A central scene in director Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers wasn’t in Justin Kuritzkes’ original script.
15.04.2024 - 12:05 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Jamie Lloyd, director of the history-making reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, reveals that his star Nicole Scherzinger initially “refused to consider” accepting his offer to play Norma Desmond in the show adapted from Billy Wilder’s 1950 classic.
“Nicole was not flattered,” he gasped, speaking to Breaking Baz backstage at the London theatre awards, held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night.
Lloyd says that the show’s “obviously associated with Glenn Close’s iconic performance and therefore people think about Norma Desmond being a much older woman.”
Mmm, that’s unlikely to amuse Glenn Close.
He tells me that Scherzinger, a one-time member of The Pussycat Dolls, called Norma Desmond a “has been” and stormed at Lloyd that she “still looks good under the bright lights.”
Lloyd encouraged her to study Don Black and Christopher Hampton’s book and lyrics and to listen to Lloyd Weber’s music. ”I think it’s Andrew’s greatest score,” he argues. “It’s complex and challenging, so atmospheric and so surprising.”
He explains that he’d had a “weird sort of fever dream” that only Nicole Scherzinger could play Norman Desmond. The director felt that the singer had a “real connection to Norma’s story”.
Lloyd suggested that “Nicole, who has experienced great things and then, when you think about it, in many ways has been dismissed as an artist and has never really been given the opportunity to show the world what she’s really capable of doing.”
The production plays with that, he says, in the sense that “where does Nicole end and where does Norma begin?”
Lloyd says he had to tell Scherzinger not to think about Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Elaine Paige, or Petula Clark. All four have essayed the role,
A central scene in director Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers wasn’t in Justin Kuritzkes’ original script.
Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor‘s steamy three-way Challengers kiss has been generating a lot of attention since the movie’s first trailer. However, the moment almost didn’t make it into the movie!
People magazine. “It’s a shame because it should have been a beautiful moment, but after we did it, people were trying to take it away, until I stood up and went, ‘Wait a minute, why are we living our life for anyone else?’ And 35 years later, we’re still married.”The 62-year-old, born John Francis Bongiovi Jr., made the last-minute decision to marry his then-fiancée while he was on tour at the time.“We were in Los Angeles, California, the band was on the road on the ‘New Jersey’ tour, and if you opened up the curtains of my hotel room, there’s a big billboard of the five of us [Bon Jovi band members] staring into my window,” Bon Jovi went on.
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Olivier Awards host Hannah Waddingham received a round of cheers and applause after she boldly stood up to a photographer who made an inappropriate comment on the red carpet - saying "don't be a d**k".The Ted Lasso star dazzled in a light purple sequined gown as she posed for photographs at the prestigious award show, held at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday. In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), Hannah was heard addressing a photographer in the crowd, although his exact words were unclear.
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Naman Ramachandran “Sunset Boulevard” dominated the 2024 Olivier Awards with seven wins, including best actor and actress in a musical for its leading duo Tom Francis and Nicole Scherzinger. Jamie Lloyd won the Sir Peter Hall Award for best director and the show also won best musical revival.
Nicole Scherzinger and Tom Francis pose together with their trophies after winning at the 2024 Olivier Awards held at The Royal Albert Hall on Sunday (April 14) in London.
Cara Delevingne sparkled as she hit the green carpet at the 2024 Olivier Awards held at The Royal Albert Hall on Sunday (April 14) in London.
The 2024 Olivier Awards take place this evening at the Royal Albert Hall in London with an array of screen names set to be celebrated for performances given on the London stage.
Daniel Mays remembers Michael Douglas and Timothy Van Patten, the respectively star and director of new Apple TV drama Franklin, bursting into song whenever he appeared on set.
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The Olivier Awards will be available to stream on Britbox this year, alongside its regular UK broadcast on ITV1. The Olivier Awards will take place on Sunday, April 14, and will be available to American and Canadian audiences on SVOD service Britbox on the same day. Australian audiences will have access to the stream from Monday, April 15.
Stacey Solomon didn't hold back when revealing the not-so-flattering nickname her husband Joe Swash has given her. The 34 year old TV star, who has been keeping Instagram fans up to date with her DIY hacks in Pickle Cottage, revealed this piece of trivia during her Channel 4 show, Stacey Solomon's Renovation Rescues.
EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick has opened up about his battle with health anxiety and how therapy has been a significant aid for him. As the London Marathon approaches, the actor, known for his role as Jay on the hit BBC One series, is preparing to run for a cause that deeply affects his family.
Keith Urban is ready to hit the stage!
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