Cannes Film Festival Showcases Bold New Films and Celebrity Drama

Current entertainment round-up: Sean Baker destigmatizes sex work in 'Anora', Gerard Depardieu accused of assault, 'Veteran 2' promises action, and Scarlett Johansson claims voice misuse by OpenAI. Other highlights include Chris Pratt finding his 'Garfield' side, Matthew Perry's tragic investigation, and Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' receiving mixed Cannes reviews.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Cannes entry 'Anora' aims to destigmatize sex work, says director

Part of director Sean Baker's aim in making "Anora," a darkly funny and touching drama about a young exotic dancer who becomes involved with a Russian oligarch's son, was to remove the stigma surrounding sex work, he said on Wednesday. "It's important to explore what sex work is in the modern age," Baker told journalists at the Cannes Film Festival, where the competition film premiered on Tuesday. "It's a career and job that should be respected."

Paparazzi photographer accuses French actor Depardieu of Rome assault

A veteran Italian paparazzi photographer has accused Gerard Depardieu of assaulting him in central Rome after he took photos of the French actor and his partner at a famed restaurant. Rino Barillari, 79, told Italian media he went to Harry's Bar on Via Veneto when he heard that Depardieu was having lunch there on Tuesday with friends.

Korea's Ryoo promises fresh action, relatable problems in 'Veteran' sequel

Nine years after his box office hit "Veteran," South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan is bringing the Violent Crime Investigation Division back to the big screen with "Veteran 2". The action-thriller, which also goes by the title "I, the Executioner" and stars Hwang Jung-min and Jung Hae-in, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it is showing out of competition, shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI chatbot voice 'eerily similar' to hers

Scarlett Johansson on Monday accused OpenAI of creating a voice for the ChatGPT system that sounded "eerily similar" to the actress after she declined to voice the chatbot herself. Johansson made the comments in a statement released hours after the artificial intelligence company said it was taking down the voice, called 'Sky.'

'The Garfield Movie' gave Chris Pratt a reminder of his lazy side

Voicing the iconic lazy, orange cat in "The Garfield Movie" reminded Chris Pratt of himself when he was in his late 20s and early 30s. "I ate so much all the time, and I was very lazy," he told Reuters.

Actors union backs Scarlett Johansson after claim of voice misuse by OpenAI (May 21)

SAG-AFTRA, an influential body representing television, radio, motion pictures, commercials and games artists, on Tuesday backed Scarlett Johansson after the American actress raised concerns over the voice feature of a new OpenAI system that she said sounded "eerily similar" to her own. OpenAI unveiled its latest artificial intelligence model, GPT-4o, last week, featuring an audio-interacting persona named "Sky".

LA police probe how 'Friends' star Matthew Perry obtained lethal ketamine dose

Los Angeles homicide detectives and federal agents are investigating how "Friends" star Matthew Perry obtained the high dose of the powerful prescription drug ketamine that was found in his body and determined to have caused his death, police said. The disclosure on Tuesday of an ongoing criminal probe by police and two federal agencies came five months after the Los Angeles County medical examiner concluded Perry succumbed to an accidental drug overdose and drowning, with no foul play suspected.

Trump would be surprised by Cannes biopic 'The Apprentice,' says director

Donald Trump would likely be surprised by "The Apprentice," director Ali Abbasi said on Tuesday of his biopic about Trump's early years as a real estate mogul, adding he was open to meeting with the former U.S. president to discuss the film. "The Apprentice," which shares the name of a reality TV series hosted and produced by Trump that made him a household name, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, receiving an eight-minute ovation and mixed reviews from critics.

Election year Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' premieres at Cannes

"The Apprentice", Iran-born director Ali Abbasi's much-anticipated drama of a young Donald Trump's ascendancy as a New York real estate mogul, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday. Part of the pull of the film is its timing, as Trump, now 77, is contesting the U.S. elections in November as Republican presidential candidate.

Cronenberg says ghoulish Cannes entry 'The Shrouds' did not lessen his grief

David Cronenberg, who has made a career out of the macabre, found that making his deeply personal new film "The Shrouds" did not lessen the grief he feels over his wife's death. "I don't really think of art, and especially I don't think of my art as cathartic," the longtime Canadian director known for body horror classics like "The Fly" and "Videodrome" told Reuters on Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival.

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