Sydney on Screen

Mia Wasikowska named Star of the Year by Australian International Movie Convention

2013-10-17T22:53:00.000+11:00

Australian actress Mia Wasikowska is currently in France filming . Source: AFP

James Wigney, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Rising Aussie star Mia Wasikowska got a bonus birthday present today with news she has been named as the Star of the Year by the Australian International Movie Convention.

The Canberra-born actor, who turns 24 today, was honoured by the convention, which opened on the Gold Coast last night, for an already stellar career that includes the HBO hit In Treatment and whose movies including Alice In Wonderland, Stoker and Lawless, have made more than $1 billion at the box office.

Wasikowska will next be seen in Tracks, director John Curran's adaptation of Robyn Davidson's memoir of her epic journey on foot across the Australian desert in 1977 accompanied by four camels and a dog.

Tracks screened in competition at this year's Venice Film Festival, had a gala screening at the Toronto Film Festival, and opened the Adelaide Film Festival last week.

The movie was Wasikowska's first Australian feature film since the 2007 monster croc movie Rogue. Since then she has acted opposite Johnny Depp, Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman, appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair and drawn praise from the likes of Glenn Close and Meryl Streep.

"It's a real honour to have this award," she said. "The film was very special for me - it gave me the chance to be able to work in Australia again for the first time in a long time and to reconnect with the Australian industry."

Wasikowska is currently in France filming the title role in the coming film adaptation of the literary classic Madame Bovary.

Former Neighbours star Caitlin Stasey has had steamy scenes cut from a new US series which also stars Aussie Adelaide Kane

2013-10-17T22:34:00.000+11:00

Caitlin Stasey at the Swiss-Grand in Bondi. Source: News Limited

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Former Neighbours star Caitlin Stasey is set to have sexplicit scenes cut from a new US drama.

The 23-year old actress stars as handmaiden to Mary Queen Of Scots - also played by an Australian actress, Adelaide Kane - in historical television series Reign.

The pilot episode screens in the US on the CW network this week and features Stasey's character pleasuring herself on a castle stairwell after watching two newlyweds make love.

The King of France, played by Alan Van Sprang, catches her and offers to sleep with her instead.

The steamy scene will remain in the show, but the more explicit footage has been cut.

It could be the big break in the US the Tomorrow When The War Began star has been waiting for, with the actress building a slow and steady body of work in TV and film productions.

Roles on CW shows have proved key for her former co-star Phoebe Tonkin (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals) and Aussies Claire Holt (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals), Nathaniel Buzolic (The Vampire Diaries) and Jessica De Gouw (Arrow) - all of whom have cracked the Hollywood market.

Tina Arena's family told her to be a runaway bride on wedding day

2013-10-17T22:14:00.001+11:00

Singer Tina Arena Source: Supplied

Cameron Adams, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Tina Arena has opened up about her divorce from former manager Ralph Carr.

In her new autobiography Now I Can Dance Arena says she felt "disconnected" from Carr on their wedding day in 1995.

Arena revealed Carr was angry when she refused to sell photographs of their wedding to a magazine.

She also wrote her parents and sisters were worried about her marrying her manager and mixing business with pleasure and told her to be a "runaway bride" on her wedding day.

"They had their reservations about the wedding," Arena told News Corp.

"And they were right. Going through those experiences are what make or break a human. There was a lot learnt from that experience. That's important to not forget. But sometimes you should listen to what the people around you are telling you."

Arena said she did not clear the tales of her marriage in her book with Carr, whose management stable now includes magician Cosentino, singer Kate Ceberano and footballers Travis Cloke and Dustin Martin.

"We don't speak," Arena says of her former husband.

"It's my book, it's not about him. My life started before him and has continued really successfully without him.

"There's stories that were not able to make the cut, that's the way it goes. It's my story but I'm dealing with elements beyond my control. There's a sense of alluding to things, letting the reader read between the lines."

While she confirms long held rumours their messy divorce in 1999 was a "sh--fight" she diplomatically shies away from going into further detail.

"I think I paint enough of a picture. It's not important. Seriously. I've never had an interesting conversation about the subject of a divorce. The only interesting thing is what you discover, the lengths people will go to prove their point. That's intriguing, nothing else is."

Arena is also quick to give Carr credit for his part in her career comeback that started with international hit Chains in 1994.

"I think I've been unbelievably elegant (about Carr). There were some wonderful things in that collaboration early on. Sometimes people can't mix things. When the lines get blurred they get blurred. But really my divorce is the least interesting aspect of my life these past few years. There's so much more tangible stuff than that. But always give credit where it's due. I believe that sincerely. I moved on pretty fast. I didn't have a choice. Off I went. And the fun started. The discovery started and it was bloody awesome."

Arena's new album Reset is released tomorrow.

Rachel Griffiths relishes new role in remake of Aussie cult film Patrick

2013-10-17T22:02:00.002+11:00

Rachel Griffiths says the original Patrick was "probably the scariest movie I've ever seen".

Neala Johnson, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Rachel Griffiths doesn't reckon too much has changed for Aussie actors in the 20 years since she jetted off to the US.

"I mean, I grew up when Judy was nailing it, and Bryan, Jack and Mel ... The fundamental difference," says the 44-year-old Melburnian, "is that I went over on Muriel's Wedding, on a movie that had grossed millions worldwide. That opened doors and it gave me a confidence.

"These younger actors - Sharni Vinson's a good example, or a Poppy Montgomery - that go over with a dream and a hope and a lot of f---king balls ... I really love them for that."

With Six Feet Under then Brothers & Sisters wrapping Griffiths up in American TV land for a decade, she has made the last couple of years "about doing everything different".

"I did Broadway, I played Dulcie Boling (in ABC TV's Magazine Wars) which is really out of my repertoire, I did Rob Connolly's Assange movie (Underground) ..."

One offer Griffiths received during this time during this time was so out of her repertoire, her agent almost didn't tell her. It was a part in a remake of cult 1978 Aussie horror film Patrick, about a coma patient with telekinetic powers and a dangerous crush.

"My agent said, 'Oh you don't really want to do that do you?'," Griffiths recalls. "I grew up watching this movie - my cousins and I would watch it when at my Aunt Mary's house and we'd always scream." It's probably the scariest movie I've ever seen because after Patrick I couldn't watch scary movies."

In the new Patrick, the nurse is played by Vinson and the creepy doctor by Charles Dance. As the matron, Griffiths was thrilled to meet a "gruesome end".

Different again for Griffiths last year was shooting a role in Saving Mr Banks, about Walt Disney's attempts to convince Australian author P.L. Travers to let him turn Mary Poppins into a movie. Starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, and with an Oscar-friendly January release date, it's a big deal movie.

But for Griffiths it was just "a small, drop-in role".

"I'm playing a fragment of a memory of an idea of a notion of a child's view of the past. So it was nice to be part of it, but it wasn't a big deal for me."

Between acting gigs, she's also been developing two TV ideas she hopes will find a home on the US cable networks: "They're very American, quite paranoid, convoluted propositions."

Multiple Grammy Award-nominated RnB star Brian McKnight announces full band tour of Australia

2013-10-17T21:52:00.001+11:00

Brian McKnight is bringing his full band to Australia. Source: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph reports

He has written songs for some of the world's biggest artists, now Brian McKnight is heading to Australia to give us a taste of some of his work.

The R&B icon and Grammy award-nominated artist is heading to Sydney in March alongside his full band to wow audiences with his urban show.

"Last time I came by myself, this time I have my whole band and my crew and we will be able to give you the full Brian McKnight experience," McKnight told Confidential.

"It will be a lot more dynamic."

The singer, songwriter and producer has worked with some of music's biggest names including

Mariah Carey, P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake, Nelly and Australia's very own Guy Sebastian.

"Guy is one of the most talented people I have ever met," he said.

"Everyone can sing in a studio but he can sing just as well sitting right next to you.

"I love working with really talented people and he is right at the top of that list. "

Sam Worthington confirms he and Lara Bingle are an item with racy first picture on Instagram

2013-10-17T21:43:00.002+11:00

Lara Bingle and Sam Worthington shopping together at Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday. Picture: Source: INF

The Daily Telegraph reports

Aussie Hollywood star Sam Worthington has debuted on Instagram with a racy selfie of himself and new squeeze Lara Bingle.

Both the photo, which appears to have been taken by Lara, and Worthington seem to be focusing on some of the model's most eye-catching assets.

It is the first confirmation from the Avatar star himself that he and Bingle are an item.

Bingle had herself already blown their cover on social media and Sydney's paparazzi have been eager to fill in the blanks since they got together in the Harbour City late last week.

The pair first hooked up in New York just over a fortnight ago.

On September 28 they attended the Cotton On Foundation's Global Citizen Concert in New York's Central Park, headlined by Bono, Kings of Leon, Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder.

Bingle picked up Worthington shortly after he arrived in Sydney last week and they spent the afternoon together driving around Sydney running errands and drinking juice.

Worthington is also understood to have watched Bingle during a photo shoot at Luxe Studios in Darlinghurst.

Tony Abbott in danger of copping savage red-head revenge from US comedian Kathy Griffin

2013-10-17T21:30:00.000+11:00

Comedian Kathy Griffin. Source: Supplied

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Comedian Kathy Griffin has one target firmly in her sights when she touches down in Australia this week, and that target is Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

"If you think I'm not going to go political in a foreign country, think again," she told Confidential.

"It's going to be all Tony Abbott, all the time.

"Being a ranga myself I'd like to talk about Julia Gillard's departure."

An outspoken LBGT activist, the US funny woman said it's only right that she brings up gay marriage given it affects at least half of her audience.

"How can I not poke fun at a conservative movement for trying to stop a gay wedding?

"Gay weddings are fabulous and fabulousness is a train that cannot be derailed.

"What I love about the lesbian and gay community is that they'll just go and get married anyway, without your permission.

"We've just gone through legalising it state-by-state here and when it comes to gays and marriage it's like decorating a house.

"They're going to do it whether you like it or not, so you may as well just get on with it."

The 52-year old arrives Down Under for the Just For Laughs festival and plays at the Sydney Opera House on Friday evening.

Never one to shy away from controversy, Griffin said she has been bouncing around a few ideas about how to make a dramatic stage entrance.

"I would like to do a Hugh Jackman and come flying down only to face plant in front of Oprah.

"Or I could enter naked on a wrecking ball like Miley Cyrus - I might be the first one to do that at the Opera House."

Thoughts for all those affected by today's bushfires

2013-10-17T21:14:00.000+11:00

Our hearts go out to all those involved in today’s terrible bushfires. Hope everyone stays safe!

Australia's Oscars - the AACTAs -move to a prime time screening on Channel Ten

2013-10-11T22:48:00.000+11:00

AACTA President Geoffrey Rush with Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe at the 2013 AACTA Awards. Source: News Limited

Neala Johnson, The Daily Telegraph, reports

The AACTA Awards are moving to prime time.

The AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards have in past years struggled to find a broadcast home worthy of their place as Australia's answer to the Oscars, but today it was announced that Network Ten would broadcast the third AACTAs ceremony at 8.30pm on Thursday, January 30.

Announcing the partnership in Sydney today, AACTA President Geoffrey Rush said, "The reception and ongoing support of AACTA and the AACTA Awards activities both here and abroad over the past two years has been magnificent. I look forward to the continued opportunity to elevate and celebrate Australian screen achievements."

Ten was also the telecast partner for the awards in January of this year, but did not broadcast the event, hosted by Russell Crowe, until 9.30pm.

The big movie winners in 2013 were The Sapphires and Wish You Were Here, while Howzat! and Puberty Blues dominated the TV categories. Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman also attended the event.

Fourteen feature films are currently in competition for the 2014 AACTAs, with screenings to begin today so member voters can whittle the field down to the final nominees.

Next year's AACTAs will again be split over two days at Sydney's Star Event Centre, with an Awards Luncheon on January 28 focusing on more technical categories followed by the glitzy Awards Ceremony on January 30.

Angelina Jolie to wear good luck charm from war hero whose story she tells in new film, Unbroken

2013-10-11T22:31:00.000+11:00

Angelina Jolie and war hero Louie Zamperini have become friends during the development of her new film, Unbroken, and has promised to wear the necklace he gave her every day during filming in Australia. Source: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph reports

Actor-turned-director Angelina Jolie has been wearing a special necklace on the set of her new prisoner-of-war movie Unbroken after receiving the gift from the film's real-life subject.

The Wanted star has started work on the movie adaptation of Olympian Louis Zamperini's survival story, and she has a lucky charm to help her make all the right decisions.

Zamperini, who was captured by the Japanese during World War II, struck up a close friendship with Jolie while she was developing the project, now shooting in Australia, and he has shown his support for the Hollywood beauty by giving her a gold pendant in the shape of a running shoe - a nod to his days as an athlete at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

He tells People magazine, "Angelina is a human dynamo, and I know she will tell this story in the right way."

Jolie admits tackling Zamperini's life story has been a little daunting, but she's proud to be in charge of the project, which is based on Laura Hillenbrand's biography.

She says, "Like all readers of Laura's book and all people who love and admire Louis, I am a fan. It will be hard to make a film worthy of this great man. I am deeply honoured to have the chance."

British newcomer Jack O'Connell will portray Zamperini in the film, while Domhnall Gleeson has been cast as war hero Russell Allen Phillips.

Zamperini became a prisoner of war in 1943 when his US air force plane crashed in the Pacific and he was captured by Japanese soldiers behind enemy lines after spending over a month at sea without food or water.

Dan Aykroyd's Aussie Vodka promotion

2013-10-11T22:19:00.000+11:00

American actor Dan Aykroyd of Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters fame promotes Crystal Head Vodka at Dan Murhpy’s Alexandria in Sydney today…

Meltdown as Dan Aykroyd turns the air blue, brother

2013-10-11T22:01:00.002+11:00

Blues Brothers and Ghost Busters movie star Dan Aykroyd pictured at The Darling in Pyrmont. Source: News Limited

Annette Sharp, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Stunned Blues Brothers fans could scarcely believe their eyes yesterday when Hollywood star Dan Aykroyd had a public meltdown on the streets of suburban Artarmon.

The star - dressed head to toe in black - was spotted storming out of SBS's Reserve Road headquarters at around noon before charging off on foot in a northerly direction - towards the Artarmon shops, we hear - with a hapless chap at his heels brandishing a bottle of water.

Passers-by report Aykroyd let fly with a stream of expletives - all starting with the letter F - about an incident that had just taken place, presumably inside the television studio.

He concluded with a furious "F***ing Hosebag!!" before the minder managed to persuade him to step out of the midday 35 degree celcius heat and, presumably, out of public view.

Sources later said Aykroyd, who is in Australia to promote his vodka brand, Crystal Head, was frustrated by an interviewer's reluctance to slavishly promote his vodka, a six year labour of love - a condition of interview during his tour.

Confidential has learned Aykroyd was booked to appear on SBS's interview show The Observer Effect with toughened news anchor, Ellen Fanning. SBS publicity was unable to shed any more light on the meltdown.

Similarly the PR company managing his tour, SBPR, could offer little explanation.

A close source said Aykroyd, who has been travelling with his wife and daughter, has been overwhelmingly happy with his Australian PR tour, particularly as this is the world's third biggest market for the brand. He sang with David Campbell on Mornings earlier in the week and has completed a slate of interviews with press, radio and television.

During an interview on Wednesday, Confidential found Aykroyd to be agreeable to discussing his body of film work - provided a bottle of vodka featured prominently in pictures and the brand was mentioned in copy.

Aykroyd, who has been staying at The Darling, was, we understand, in better form last night at a party in his honour for Crystal Head at The Star bar, Rock Lily.

Rebel Wilson promotes her weighty cause

2013-10-11T21:50:00.001+11:00

Rebel Wilson attends Cosmopolitan's Super Fun Night / Picture: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Aussie actress Rebel Wilson has hit out at fat-shamers on Twitter after critics bagged her fuller figured body.

Wilson is a big deal in the US thanks to roles in films including Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect.

But it is her irreverent style of comedy on new primetime ABC show Super Fun Night that is causing the most attention.

Detractors have criticised Wilson, 27, for glorifying what they say is an unhealthy body and cliched jokes about being overweight.

"I haven't received any offers in the US to lose weight ... and even if I did, right now I'm way too focused on doing Super Fun Night x," the Australian comedian wrote on Twitter yesterday.

"I never wanna be too unhealthy though, so even though I like desserts (clearly), I still try to exercise e.g walk to shop to get ice-cream. oh yeah I do mermaid dancing once a month at least x that counts as cardio x Note to self: do not eat dinner quickly and then put in Spanks x"

Rachel Griffiths pipped for PM cameo

2013-10-11T21:39:00.000+11:00

Actress Rachel Griffiths at the QT Hotel, Sydney / Picture: Picture: Bradley Hunter Source: News Limited

Jonathon Moran, The Daily Telegraph, reports

She has been one of our most successful acting exports and last night Rachel Griffiths threw her weight behind the new Royal Randwick grandstand.

The Academy Award- nominated actress was among a legion of A-listers, including international model Nicole Trunfio, who rolled out to open the Australian Turf Club's $150 million jewel with a ritzy gala dinner and horse show.

Tipped to cost $500,000, the extravagant party celebrated the official opening of the five-level venue, designed by Fitzpatrick + Partners.

Griffiths' appearance at the social occasion of the season comes amid rumours that she may be playing former prime minister Julia Gillard in a biopic.

Going by the actress's coy reaction to Confidential's questions, a script may already be in the works.

"No comment," she said, raising her eyebrow before adding: "I'd find it interesting to play someone that is so liked by those close to her but such a controversial figure as you get further away and to try and bridge those things I would find fascinating."

Pulling off Gillard's trademark twang may require some work: "The accent would be a challenge."

Based in Melbourne, Griffiths has been in town this week to promote her first horror film, Patrick, a remake of the 1978 classic. It is in cinemas on October 17

Digging deep for Diana - Naomi Watts reveals how she uncovered the real People's Princess

2013-10-11T21:24:00.000+11:00

Naomi Watts as Diana, Princess of Wales in a scene from the film Diana. Source: Supplied

Neala Johnson, The Daily Telegraph, reports

It's the day before the world premiere of Diana in London and the movie's star, Naomi Watts , though looking sleek in a black Victoria Beckham dress, is clearly a nervous woman.

Her promotional schedule in the days prior to the premiere has been cut back and she's joined by the calming figure of director Oliver Hirschbiegel for every interview.

The pair admit to being "concerned" what the royal family will think of the biopic charting the Princess of Wales' romance with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. But, the director shrugs, "You try not to p--- somebody off without reason".

It's not the royals the team behind the movie should have been worrying about. When the reviews from British critics break after the premiere, they are vicious. "A special class of awful," went one. "Fabulously awful," went the next. Princess Diana, said another, "has died another awful death".

Hirschbiegel has since pointed to a more positive reaction in other European countries; concluding that the British are just too close to the subject: "Diana is a trauma they haven't come to terms with."

Watts was 28 when Diana died. Having moved from England to Australia at 14, she wasn't bombarded with stories about the Princess as she might have been had she stayed. Still, she remembers clearly where she was when news of that crash in a Paris tunnel broke.

"I do remember the news ... and being quite traumatised by it. I was in Canada, probably filming a bad TV movie. And I was with, funnily enough, Rob Lowe and his wife.

"We were at dinner when we were told Dodi was dead. In the time that we left the restaurant and got back to the hotel, the bad news was revealed."

Watts has played real-life characters before - she was Oscar-nominated earlier this year for her portrayal of a mother caught in the Boxing Day tsunami in The Impossible.

"Of course with Diana I had the responsibility of telling the story in a truthful and sensitive way, but with the additional pressure of looking as close to her as possible and getting the voice right and all those things.

"Playing the most famous woman of our time is incredibly high-pressured because everyone feels they know her, so therefore she belongs to them. How can you take possession of a character that everybody knows so much about? That's a daunting thing."

While initially reluctant, once on board the film, Watts threw herself into the role.

"I saturated myself in all of the information available: I read every book, every old news article, watched every piece of footage I could find."

A couple of breaks in the shooting schedule - one before filming sequences in Mozambique, another due to Naveen Andrews (who plays Khan) being injured - caused the production to lag a little.

"The stopping and starting made it difficult. So by the time we got to the finish line, I was ready to finish," Watts laughs. "Being obsessed with that character, it was exhausting."

Hirschbiegel calls Princess Diana "the most complex character I've had to tackle to date". This from a man whose most famous film, Downfall, was about Hitler.

"No really, this woman does not cease to amaze me," he insists. "And there's way more, even, that could be shown, but that would be too much for the two hours that we have."

Watts' admiration for certain aspects of Diana's personality grew the more she learnt.

"I discovered things like her great wit. It was there on the page, but the people I spoke to that knew her also endorsed that. She had a really cheeky sense of humour and liked to crack icebreaker jokes.

"I liked the rebellious streak in her. And there's no question that her compassion and empathy were huge parts of her personality. She did some groundbreaking work, starting back in the early '90s when we didn't know much about AIDS and we saw her holding somebody; that was a big thing." (Watts has worked with the UN on AIDS awareness programs.)

Asked whether she believes Diana was a brave or a tragic person, she replies, "Well, tragic ending, of course. But she was very courageous, very bold and brave. There are certain things that she did like the Bashir interview which had to have taken a lot of courage."

It was the 1995 Martin Bashir interview - in which Diana spoke of her split with Prince Charles - that became Watts' bible for nailing Diana's voice. "It was the most candidly I heard her speak, really. I would listen to that all day long."

A voice coach also had her master the British "stiff upper lip" by putting "cocktail sticks in my mouth to paralyse my face".

But getting those posh vowel sounds right wasn't overly hard for one reason: "I am British," says Watts. "People think of me as Australian and my voice is Australian now as well. But I do have an open ear having grown up in those two countries."

At 44, Watts is now largely based in New York with her partner, actor Liev Schreiber, and their two sons, Sasha and Sammy. But when it comes down to it, is she British or ... "I'm both! Don't get me in trouble!" Watts cries, anticipating the question.

Still, how does Watts describe her connection with Australia these days?

"Oh, very strong. I'm just both. I grew up here, I do feel very British. My mother still lives here, well, between here and France and Australia. She's got a good life!

"But I go back as often as I can to Australia. I try to go for Christmas. I've got my grandmother there, I've got my aunts there, I've got cousins there. And it's very important for me to have the children feel that connection.

"I never had an Australian passport and that's why, when I fill out those forms every time I enter a country, I write 'British'. But I'm working on getting an Australian passport," she laughs.

"And my heart is in both countries. That's how I can answer it."

Ultimately, Hirschbiegel reckons the Diana he has put on film is "what I would call a 'cool chick' ".

Watts captured that cool in front of moving and still cameras, recreating famous images of Diana such as her Mario Testino shoot and sitting with her legs dangling off the diving board of Dodi's boat.

"It's definitely eerie," says Watts, of seeing herself transplanted into those images.

Hirschbiegel takes that feeling and doubles it: "For me it was like watching a ghost."

However, for all the red carpets, gorgeous gowns and media attention on her own life, Watts says she can only relate to Diana's fairytale/nightmare "on a minor, minor scale".

"I've had my frustrations and my altercations with paparazzi, but nothing to that level."

The trailer to the new I, Frankenstein movie shot in Melbourne

2013-10-08T23:03:00.005+11:00

Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt hits the right formula in new film, Rush

2013-10-08T22:42:00.000+11:00

Actors Chris Hemsworth, left, and Daniel Bruhl, right, attend a screening of "Rush" in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP) Source: AP

James Wigney, The Daily Telegraph, reports

It makes for a pretty awkward picture: one of Hollywood's most respected directors and one of its hottest rising stars fumbling around like amateurs. The reason? Sex - and plenty of it. The star in question is Aussie Chris Hemsworth, who stars as race ace and notorious pants man James Hunt in Ron Howard's acclaimed new Formula One biopic, Rush.

The hard-living, larger-than-life Hunt, who died of a heart attack in 1993 aged 45, reportedly bedded more than 5000 women, so any accurate portrait of his life needed to reflect his feats between the sheets as much as his prowess on the track. Trouble was, neither Hemsworth, nor veteran Howard - despite more than 35 years of movie-making - had done anything quite like it before."

I remember Ron saying to me that he had never shot a sex scene like this before so he was going to let me guide him through it," says Hemsworth with a rueful laugh. "I had to tell him that I had never done something like this on a set either. So we were both there with our head in our hands going 'OK - how do we do this?'

"They are more intimidating than the driving scenes - there are 100 people around and cameras and lights and you have to get your kit off and act natural. So you have to choreograph them like anything else - it's incredibly unromantic but it's the only way to approach it.

"That Hemsworth was willing to bare his behind (he draws the line at going full frontal) and bed a bevy of beauties is testament to just how much he wanted the role. After blazing on to the world stage playing the caped, hammer-throwing Norse god Thor in the 2011 comic book movie adaptation of the same name, and cementing his position as the burly hunter in Snow White and the Huntsman, Hemsworth was searching for acting challenges beyond effects-driven action blockbusters.

Although Rush is set in the F1 world and features high-octane, authentically recreated racing scenes, it is at its heart a study of the rivalry between two contrasting drivers: Hemsworth's instinctive playboy Hunt and the clinical, methodical Niki Lauda, played by German actor Daniel Bruhl.

Although impressed by the charm Hemsworth had shown in Thor, Howard freely admits he had his doubts as to whether the towering, impossibly good looking surfer boy had the necessary range to capture the darker, more tortured aspects of the Hunt psyche. He was won over by Hemsworth's self-made audition tape, so much so that the pair will reteam next year in the period piece called In the Heart Of the Sea.

Unlike Bruhl, who was able to spend time with Lauda, Hemsworth had to rely on old footage, biographies and those who knew Hunt to find out what made the British driver tick. Beyond "the playboy, the rock star and the charismatic rebel" Hemsworth found vulnerability, insecurity and frustration, all of which fuelled Hunt's gargantuan appetite for booze, drugs and women.

"Talking to or reading about people who engaged in any sort of high-risk, adrenalin-driven activities, you become addicted to that level of adrenalin and the immediacy that sort of fear gives you," he says. "It forces you to smash into the present and they then chase that in other outlets in life. How do I find that elsewhere? The party, the drugs, the women, what else? They burn the candle at both ends and that's when you get the flip side to that.

"Hemsworth, by contrast, had a well-adjusted, outdoorsy upbringing riding motorbikes in Melbourne, dodging crocs and buffaloes in a remote Outback community, surfing at Phillip Island. The 30-year-old middle child has a fiercely competitive streak born of scrapping with older brother Luke, 32, who led the charge into acting, and 23-year-old Liam, of Hunger Games fame and, until recently, Miley Cyrus's other half.

Proud of and grateful for his close-knit family, Chris says the best advice he ever got from his parents, English teacher Leonie and social worker Craig, was: "Just have fun".

"That's what this character's motto was," Hemsworth says of Hunt. "At the end of the film the message is that no matter how many medals or cups you have, if you are not having fun then what's the point?"

Hemsworth admits he took that advice to heart when he first achieved local stardom thanks to his three-year stint on long-running soapie Home & Away. Young, single and living in Sydney he made the most of his fame - but also saw its limitations, dark side and cautionary tales.

"You have all these extremes and highs and parties and all the temptations and part of you gets swept up saying 'isn't this fun?' But at times it can be kind of lonely as well. There are plenty of tales of people who went further into it than I did.

"Hemsworth moved to Los Angeles and after initially making a splash as Captain Kirk's father in JJ Abrams' Star Trek reboot, he endured a long, lean spell and was on the brink of giving up before landing Thor. The movie was a hit, making more than $450 million. He reprised the role in last year's ensemble superhero movie The Avengers, which took more than $1.6 billion, and he will don the red cape again later this month in the sequel The Dark World.

He was a star all over again - and on a much bigger stage - but this time he says he was ready for it. Not only was he determined to make the most of the opportunities finally coming his way, he had also met his now wife, Spanish model and actor Elsa Pataky in 2010. They married less than a year later and their daughter, India, was born in May last year.

"I met my wife and there was no question in my mind that I wasn't going to find anything better out there," Hemsworth says. "We had something very special and that solved that dilemma for me. But I could certainly see how it could go in other directions if you didn't have that solid base or foundation to keep you anchored."

Hemsworth says fatherhood and his family have helped keep him in check during the wild ride of his past few years, particularly Liam who achieved stardom around the same time when Hunger Games became a huge hit early last year.

"The two of us started going through this at the same time and if there is someone who has had a similar experience - especially if it's your brother - then that's a real bonus," he says.

"You can also call each other's bluff a bit. If one starts to drift off in the wrong direction then you don't need to say 'I don't know what you are talking about' because I understand that as well. We have both been through it. There is a way of staying grounded - it's all about your friends and family and we have been lucky to have had that."

Melbourne-made thriller I, Frankenstein hits screens

2013-10-08T22:18:00.001+11:00

Aaron Eckhart filming at night in Melbourne’s Flinders Lane. Source: News Limited

Neala Johnson, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Remember that time supernatural forces fought a war for the future of the human race on the streets of Melbourne?

The first trailer for I, Frankenstein has been released, showcasing Aaron Eckhart as Adam, the monster of Mary Shelley's legend, locked in just such a battle.

Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Erin Brokovich, Olympus Has Fallen) and British star Bill Nighy joined Australians Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto and Jai Courtney in Melbourne from February through to April 2012 to shoot the film with local writer-director Stuart Beattie.

The comic book adaptation will be released in Australia on January 23.Talking to News Corp Australia while shooting the movie, Eckhart called I, Frankenstein "a historically based movie that has nothing to do with history".

"It's gonna be a crazy movie," he added. In the story, Frankenstein's monster Adam is more than 200 years old. He is unwillingly drawn into Nighy's modern-day plot to build more monsters and wipe humans off the face of the Earth.

Courtney (who shot this film after working with Tom Cruise but before teaming up with Bruce Willis) transforms from gargoyle into man in the trailer. So too does Otto, who is on the side of the humans. Strahovski plays a scientist who works for bad guy Nighy, but gives aid - and perhaps a little romance - to Adam.

She tells Adam: "You're only a monster if you behave like one."

It's difficult to play 'Spot the Melbourne landmark' with the trailer, given the abundance of special effects and unremitting darkness of it all, but we do know that night-time scenes were shot in Flinders Lane and the long-empty Argus building.

The latter, on the corner of Elizabeth and La Trobe streets, appears to be the setting for an epic fight scene.

However most of the film was shot on-set at Docklands Studios.

Eckhart, who spent time in Sydney in his youth, immersed himself in the Melbourne lifestyle while making his first film Down Under."

I live right in the city so I'm able to interact always with people. It's the only way. It's a modern city," he said.

"I've got a car so I've gone everywhere from Sorrento to Bells (Beach), I've been to the Australian Open, I went to the F1, I went to see Pink Floyd ... Melbourne's just got so many cultural activities to offer, always there's something going on.

"But the self-confessed "low-maintenance" American said all he really needed to feel at home in the city was "good coffee and somewhere to sit".

I, Frankenstein isn't the only movie about the monster on the way - James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe begin shooting their Frankenstein with director Paul McGuigan in November. It's due for release next October.

'Prince Harry to marry'

2013-10-08T22:00:00.000+11:00

Britain's Prince Harry may be visting Australia, but his mind is likely elsewhere - rumour has it he's closer than ever to marrying girlfriend Cressida Bonas. Source: AP

Tiffany Bakker, The Daily Telegraph, reports

As Prince Harry takes Australia by storm, rumours are swirling in London that he’s getting set to tie the knot with girlfriend Cressida Bonas.

"Cressie is going to marry Harry," one of her friends told London’s The Telegraph. "Harry never stops talking about marriage and children, and she has now got used to the idea. The wedding is likely to take place next year."

The man labelled "the party prince" is certainly smitten by the waifish 24-year-old, but sources say she has so far felt too young to marry.

"Cressida has been in floods of tears,” one of her friends claimed. "Harry is coming on very strong, but she is all over the place. She thinks she is far too young to get married and is scared by all his talk of marriage and settling down."

But it seems Harry’s persistence has paid off, and the pair is closer than ever (someone better tell Tony Abbott’s daughters).

Her family, which has direct links to Edward VII, is a bit on the bohemian side, which apparently appeals to the Prince. (Her mother is 1960s ‘It Girl’ Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon, and her half-sister Isabella, to whom she is very close, recently married Richard Branson’s son Sam.)

More interestingly for us, before going to university to study dance, Bonas spent a year working in an Aussie bar. No word on whether Harry popped in for a visit.

Nicole Kidman wears a revealing dress as she joins Jackie Chan on the red carpet at the Huading Awards in Macau

2013-10-08T21:42:00.000+11:00

Nicole Kidman and Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan arrive at the red carpet during 2013 Huading Awards Ceremony. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph reports

Nicole Kidman caused a stir on the red carpet of the Huading Awards this week when she flaunted a revealing black dress. The Australian actress wore the racy gown to China's version of the Oscars, flashing a hint of both front and side boob.

If the 46-year-old mother of four was attempting to stand out among the crowd, she did the job perfectly, with the keyhole design of the dress drawing attention to her bust and slender figure. She capped the stylish look with bright red lips and by putting her signature strawberry blonde in an sophisticated updo. Kidman was joined on the red carpet by Chinese actor Jackie Chan, Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Cage, Sam Worthington, Jeremy Irons and Mathew Perry.

Thor, Avengers actor Tom Hiddleston turns Loki, the fallen Prince of Asgard, into an iconic cinematic villain

2013-10-08T21:30:00.000+11:00

Actor Tom Hiddleston at the Channel 7 studio in Martin Place. Picture: Tim Hunter Source: News Limited

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

It has only been a few years since Tom Hiddleston debuted as Marvel villain Loki in Thor but already his portrayal has become one of the most iconic cinematic villains. Post the blockbuster success of superhero team-up Avengers - which has now grossed over $2 billion - Hiddleston has donned Loki's golden headdress for the third time alongside Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World."It honestly feels like the greatest privilege," said the 32-year-old, who arrived in Sydney yesterday to promote the film. "When I was first cast in 2009 I don't think beyond very diehard, passionate comic book fans Loki was a particularly known character - especially as a Marvel bad guy." The fact that people know who he is, I'm very touched and flattered by it."

Like The Joker, Dracula and Hannibal Lecter, fans have rallied behind the villainous Loki just as strongly as they have the protagonists like Iron Man and Captain America.

For Hiddleston - who comes from a strong Shakespearean background as a stage actor - he "can't explain" the hysteria surrounding the fallen Prince of Asgard.

"I never expected it," he said.

"From going back to the first stage with Kenneth Branagh (Thor director) and Chris Hemsworth and sitting around a table and building this story together, to evolving the character with Joss Whedon, I'm intensely grateful for the way fans have latched on to it. It would be ungracious not to be.

"Actors love to tell stories playing different characters and it's all for nothing if there's no audience."

At the beginning of Thor 2 he said "it's no secret" that Loki has been incarcerated and thrown into the "deepest, darkest dungeons of Asgard".

Hiddleston said he was able to draw from his experience visiting a high-security prison as part of a drama program and that he was "fascinated by the effect incarnation has on the mind". In the meantime, the Midnight In Paris actor is teaming up with another Aussie - Mia Wasikowska - on "spooky" horror film Crimson Peak. Directed by Guillermo del Toro - who is also behind his "favourite film of the summer" Pacific Rim - Hiddleston said he is also a massive fan of the filmmaker's The Simpsons intro for Treehouse Of Horror. Del Toro's crazy Simpson's intro "That was hilarious, I liked the Lisa in Wonderland piece. He is so brilliant. He's one of the most broad-minded, curious, searching, excitable, diligent and gifted filmmakers I've ever met." Thor: The Dark World is released in cinemas on October 31.

Sneak peek at Cody Simpson's LA LA land

2013-10-08T21:07:00.000+11:00

Alli and Cody Simpson in LA with Saturday Disney host Candice Dixon. Source: Supplied

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

He’s Australia's answer to Justin Bieber and last week Saturday Disney had a sneak peek inside the LA home of Cody Simpson. Usually off limits to the media, presenter and former highschool buddy of Simpson - Candice Dixon - gained exclusive entry to the Aussie pop star's pad, which he shares with his parents and younger sister Alli.

During the interview Simpson played the ukulele, busted out a few of his popular hip-shaking dance moves and chatted about how he was discovered online when he was just a 12-year old from the Gold Coast.Dixon also played a "How Well Do You Know Each Other" quiz with Cody and Alli using Aussie lamingtons to keep score. Simpson moved to the US in 2010 and has since gained a massive following, with his latest album Surfers Paradise debuting in the US Billboard Top 10.He has also been linked to Kim Kardashian's younger sister Kylie Jenner and has recently been touring the world with good friend Justin Bieber as the support act on his Believe world tour, which arrives in Australia in November.

Critics pan Rebel Wilson's new comedy Super Fun Night, Aussie funny woman defends 'fat jokes'

2013-09-20T23:40:00.001+10:00

Rebel Wilson in a scene from upcoming comedy Super Fun Night. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

News.com.au reports

It’s been a rough week for Rebel Wilson.

Even before its premiere, US television critics have panned the pilot for her new comedy, Super Fun Night, saying it falls "wide of the mark" and is "rarely outright funny."

"Super fright night is more like it. This show is so painful and cringe-inducing that it's scary," one critic even wrote.

But in true Rebel form, the Aussie actress has bounced back from the criticism, insisting she has a licence to doll out 'fat jokes'.

"As long as I look like this I'm going to make fat jokes," she told Hunger magazine.

"All comedians have to use their physicality, so I use my size."

Earlier this year the 27-year-old was called out by Forbes magazine who accused her of overusing "fat women can be funny" jokes while hosting the MTV Movie Awards.

But despite receiving negative comments about her figure, the Pitch Perfect star hopes her look will inspire larger women to feel comfortable in their own skin.

"Before, it was all glamorous types like Kate Hudson who served as, like, the female equivalent of a 'straight man'. Now it's turning, and it's really good," she said.

Wilson is gearing up to debut Super Fun Night on October 2, in which she plays a socially inept single woman who sets aside Friday nights to stay at home and hang with her pyjama-clad besties.

She argues that she wanted her character Kimmie to wear unflattering clothing.

"In the pilot, I was deliberately wearing a very tight white dress with horrible crisscross black stripes that is way too short, and I'm holding a clutch purse that is so tiny that it accentuates my size," she told vulture.com.

"The women from wardrobe are lovely, but they don't get that I want to dress as Kimmie, and Kimmie does not have the best taste. The girls in the show are at the bottom of the social pole, and it's hard to communicate that to the network. It's important they understand that comedy is not about looking good."

Wilson had her breakthrough role in 2011 comedy Bridesmaids playing the sister of British comedian Matt Lucas. Since then she has gone on to star in other comedies such as Pitch Perfect, in which her character was referred to as 'Fat Amy'.

Nicole Kidman to play the villian in Paddington Bear film; Colin Firth to voice Paddington

2013-09-20T23:30:00.000+10:00

Nicole Kidman attends the Calvin Klein show during New York Fashion Show this week. Kidman will play an evil taxidermist in an upcoming film about beloved British children's book character Paddington Bear. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph reports

Nicole Kidman will play the villain in a new movie about marmalade-loving children's character Paddington Bear - to be voiced by Oscar-winning British actor Colin Firth.

Firth, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Britain's stuttering king George VI in The King's Speech, has told British newspaper Daily Mail that the Peruvian bear would be computer-generated, with the rest of the characters played by real actors including Kidman.

"Paddington will be computer-generated, and I will speak his lines with, I suspect, a slight Peruvian flavour,'' Firth told the Mail.

"Every other character in the film will be real, live human beings.

"But the idea is that Paddington will have something of me in his DNA because I'm going to do some sessions wearing one of those helmets with cameras to capture my face muscles, and all that data will somehow be incorporated into Paddington.''

Kidman will play the villain in the movie spearheaded by David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter movies.

One of the best-loved characters of classic English children's literature, Paddington is known for his duffle-coat, battered suitcase and love of marmalade sandwiches. He is unfailingly polite, but has a knack for getting into trouble.

He first appeared in 1958 in Michael Bond's book A Bear Called Paddington, in which the Brown family find him sitting in London's Paddington train station, having made his way there from "darkest Peru''.

The family adopt the bear - who carries a sign reading Please Look After This Bear - and he goes on to have 20 books' worth of adventures.

Heyman had announced last year that he was teaming up with France-based film studio Studiocanal to update Paddington's adventures for the big screen.

Filming starts in September and it is due in cinemas in November 2014.

The movie will also feature Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent, both of whom worked with Heyman on the Harry Potter films.

Paul King, director of the British TV comedy series The Mighty Boosh, is to direct the film, according to the film trade magazine Screen Daily.

The Hollywood Reporter said Kidman would play "an evil taxidermist out for revenge''.
The stories have previously been adapted in cartoon form and using puppets.

Chris Hemsworth says he understands his brother Liam's life in the spotlight

2013-09-20T23:20:00.000+10:00

Actors Liam, Chris and Luke Hemsworth attend the Rush premiere during the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Source: Getty Images

James Wigney, News Limited Network, reports

Chris Hemsworth says he has his brother Liam's back as he deals with his breakup from singer Miley Cyrus.

The Aussie star said in an interview with News Corp Australia this morning he understands what his younger sibling is going through in dealing with the spotlight after the two became famous around the same time.

Chris became an instant superstar in 2011 playing superhero Thor, which made more than $450 million at the box office, and Liam followed less than a year later when the Hunger Games raked in $700 million worldwide.

"The two of us started going through this at the same time and if there is someone who has had a similar experience - especially if it's your brother - and then that's a real bonus," said Chris, currently starring as hard-living racing champion James Hunt in the F1 movie, Rush.

"You can also call each other's bluff a bit. If one starts to drift off in the wrong direction then you don't need to say 'I don't know what you are talking about' because I understand that as well. We have both been through it. There is a way of staying grounded - it's all about your friends and family and we have been lucky to have had that."

Liam attended the Toronto and London premieres of Rush earlier in the month in the aftermath of his then-fiance Cyrus's controversial performance at the VMA Awards.

The pair this week confirmed the end of their three-year relationship which began when they met on the set of the 2009 drama The Last Song.

Liam was recently seen kissing rumoured new flame Eiza Gonzalez, but Chris declined to comment on his brother's state of mind post-breakup.

"I avoid trying to comment on his personal details because it can get a bit misconstrued," he said. "So you will have to ask him."