Director Matthew Vaughn responds to rumours Taylor Swift was secret author behind Argylle
British director Matthew Vaughn has dispelled online rumours that Taylor Swift was behind the pseudonym Elly Conway – the author of the novel connected to his new film Argylle.
The film sees its protagonist Elly Conway, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, thrown into the world of espionage when she meets real spy Aiden, played by Sam Rockwell, on a train.
Argylle also stars Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, John Cena, Bryan Cranston, Ariana DeBose and Catherine O’Hara.
On Friday – the day of Argylle’s release in cinemas – The Telegraph revealed the real writers behind the novel – Terry Hayes and Tammy Cohen.
Before filming for the production got under way, Vaughn asked Hayes to write a companion novel for the film – and soon Cohen was also brought on board.
“What was crazy is my daughter wouldn’t believe me,” Vaughn says about the Taylor Swift rumours.
The Kick-Ass director tells Sky News he spoke out at the first opportunity he got to quash the rumours, explaining he “didn’t want a bunch of Swifties or Taylor Swift thinking we were jumping on the bandwagon of her fame”.
Taylor Swift wasn’t the author – but she was an inspiration. Pic: AP
Although the singer didn’t write the novel, she has had a big influence on the film itself.
Vaughn’s family cat, named Chip, stars in Argylle as Alfie – a decision that the director says turned him into a “cat handler” for the entire production.
The Scottish Fold cat belongs to the filmmaker’s daughter, who is a huge fan of Taylor Swift and chose the animal after seeing the star had a similar pet.
The decision to use the cat backpack was also inspired by the 34-year-old singer-songwriter – Vaughn saw her use a cat bag in her Miss Americana documentary.
Following the film’s world premiere in London, Vaughn’s wife Claudia Schiffer received backlash online for taking Chip to Leicester Square in London.
Charities Blue Cross and Cats Protection condemned the use of the type of cat carrier and warned people of the “serious health complications” associated with the breed.
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Claudia Schiffer with Chip at the premiere. Pic: Reuters
‘There’s no such thing as an acting cat’
The 52-year-old director says he didn’t know what he was getting himself in for when he replaced the “acting cat” on the first day with his family pet.
“I can just tell you, there’s no such thing as an acting cat. It was an expensive non-acting cat.”
Vaughn says in addition to directing the star-studded line-up, he was responsible for Chip’s food, travel arrangements and litter box.
“I think he was so relaxed because I was there with him, always right next to the camera,” he explains.
Vaughn reveals his daughter is a Swiftie. Pic: NetStorage
During press interviews about the film, its star Bryce Dallas Howard said the production revolved around ensuring Chip was comfortable.
“When you’re working with an animal, the same exact thing when you’re working with a young person, the priority is their safety.”
She explained that a life-like stuffed version of the animal was used for any action sequences or moments of high movement.
“Chip is Matthew and Claudia’s cat. This is a cat that is very important to them, part of their family,” she said.
The Jurassic World star added that the director would shoot around Chip’s naptime so that the animal’s routine wasn’t interrupted by cameras.
Argylle is in cinemas now and will stream globally on Apple TV+.
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Om Fahad: Iraqi social media influencer shot dead by gunman on motorbike who posed as food delivery rider – report
A well-known Iraqi social media influencer has reportedly been shot dead in her car by a gunman on a motorbike.
Om Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was killed outside her home in Baghdad’s Zayouna district on Friday, according to the AFP news agency, citing security officials.
It appears the unidentified attacker pretended to be delivering food to the victim, one security source said.
Om Fahad, who has nearly half a million TikTok followers, became famous for posting light-hearted videos where she dances to Iraqi music.
Six days ago, she shared footage of herself driving in a car and also posing in front of a mirror. They have each been watched hundreds of thousands of times.
The influencer was sentenced to six months in prison in February last year for sharing videos that a court ruled contained “indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality”.
A campaign was launched in 2023 by the Iraqi government to clamp down on social media content which broke the country’s “morals and traditions”.
The interior ministry set up a committee to look for “offensive” clips on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, with several influencers being arrested.
“This type of content is no less dangerous than organised crime,” the ministry declared in a promotional video which asked the public to help by reporting such content.
“It is one of the causes of the destruction of the Iraqi family and society.”
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Speaking last year, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan argued the morality campaign has “nothing to do with freedom of expression”.
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In 2018, gunmen in Baghdad shot dead Tara Fares, who was a model and influencer.
After years of war and sectarian conflict following the 2003 US invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has returned to some semblance of normality despite sporadic violence, political instability and corruption.
But civil liberties, particularly among women and sexual minorities, are still constrained in a conservative and male-dominated society.
R Kelly’s challenge against a 20-year sentence for child sex convictions has been quashed by an appeals court.
The singer was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison, a Chicago court ruled on Friday.
He was convicted in 2022 on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
In his appeal, Kelly, 57, argued Illinois’ old statute of limitations – which required prosecution of child sex crime charges within 10 years – should have applied, rather than the current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive.
The appeals court rejected this, labelling it an attempt by Kelly to elude the charges entirely after “employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet”.
He also argued that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from the charges tied to three other accusers due to video evidence that became a focal point of the Chicago trial.
Prosecutors have said the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser, only identified as Jane, testified for the first time that she was 14 when the video was taken.
The three-judge panel from the appeals court noted jurors acquitted Kelly on seven of the 13 counts against him “even after viewing those abhorrent tapes”.
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In a written statement, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said they plan to seek a US Supreme Court review of the decision and “pursue all of his appellate remedies until we free R Kelly”.
“We are disappointed in the ruling, but our fight is far from over,” she said.
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