Paddington’s Hugh Bonneville got snubbed by his former co-star George Clooney during casting for the Hollywood heartthrob’s latest film.
Actor-turned-producer/director George cast the Downton Abbey star in his 2014 blockbuster The Monuments Men.
And George and his producing colleague Grant Heslov got in touch to ask him to record a read through for another part last year.
Though looking forward to auditioning for “people that know me”, Hugh, it must be said, is no fan of self recorded read-throughs.
“It’s all self-tapes these days, which is disgusting,” he grumbles on The Dish podcast. “Stupid! Don’t get me started.”
And Hugh was also required to give a run through of his impressive CV.
He recalls: “They say, ‘Tell them what other shows you’ve done so they can get to know who you are.’
“So I said, ‘Hello I’m Hugh Bonneville, I’ve appeared in films like the two Paddington films and Downton Abbey, and in fact a film called The Monuments Men, directed by George Clooney...
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity to read for you today.’
“Didn’t get the part.”
This year, Grant and George released Ticket to Paradise, which also starred George with Julia Roberts. It definitely did not feature Hugh.
Ed Balls
Politicians are not renowned for romance – thankfully.
But Ed Balls and wife Yvette Cooper are so in tune with one another that they once purchased the same Christmas present for each other.
“We quite often have rows on Christmas Eve as we both do last-minute shopping,” explains Yvette.
She admitted one festive spat that took place on numerous roundabouts trying to locate a branch of Argos on the Basingstoke Ring Road before it closed its doors for Christmas.
“We ended up going through the same traffic jam twice,” she tells Matt Forde’s Political Party podcast.
“Ed was driving and totally lost it.
“We did make it to Argos and the next day when we unwrapped the presents from each other, we each bought each other a satnav.”
Ho ho ho.
Christian Bale
He’s starred as Batman, American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman and famously shed four and a half stone for his role in The Machinist.
But there is one elusive role Oscar winner Christian Bale is desperate to take on next: Shaun Ryder from the Happy Mondays.
The actor is keen to portray the I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here star in a biopic.
“He was always such an interesting figure,” he tells NME. “I grew up loving the Happy Mondays, so yeah, it’d be a lot of fun to play.
“I’m probably too old now if they’re doing it in his heyday.”
The role in an upcoming biopic has, sadly for Christian, already gone to Skins star Jack O’Connell.
But he can always dream of a sequel.
Katie Price
Gig-goers in Worthing were treated to more than they bargained for at an East 17 gig this week.
Fresh from her 16th breast enlargement op, Katie Price invaded the stage to pop up on the mic, thankfully just for a shout-out to the West Sussex crowd.
Given her vocal talents, she wasn’t requested to help sing Stay Another Day.
Rosie Ramsey
Rosie Ramsey is pretty in pink with Neil Jones ahead of appearing with the pro on Strictly’s festive special – but training has been no bed of roses.
Actress Rosie will be on Sunday’s show three years after comic husband Chris was a contestant – and has had to say sorry to him.
Apparently she wasn’t very caring during his Strictly ordeal in 2019.
“I didn’t give him any sympathy at all,” she grimaces. “I told him he was overreacting and I have had to apologise because now it’s my time.
“Training has been good but it’s surprised me just how gruelling it is and how difficult the dance is. All the other couples’ dances are looking so polished and they’re doing such a good job.
“You definitely come in a bit naive to it and you think ‘oh it’s easy’ – but I’ve had to apologise to Chris.”
