I think it’s a really exciting time and it feels like a particularly exciting awards season.”
Irish author Sally Rooney has told the High Court she may not be able to publish new books in the UK, and may have to withdraw previous titles from sale, because of the ban on Palestine Action.
The group’s co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against the Home Office over the decision to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror laws in July.
The ban made being a member of, or supporting, Palestine Action a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Rooney was in August warned that she risked committing a terrorist offence after saying she would donate earnings from her books, and the TV adaptations of Normal People and Conversations With Friends, to support Palestine Action.
In a witness statement made public on Thursday, Rooney said the producer of the BBC dramas said they had been advised that they could not send money to her agent if the funds could be used to fund the group, as that would be a crime under anti-terror laws.
Rooney added that it was “unclear” whether any UK company can pay her, stating that if she is prevented from profiting from her work, her income would be “enormously restricted”.
More on Palestine Action
Related Topics:
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:57
Why was Palestine Action proscribed?
She added: “If I were to write another screenplay, television show or similar creative work, I would not be able to have it produced or distributed by a company based in England and Wales without, expressly or tacitly, accepting that I would not be paid.”
Rooney described how the publication of her books is based on royalties on sales, and that non-payment of royalties would mean she can terminate her contract.
“If, therefore, Faber and Faber Limited are legally prohibited from paying me the royalties I am owed, my existing works may have to be withdrawn from sale and would therefore no longer be available to readers in the UK,” Rooney added, saying this would be “a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression”.
Rooney added that it is “almost certain” that she cannot publish or produce new work in the UK while the Palestine Action ban remains in force.
She said: “If Palestine Action is still proscribed by the time my next book is due for publication, then that book will be available to readers all over the world and in dozens of languages, but will be unavailable to readers in the United Kingdom simply because no one will be permitted to publish it, unless I am content to give it away for free.”
Sir James Eadie KC, barrister for the Home Office, said in a written submission that the ban’s aim is “stifling organisations concerned in terrorism and for members of the public to face criminal liability for joining or supporting such organisations”.
“That serves to ensure proscribed organisations are deprived of the oxygen of publicity as well as both vocal and financial support,” he continued.
The High Court hearing is due to conclude on 2 December, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.
The creator of an AI actress has told Sky News that synthetic performers will get more actors working, rather than steal jobs.
AI production studio Particle6 has ruffled feathers in Hollywood by unveiling Tilly Norwood – a 20-something actress created by artificial intelligence.
Speaking to Sky News’ Dominic Waghorn, actor and comedian Eline Van der Velden – who founded Particle6 – insisted Norwood is “not meant to take jobs in the traditional film”.
AI entertainment is “developing as a completely separate genre”, she said, adding: “And that’s where Tilly is meant to stay. She’s meant to stay in the AI genre and be a star in that.”
“I don’t want her to take real actors’ jobs,” she continued. “I wanted to have her own creative path.”
Instagram
This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Instagram cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Instagram cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Instagram cookies for this session only.
Norwood has been labelled “really, really scary” by Mary Poppins Returns star Emily Blunt, while the US actors’ union SAG-AFTRA said in a statement: “Tilly Norwood is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers – without permission or compensation.”
Responding to the criticism, Ms Van der Velden argued that Hollywood is “going to have to learn how to work with [AI] going forward”.
“We can’t stop it,” she said. “If we put our head in the sand, then our jobs will be gone. However, instead, if we learn how to use these tools, if we use it going forward, especially in Britain, we can be that creative powerhouse.”
Ms Van der Velden said her studio has already helped a number of projects that were struggling due to budget constraints.
“Some productions get stuck, not able to find the last 30% of their budget, and so they don’t go into production,” she said. “Now with AI, by replacing some of the shots […] we can actually get that production going and working. So as a result, we get more jobs, we get more actors working, so that’s all really, really positive news.”
Prince William wasn’t close to being born when Fawlty Towers first aired – but now even his children have fallen in love with it.
The Prince of Wales, 43, revealed his kids’ love of the classic British sitcom – which first aired in 1975 – during a conversation with star John Cleese.
The pair shared a few words at the Tusk Conservation Awards at London’s Savoy Hotel on Wednesday night, which honoured those safeguarding the habitats and animals of Africa.
William told Cleese they were having “a lot of family laughs” watching the show, and his children “love it”.
Image: The Prince of Wales and John Cleese were among those attending the Tusk Conservation Awards. Pics: PA
The future king said he has also been “reminiscing” on the series and enjoying it “all over again”.
“It’s brilliant,” he added.
After their chat, Cleese said of Fawlty Towers: “I always explain it’s about ‘who’s scared of who’ and kids pick that up immediately. And mine, all those years ago, grew up watching it.”
The veteran comic actor – an ambassador of the trust – was joined by his wife Jennifer Wade, and fellow ambassador Ronnie Wood, the Rolling Stones guitarist.
Other guests were Zara Tindall and husband Mike, and William’s cousins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer.
Winners included Laban Mwangi, a head ranger working in Kenya; Rahima Njaidi, who has established a Tanzanian community-led forest conservation network; and Kumara Wakjira, who was honoured for his work in Ethiopia.
William said they “should inspire us to drive change”.
He added: “If we all want to continue to enjoy and benefit from the wonders of the natural world we must not be the generation that stands by as wildlife and biodiversity disappears.
“What we choose to do will have an impact on future generations, and tonight we must choose to do more.”