Steven Soderbergh has refuted reports claiming Thandiwe Newton was dropped from the latest Magic Mike movie after rowing with costar Channing Tatum.
Newton was set to appear in the soon-to-be-released Magic Mike’s Last Dance but exited the project after 11 days. She was replaced in the role opposite Tatum by Salma Hayek.
“Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros Pictures’ Magic Mike’s Last Dance to deal with family matters,” a Warner Bros spokesperson said at the time.
Meanwhile, outlets like PageSix and The Sun reported that a “vicious” row broke out between the two stars over the Will Smith Oscars slapping incident of last year.
Newton’s spokesperson said the source-cited rumours were “completely inaccurate”.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Soderbergh claimed that none of the headlines he saw about Newton’s exit were factual.
“Nothing I ever saw was accurate, and there’s really no upside for anybody involved in litigating this or excavating it, because I consider it private,” Soderbergh said.
“Everything I saw publicly was wrong. It was just… I don’t think anybody sees any benefit in running through this publicly. It becomes something you can’t control. Right now, to keep it private means all of us can control it, and I think that’s where it should sit for the time being.”
According to The Sun, a source claimed at the time: “They fell out over the debacle at the Oscars. I was on set. I watched her and watched him. They were in and out of the house where we were filming having this confrontation.
“After the row he just went, ‘I am not working with her anymore.’ Him being a producer, it’s his movie, so she’s off the movie.”
Tatum has yet to comment publicly on the alleged feud.
Magic Mike’s Last Dance is out in cinemas 10 February.
