Related: Chloe Fineman Reveals Facial Injuries After ‘Botched’ Cosmetic Procedures
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Days of Our Lives stuns as Marlena Evans (Diedre Hall) shocked the DiMeras when she changed her mind and abruptly showed up at Stefano DiMera‘s (Joseph Mascolo) will reading. But then Marlena didn’t even accept the chess set that the Phoenix bequeathed to her and John Black (Drake Hogestyn).
And I think that chess set is more than meets the eye. We know the late Stefano DiMera called John Black the pawn and he called Marlena of course the queen of the night. So, we have a lot to unpack about what secret might be hidden in this bequest.
So, after all the buildup for weeks and weeks about Stefano’s will reading, I think, you know, based on what I’m seeing on soap social media here in the comments also, fans were really let down. Because it was totally lackluster. We are in May sweeps and after all of EJ DiMera‘s (Dan Feuerriegel) plotting and planning, we got May sleeps. Because it was almost a snoozefest. We already expected that Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez) was going to barge in, and she did. She made her grand entrance to announce she’s not an ex-wife. She’s a widow.
And so, Gabi claimed that she’s entitled to her late husband, Stefan DiMera’s (Brandon Barash) share of Stefano’s inheritance. Gabi has a signed affidavit from Vivian Almain’s (Louise Sorel) manservant, Ivan Marais, stating that he saw Vivian personally sign the divorce papers with Stefan’s name. So, there is some proof that Gabi and Stefan were never legally divorced.
Some of the DiMeras groused, but honestly, the reaction was kind of eh, a shrug. And of course, we all expected some huge earth-shattering thing with Lexie Carver‘s (Nikki Crawford) resurrection. You know, maybe the DiMeras are just immune to this. Because they are known for fake deaths and resurrections.
So, when she showed up and collapsed, most of the family again was like, “Oh, it’s Lexie.” You know, the biggest reaction was from nosy Leo Stark (Greg Rikkart) who wanted to write about it and of course from Chad DiMera (Connor Floyd) because he ran to EJ asking can he do the same thing and bring back Abigail DiMera (Marci Miller) and of course EJ said that he couldn’t because it had been too long and all this. But honestly, he could have her in a person pod somewhere. We’ll see.
But the Lexie drama, to be fair, isn’t over yet because Theo Carver (Cameron Johnson) just found out that Paulina Price (Jackée Harry) already knew that Lexie was in the person pod. And Paulina just found out that Theo’s known for a couple of weeks that his mom was being brought back from the dead. But once Abe Carver (James Reynolds) finds out, Theo and Paulina both knew, there is more fallout coming. But other than the staff getting houses and a stipend, the will reading was honestly low drama. All of Stefano’s stuff is to be divided equally among the family.
And I think most fans thought Marlena’s inheritance from Stefano would be a much more grand bequest. Jewels, a tiara, something that hearkened back to the Queen of the Night days. And this did, but not in a big splashy way. I think Marlena knew that Stefano was taunting her, giving her a chessboard with a queen and a pawn among the pieces.
And it was meant for her and John both. So, Stefano thought that they would both survive him. That’s clear. So it wasn’t just a message for Marlena, but also for her late husband John. And by refusing to keep Stefano’s bequest, Marlena lost the chance to explore what was in that box. She gave it back to Theo and Marlena said, “Thanks, no thanks.” And then she up and walked out. She felt like, “Okay, I’m done with Stefano. That’s my closure.”
I think Theo or one of the other DiMeras, maybe EJ, maybe Tony DiMera (Thaao Penghlis), may start poking around into the chess set and discover something hidden within Marlena’s gift. Now, first off, right away, there could be a hidden compartment. The chess set isn’t only symbolic of Marlena and John’s past with Stefano on Days of our Lives.
There could be more to it. You know, there might be a real treasure in there or some sort of mystery or a secret. So, it could be Marlena’s gift contains a secret hidey-hole in the box or in one of the pieces. If Stefano was going to hide something, I bet he would conceal it inside the queen since Marlena was his queen of the night, at least in Stefano’s mind.
So, there could be something in there, something small like maybe a flash drive or, you know, a photo card. What do you call those little things? A little tiny memory. Those things are teeny tiny now, like pinky nail size. Or there could be a note rolled up and pushed inside it. There could even be a couple of things. One thing hidden in the queen and another thing to go with it hidden inside the little pawn piece.
But because Marlena walked away from the box and left it, somebody else might find whatever Stefano meant for her and John’s eyes only. So, it could be that Marlena’s former rival, Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk), decides to check out the chess set and she discovers something hidden. We know Kristen was hot for John and so she might be curious about what her dad left.

It could also be that Stefano meant the chess set as a form of psychological warfare from beyond the grave. And it may contain a secret that he wanted Marlena and John alone to know. You know, could be something that Stefano thought he could only trust Marlena with.
And don’t forget, Stefano was a master manipulator. He loved to play mind games, not just with his enemies, but also with his own family. And of course, the box startled Marlena when it revealed the queen and the pawn because Stefano tormented her and John for decades.
And somewhere hidden within the box could be a clue revealing a secret tied to Stefano and Marlena’s twisted past, maybe tied to something Stefano did to her when she was gaslit and manipulated and she doesn’t have clear memories. You know, could be information about a secret love child or a cloned embryo.
There’s been some hints recently that maybe Stefano and Marlena had a child together she doesn’t know about. Of course, that would prompt the question, who. Is there going to be a new DiMera showing up in Salem? It could be somebody already on the canvas like Chad who was born during the period where Stefano was kidnapping Marlena all the time. So she could have had a kid, Chad or somebody else.
Finally, the chess game that he left Marlena could signify some sort of proxy power play and some long revenge game that Stefano was plotting against Marlena and John and their family. Now that she refused the bequest, you know, Marlena may think she’s finally free from Stefano and all the things he tried to do, but he may have been one step ahead of her and anticipated that Marlena would refuse his gift because that seems obvious.
The box may have been bait and Stefano might have known she would refuse it and that it’d be left behind with his family. There could be some bizarre post-mortem contingency plan that Stefano set up to pull Marlena into DiMera family drama. You know, she may have to be the reluctant queen who has to play one more game to protect Salem from Stefano’s final scheme because it feels like there should be a final scheme, right?
I definitely feel like the Phoenix may have something up his dead evil sleeve when it comes to his queen of the night and the man, the pawn, all that. Given how lackluster the will reading was and really to me just totally anticlimactic, it feels like there may be another shoe to drop where Stefano is concerned.
Euphoria’s Chloe Cherry is a pro at getting lip filler.
“Obviously, I get lip filler,” Chloe, real name Elise marily Jones, said during the Monday, May 11, episode of Vogue’s “Beauty Secrets” YouTube series. “I have gotten so much lip filler in my lifetime that I no longer even need to use the numbing cream because I am so used to how it feels to get lip filler.”
Chloe, 28, quipped, “That’s my thing!”
Fans shared their thoughts in the comments section. “It looks so good on her tho,” one wrote, while a second added, “It looks so good tbh.” A third commented, “✨It’s my thing✨.”
Elsewhere in the video, Chloe, who plays Faye Valentine in the hit HBO Max series, got candid about other work she’s had done.
“I decided to get Botox and filler because I did not like how my face looked,” she shared. “It just kind of led to me just having to keep doing it and upkeeping it.”
“I have literally put it in my forehead so many times that I’m not even kidding, I think the muscle has actually atrophied,” Chloe said while pointing to her forehead and showing how much she can move her muscles. “That’s how much I can raise my eyebrows. I’ll never have forehead wrinkles,” she laughed.
Chloe also opened up about her extra-long lashes and shared the secret behind her length. “I started using it like a year ago,” she explained while holding up a bottle of Sweed Beauty’s Eyelash Growth Serum. “It really did make them grow so much.”
She continued, “There was actually this point when we were on set for Euphoria where my eyelashes grew longer than the fake lash they were using [so] my makeup artist had to trim my eyelashes because they were too long.”
Here’s a rundown of Us Weekly‘s top stories making headlines in celebrity news, sports and entertainment on May 12, 2026. Here are key takeaways:
• A ‘DWTS’ announcement: Savannah Bananas second baseman and internet personality Jackson Olson was revealed as the third celebrity cast member for Dancing With the Stars season 35 at Disney’s Upfront presentation. The new season is set to premiere this fall on ABC and Disney+, with Jackson joining previously announced contestants Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller.
• Finale drama: American Idol finalist Keyla Richardson‘s mother claimed her daughter was “robbed” of the season 24 win after Keyla placed third in the May 11 finale. Hannah Harper took home the title, with Jordan McCullough finishing as runner-up.
• Baby joy: Jamie Foxx and girlfriend Alyce Huckstepp are expecting their first child together after rekindling their romance in 2025. The pair were initially linked in 2022 before splitting after three years, and the baby will be Huckstepp’s first and Foxx’s third child.
Edited by Samantha Benitz. Story produced with AI assistance
One of Netflix’s earlier TV hits, the Jason Bateman-led Ozark has remained one of the streamer’s more memorable titles as well. The crime drama saw a regular banker and his family take on a money laundering scheme for a cartel, meshing the terrors of organized crime with a group of in-over-their-heads characters who felt instantly relatable. Ozark ran for four seasons and concluded its run back in 2022, so most fans of crime shows have already watched through the show at least once by now. Fortunately, this month brought a new series to Netflix’s lineup that feels like a strong successor to Ozark, giving those fans an easy weekend binge to scratch that same itch.
Last week, Netflix released the first season of new crime series Legends, which instantly feels like it has the potential to follow in the footsteps of beloved shows like Ozark and Narcos. The season is only six episodes in length, making it easy to binge through the story in a single weekend (or less), setting up what fans of the crime genre are already hoping will be a long-running series.
From creator Neil Forsyth, Netflix’s new Legends series tells the true story of a group of British Customs employees who are tasked with going undercover and infiltrating a dangerous drug ring. The saga of these agents was covered in the book The Betrayer: How an Undercover Unit Infiltrated the Global Drug Trade, which was the true, written account of one of those agents, Guy Stanton.
In Legends, Guy is played by actor Tom Burke, who starred in Mank and The Lazarus Project before his scene-stealing breakout turn as Praetorian Jack in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Guy, along with a handful of other regular Customs employees, are given brand-new identities at the start of their new jobs, and tasked with taking on the international drug trade. Like the family in Ozark, these agents haven’t been training their whole lives for this type of assignment, and they realize quickly that they are in way over their heads.
Similar to Peacock’s Ponies series — which is also about inexperienced agents going undercover but has a much bigger comedic streak to it — Legends isn’t set in the modern day. The entire show takes place in the 1990s, allowing for some great production style and costuming you don’t get in a lot of shows.
In addition to Burke, the series stars Steve Coogan, Hayley Squires, Aml Ameen, Jasmine Blackborow, Douglas Hodge, Gerald Kid, Charlotte Ritchie, and Kem Hassan.
We’re less than a week removed from the debut of Legends on Netflix, so it isn’t surprising that Netflix hasn’t made any announcement about its second season fate just yet. The streamer will likely take some time to study the show’s performance data before revealing news about Season 2.
So far, the show has performed well, at least where the Netflix Top 10 TV Shows list is concerned. Legends has been a steady presence on the list in the United States since arriving on the platform, though it has been slightly overshadowed by titles like Man on Fire and Lord of the Flies. The performance in the UK will probably be a major factor, given that Legends is a British production and focuses on a group of real-life heroes from England.
The saga of Guy Stanton and his fellow Customs agents would be impossible to fully fit in just six episodes, so there is hope from a lot of fans that there will be more Legends on the way in the future. The warm reception from critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) may bode well for its word-of-mouth performance.
May 7, 2026
Netflix
Brady Hood, Julian Holmes
Usher made sure one of the biggest surprises at Kevin Hart’s Netflix roast came from him. The R&B star stunned the audience when he took the stage and performed a parody version of his 2004 hit song “Burn” to roast the comedian.
Although the performance lasted only a few minutes, it left attendees smiling, while Hart remained visibly shocked throughout. Clips of the moment later went viral, sparking reactions from several social media users.

Roasts are usually packed with brutal jokes from fellow comedians, but one of the night’s harshest moments came from Hart’s longtime friend, Usher.
When the R&B star stepped onto the stage, many expected him to deliver one of his usual performances. Instead, he performed a parody of his 2004 hit “Burn,” using the moment to roast Hart in a way that left the comedian repeatedly asking, “What the f-ck are you doing?”
Rather than singing about heartbreak, as he did in the original version, the musician flipped the song into a string of playful insults about Hart’s comedy career and their friendship. In one of the altered verses, he questioned why he should remain in a “fake friendship” with Hart, before joking that they were no longer laughing.
Despite Hart’s reaction, Usher only doubled down on the roast, not missing a beat as the band played along.
During the performance, the singer mocked Hart’s comedy career and suggested that his jokes were not landing the way they used to, even joking at one point, “Look at what money does to you.”
The performance left Hart visibly shocked, with a stunned expression throughout the set. However, attendees appeared to enjoy the moment, as several audience members smiled when the cameras panned toward them.
Online, internet users expressed their love for Usher’s parody of his own song, with many praising the unexpected twist and his comedic delivery.
“A R&B rotisserie is diabolical,” one person wrote, while another remarked, “It’s him trying not to laugh while he’s singing that’s cracking me up.”
“Getting roasted to a melody is insane,” someone else added, while a fourth user commented, “Kevin be so surprised by the constant betrayals: The Rock, Usher, Shaq, Chris Brown, all of ’em.”
Some also suggested that Usher’s cracked voice while singing was intentional and meant to further mirror the joke he was making.
“The fact that y’all not getting it that he purposely crackled his voice shows me how much y’all lack a sense of humor,” one user said.

Usher’s roast of Hart looked like the perfect payback for moments when the comedian had previously trolled him during previous public appearances.
One notable instance came at the 2025 BET Awards, where Hart served as host and walked onto the stage wearing a bright red, floor-length fur coat. The outfit featured a label where the musician’s name had been crossed out and replaced with Hart’s, per The Mirror.
Hart was also flanked by two butlers holding bowls of cherries, which he picked from before attempting to feed them to members of the audience.
The look appeared to parody Usher’s own styling from his “Past Present Future” tour, where he often wears a bright red coat, moves into the crowd, and feeds a single cherry to a selected fan.

In September 2024, Hart also pulled a playful stunt during Usher’s sold-out four-night run in Los Angeles.
The comedian took the stage to impersonate the singer, wearing a white tank top and jeans that night. Hart then removed his top before launching into his own version of the song “Nice & Slow.”
However, before he could get very far, the R&B star quickly walked out and asked him, “What the f-ck are you doing?” which were the same words Hart later asked the singer during the recent roast.
Hart then tried to explain that they had arranged for him to sing one song, but Usher firmly cut him off with a stern “No” before chasing him off the stage.
Sir Ian McKellen is opening up about the worst piece of advice that he has ever received. The advice came from an unexpected source: the “Star Wars” legend Sir Alec Guinness. The conversation took place during a new interview in which the “Lord of the Rings” actor answered questions from fans.

Sir Ian McKellen revealed that he had once had a conversation with the late “Star Wars” actor Alec Guinness about his campaign for LGBTQ+ rights. The discussion came up during an interview with The Guardian, when he answered questions sent in by readers. One question was “What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?”
McKellen explained that he first met Guinness in 1979 after the late actor attended a performance of McKellen’s play “Bent.”
“Alec Guinness sat rather primly in my dressing room, enthusing about the play before inviting me out to supper. I stupidly declined, but a decade later was given a second chance to meet up with the great man,” McKellen said.
During that lunch, McKellen revealed that Guinness had tried to persuade him to abandon his advocacy work out of concern for his acting career.
“He took me for an Italian lunch in Pimlico, where we chatted about this and that until he brought up the real reason for his invitation. He had heard about my work to establish Stonewall – a lobby group to present to the government and the world at large the case for treating UK lesbians and gays equally under the law with the rest of the population,” he continued.
“He thought it somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs and advised me, sort of pleaded with me, to withdraw,” he explained, later calling it “advice from an older generation” that he “didn’t follow.”

During a 1988 BBC radio interview, McKellen revealed his sexual identity and has remained an ardent supporter of LGBTQ+ rights over the years. In the interview, McKellen said that the conversation came back to him when he was watching a stage show titled “Two Halves of Guinness.”
McKellen described it as “a solo show which hints at Sir Alec’s latent bisexuality in a way that would have upset him, I suppose.”
The late actor died in 2000 at the age of 86; however, in 2001, reports emerged that he was bisexual. The BBC reported that the “Lawrence of Arabia” actor hid his sexuality from the public, but was considered out among his family and friends.
Guinness was married to actress and playwright Merula Silvia Salaman. They welcomed a son named Matthew Guinness, who is now 85.

McKellen is a well-known figure in pop culture. He will be reprising his “X-Men” role as Magneto in “Avengers: Doomsday,” which hits theaters this December. He is also set to reprise his role as the wizard Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” which is scheduled for release in 2027.
Elijah Wood will be reprising his role as Frodo Baggins, and Lee Pace will be reprising his role as Thranduil from “The Hobbit.” Andy Serkis will be reprising his role as Gollum and Sméagol, while Leo Woodall and Kate Winslet will join the franchise as new characters. Although many fans were hoping that Viggo Mortensen would return to reprise his role as Aragorn, his role has been recast and will instead be played by Jamie Dornan.

In August 2025, McKellen teased his return to Middle-earth at the For the Love of Fantasy fan event in London, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. “I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting: There’s a character in the movie called Frodo, and there’s a character in the movie called Gandalf,” he said at the time.
“Apart from that, my lips are sealed!” he joked amid gasps from the audience.
Although the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy wrapped in 2023 with “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,” McKellen and Wood reprised their role in the “Hobbit” trilogy, which took place from 2012 to 2014.
In addition to “The Hunt for Gollum,” fans can also look forward to veteran late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert co-writing another “Lord of the Rings” script called “Shadow of the Past,” which will take place after “The Hunt for Gollum.” It will be written by Colbert, Philippa Boyens, and Peter McGee.
LeAnn Rimes revealed that she has to reschedule more concerts amid her ongoing health issues.
“After a follow-up visit with my doctor, she has strongly advised me to take an additional week of vocal rest while I heal from this sickness,” the singer, 43, wrote via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, May 12. “This sadly means I can no longer perform this weekend in Washington and Wilmington.”
Rimes explained that the shows were not canceled but postponed. The Washington D.C. show is now scheduled for August 15, and Wilmington, Delaware will be on August 16. Tickets for the original date will remain valid. Refunds are available if the new dates do not work.
The Gramme winner added that she is “so excited” to see fans at those new dates while she focuses on getting better in the meantime.
“I can’t wait to be healthy and back on stage, making memories with you!” Rimes continued. “I’ll see you in August!”
This is the third time Rimes has had to reschedule her shows due to health reasons. Last month, Rimes revealed that she was battling a “severe illness” and unable to travel and perform.
“I am truly heartbroken to have to reschedule and I am so very grateful for your kindness and continued support as I recover,” she wrote via her Instagram Story in April. “I look forward to being back on stage and seeing you very soon.”
Days later, Rimes shared that she unfortunately had to reschedule more concert dates as her illness worsened.
“After a diagnosis of covid leading to severe laryngitis, I’m so sorry to have to reschedule next week’s shows,” she wrote via her Instagram Story in May. “A visit to my doctor for a scope of my vocal cords has confirmed the news and I wanted to tell you as soon as I could.”
Rimes added that “it breaks my heart, having to schedule these shows.”
“There is no place I would rather be next week than celebrating with all of you,” she continued. “However, this is sadly out of my hands until I get this under control.”
Later that month, Rimes gave fans a glimpse of her doing an at-home remedy for her throat issues.
“After being on antibiotics, I’m trying to heal thrush in my throat and acid reflux … dear lord help me,” she wrote via her Instagram Story alongside a photo of her holding a clear drink on ice. “Sunshine, grounding [and] coconut water & aloe vera juice with fresh rosemary from our yard.”
As science fiction gets closer and closer to science reality, the cancellation of HBO’s Westworld seems even more tragic. Debuting in 2016, the sci-fi masterpiece was a reimagining of Michael Crichton’s 1974 film about a Western theme park where the robotic hosts start to malfunction. Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the television series was much more ambitious than the film, tackling themes of AI and bodily autonomy.
Evan Rachel Wood stars as Dolores, a host in the park who embarks on a harrowing journey toward sentience. Westworld lasted for four seasons before getting cancelled and ultimately scrubbed from the platform entirely. Fans had always held out hope that Nolan and Joy would return to finish their series as initially envisioned, but now it seems less likely than ever before because of a new development.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. is rebooting the Westworld franchise yet again. The new film will not factor in the HBO series but instead reboot the original Crichton feature altogether. After four years of hoping for good news, this is the last thing fans wanted and may even hurt the franchise in the long run.
It was only a matter of time before Warner Bros. returned to Westworld, especially because of the themes that have become even more relevant with each passing day. Concerns over artificial intelligence are paramount in the series as they are in viewers’ day-to-day lives. All the more reason that any return to Westworld should solely take place on television.
Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy didn’t even cover everything they planned on in four seasons. A single two-hour film has no chance of substantially addressing this material. Themes such as free will, identity, and sentience are concepts that need television to breathe. Just as Battlestar Galactica explored with the Cylons, Westworld also invested in character arcs with its robot characters.
Westworld does this through the character of Dolores, who, in Season 3, makes several copies of herself. Just as the copies in Battlestar Galactica are all different from each other, so too are the different Doloreses. The more these entities live apart and form different memories, the more they become different people. The complexity of these different identities and what it means to achieve humanity is what made Westworld a masterful series. There is an obvious way to course correct, but it is unlikely that HBO will take a chance on it.
The best-case scenario for Westworld’s return would be to allow the fifth and final season of the series to come to fruition. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have pulled back on releasing any information about their planned ending, holding out hope that they could one day put it into place. With the duo committed to Prime Video’s Fallout, that hope keeps getting further away.
A television reboot could be the answer to vindicating the missing final season, while also further developing the stories at the heart of the show. Westworld was already topical when it first premiered, but it has become even more so in the past year. Artificial intelligence has developed at an alarming rate since the series was cancelled, and there is even more content to explore in that arena.
Westworld clearly should have been able to finish on its own terms, but the time for that has passed. The only responsible way to course correct is to bring the story back to television and put the Nolan-Joy partnership back in the driver’s seat. From music to dialogue and everything in between, Westworld had a clear vision and one that has had no equal since.
2016 – 2022
HBO
Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy
Fred Toye, Jennifer Getzinger, Stephen Williams, Vincenzo Natali, Craig William Macneill, Anna Foerster, Craig Zobel, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Helen Shaver, Jonny Campbell, Michelle MacLaren, Neil Marshall, Nicole Kassell, Tarik Saleh, Uta Briesewitz, Lisa Joy, Meera Menon
Roberto Patino, Carly Wray, Ron Fitzgerald, Daniel T. Thomsen, Karrie Crouse, Wes Humphrey
In 2022, Top Gun: Maverick took flight with a roster of young talent, including Lewis Pullman, sending his career soaring. In addition to starring in hit Apple TV series, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and continuing a legacy with his father, Bill Pullman, in the highly anticipated Spaceballs sequel, Pullman has recently marked off yet another moviemaking bucket list goal: working opposite two-time Academy Award winner Sally Field in Netflix’s upcoming drama Remarkably Bright Creatures.
The drama is an adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s debut New York Times bestselling novel that follows a widow, Tova (Field), who leads a solitary life working at and maintaining the local aquarium. When a wayward young man, Cameron (Pullman), comes to town looking for his father, their paths cross, and though they test one another, they also form an unlikely bond with each other and the aquarium’s giant Pacific octopus, Marcellus (Alfred Molina), leading to a mystery that will restore their sense of wonder in the world. Remarkably Bright Creatures is directed by Olivia Newman and also stars Colm Meaney, Joan Chen, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Kathy Baker, and Beth Grant.
In this interview with Collider’s Steven Weintraub, Pullman looks back on his career, from the most intimidating roles to everything he learned working opposite Field. He shares what it was like joining Top Gun: Maverick, discusses how his father has helped him navigate the industry, and gives new details on what’s coming up, including Spaceballs: The New One and how he’s feeling about Avengers: Doomsday. For all this and more, check out the full conversation in the video above, or in the transcript below.
COLLIDER: I’ve got a ton of questions for you, but I want to start with something called “Get to know Lewis Pullman.”
LEWIS PULLMAN: I love it.
What project scared you the most before saying yes?
PULLMAN: Great question. Well, I think Top Gun [Maverick]. The fear built for me. Once I realized what we were actually going to be doing and the reality of it sunk in, everything started to cave in, and I was like, “Am I actually capable of doing this?” All the flight training and everything was so intense, and the only question they asked was whether we were scared of flying or not. I had never flown like that, nor did I ever think I would be flying in an F-18 or an Extra EA-300, let alone just a Cessna, and so I said yes, and I think everyone else did, too. Then, very quickly, everyone was looking around like, “Oh my gosh. Okay. We’d better buckle up here.” So, there was some definite fear there in terms of actually being physically capable of doing it.
If we’re talking about a role, I think Bad Times at the El Royale was really terrifying for me because I loved the script so much, and I wanted to be a part of something like that so much, and I hadn’t been in a ring quite like that. It was a really multi-layered character, and I was green. So I really leaned on the glorious Drew Goddard and Jeff Bridges quite a bit. Luckily, I had the wind from their gusts in my sails.
The other thing is, you worked with so many talented performers that it’s one of those projects that you learn a lot while making it.
PULLMAN: Yes. Yes, exactly. I learned so much. That was an incredible school for me.
What’s something you are embarrassingly bad at?
PULLMAN: Sports of all kinds. [Laughs]
If you could swap lives with someone for a week, who would it be and why?
PULLMAN: Wow. Oh my gosh. Well, I was just mentioning a story about Zach Galifianakis, and so he’s fresh on my mind. I do think that he probably leads a very interesting life. I think that he lives out in North Carolina or South Carolina, and he has a farm. He kind of still is just one of the best actors/comedians, but has his own little universe. I’d like to see what’s going on there.
What’s something people always get wrong about you?
PULLMAN: I guess maybe that people think that I grew up acting, and I definitely did not. I didn’t partake for real until after college. My dad didn’t really… He brought us to location a lot when he was shooting out of the country, and we would be there, but in terms of being on sets, that was something that was very new to me once I started.
Speaking of your dad, what was your dad’s reaction when you said to him, especially after college, “Hey, I’m thinking about acting?”
PULLMAN: He’s always been very encouraging. I think you hear a lot of stories of actors being like, “Stay away. Don’t do it.” I think he was of the mind that, like, “If it’s not for him, he’ll find out.” He’s like, “I can’t tell him whether he’s going to like it or not. I don’t know.” So, that was a pretty easy conversation. They’re a very creative family that I come from, and so, I think they would have been more taken aback if I were like, “I’m going to be a lawyer.” Maybe.
Did he give you any advice? Because he’s obviously a very talented actor.
PULLMAN: Yes. He gives me advice. He never is just like, “Here’s some advice for you.” Usually, I have to ask, and he’s very gracious with it. My advice I get from him often is through storytelling, through his own experiences. I’ll bring something up that I might be kind of turning around in my mind, and he usually has a good anecdote from his career that is very helpful.
What is it actually like for you nowadays, watching a movie or a TV show? Because now you know the inside of the machine. Can you watch something and enjoy it just as a fan, or do you sometimes find yourself analyzing the performance or analyzing the lens that they used, and it almost takes you out, and you have to re-submerge?
PULLMAN: Sally Field and I were just talking about this. She has more trouble. She’s always like, “How’s the magic trick done? How’s it done? How’s it done?” I can kind of lose myself a little bit still. Sometimes it’s definitely hard, and I don’t like when that part of my brain comes on. If that part of my brain turns on, I’ll be like, “I’ll watch it again.” I’ll let myself just think whatever thoughts I have on the first round, and then the next one, I’m like, “Lose yourself.” Or vice versa. I’ll be like, “Let’s just experience this,” and then I’ll watch it again, and I can be all technical if I want. But I think that you know it’s a good movie when you don’t go into the technical brain.
It recently came out that you and Vanessa Kirby are going to act outside of Marvel for Kitty Green’s The Spacesuit. What was it about that project that said, “Oh, yes?”
PULLMAN: Well, Kitty’s an amazing filmmaker. She did this movie, The Assistant, with Julia Garner, that was just spectacular. It’s a really tough subject to tackle, and she did it in a very grounded, kind of Surveillance-esque, patient, breath-filled style. And this script that she wrote is pretty wild. I think that she is a very capable director to take on something that… I love a pitch that’s like, “How?” or “Why?” and then make it work, and make it grounded. I think she is like way overqualified. So, to get the chance to work with her.
Then Vanessa, I’ve been a huge fan of hers for a long time. That’s one that I think I would be scared to do when the time comes, when we buckle up to get prepped for it. I’ll be feeling fearful, which is a good sign.
For sure. Early in your career, you did a pilot for Highston, and in the pilot, which I watched last night, you climb on Shaq [O’Neal]’s back. You also do all these scenes with Flea? What the hell was that so early in your career, and getting to climb on Shaq’s back?
PULLMAN: That was surreal. I look back on that, and if I were to watch it now, I don’t know. I didn’t know what I was doing at all. I had just come from doing theater in North Carolina in a theater that was more of an auditorium, sort of built for PowerPoint, so you have to project way beyond what is natural and be way bigger than what is natural. I remember doing that, and my dad helping me run some of those scenes, and he helped me a lot to kind of shrink my mode of expression down in a way that would work on film.
But that was a crazy experience. It, in some ways, was kind of the perfect thing to be launched into the film industry with. It’s a kid who has imaginary friends who are celebrities, and you have to basically just let your imagination take hold. It’s very kind of Harvey-esque. I think that was a big influence for Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who made it.
Shaq was amazing. He was so nice. I had a little sister in that, and I remember he just has such a soft spot. Like, he bought her a tricycle, and I think that he just wants to make sure that if you’re a kid and you’re acting, you’re here to have fun. It’s still your childhood. I don’t know, I just remember Shaq being very gracious, and Flea just having some insane philosophical wisdom that I still am digesting to this day.
Jumping into why I get to talk to you. What is it actually like having Sally Field as a scene partner? I’m a huge fan of hers, just like you are, but what is it like having her as a scene partner, and what surprised you about it?
PULLMAN: I think what surprised me about having Sally as a scene partner was, despite that she’s just about 80…
Which I can’t believe.
PULLMAN: Which I cannot believe. I can’t believe. She just said that in an interview, and I was looking at her, and I was like, “Besides some gray hairs, I cannot, I would not…” She is more energetic, has more gumption and perseverance, and grit than most. I think that really surprised me that despite her incredible career and her insane batting average as an actor, she cares more than most, and had a huge bible that she carried around with her — not an actual bible, but like the script was filled with notes, because it’s a mystery in many ways. Remarkably Bright Creatures has a lot of mystery, and so that requires some definite technical thread-weaving and making sure that everything connects and there are no threads left untethered.
There were so many scenes where she was like, “Wait a second, if we’re doing this here, then that doesn’t connect here. We haven’t shot this yet. We’ve got to make sure that if we do this here, then we have to do that there. Are we going to do that there?” All these times when we were all like, “Oh, thank goodness Sally was on top of it.” Just the meticulous kind of attitude that she has in the process, and then when she actually, between action and cut, is so free and is just blowing in the wind in this beautiful way. I think also she’s very open to if something feels right when you’re prepping for it, and then all of a sudden on the day something’s bumping you, she’s like, “It’s a disservice to not speak up about that.” So, getting on that same page with her was really fun to be able to operate at that level with her.
You have a very emotional scene in the third act. As an actor, what is it like knowing you have a scene like that? Is it something that you try not to rehearse so that all the emotion can be there when you are filming, or is it something you do want to rehearse and gauge where you want to be?
PULLMAN: Oh, good question. I think it depends on the scene, depends on the circumstances of the scene, and depends on your scene partner. Sally is game to talk about it to infinity. But I think when it comes to the scene itself, she definitely wants to preserve the magic.
That scene in particular isn’t something that I really rehearsed. I think I just kind of tried to marinate in it — there’s so much information that is hidden in Cameron all at once — and try and leave room for the bafflement and the wonder and the grief and the catharsis and relief there.
Then, honestly, it sounds so cheesy, but just looking at Sally’s face. Her face is just like a topographical map of humanity. It is just like a soulful, beautiful thing to look at. I sat down on that bench, and I saw her. She had just been out there for, like, a day in the pouring rain, and we were all worried we were going to lose the eighth wonder of the world, and I sat down, and I just looked at her face, and it was lucky for me that I think just being there and being reactive to her was all that I needed, really.
I think people are going to love this movie. I would imagine every time you make a project, you take something away from it that maybe affects you in real life, so did you take anything away from this project that’s stayed with you?
PULLMAN: Tova says, “There’s a right way and a wrong way to do things,” and that definitely has stuck with me. It’s such a simple little mantra, but even just going about my day in my house, rather than throwing my pants on the dresser, I’ll think about the build-up of, “Okay, if I just throw my pants and then I change into these pants, when I get home from work, am I just going to throw these pants on top of those pants?” There is order, and there is a way to maintain order and keep the chaos at bay, at least. I think in a very practical way that really affected me.
And then I also think being open to friendships in all different shapes and sizes. I think that probably if you talk to Tova or Cameron at the beginning of this film, both of them would say they want to have nothing to do with each other, and where they end up is such a beautiful place. What they find within each other is something that I don’t think either of them knew existed, and knew that they even needed, at the time. So, I think being open to that was something I learned.
The 10 Best Sally Field Movies, Ranked
“Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
I definitely have to touch on Spaceballs 2. I saw footage at CinemaCon, and it was one of my favorite things I saw there. What I learned at CinemaCon was that it’s not just a spoof of Star Wars, it is a spoof of a lot of sci-fi. So, what can you tease people about how it’s not just Star Wars? There are Avatar jokes there, and there are tons of things that people don’t realize are coming.
PULLMAN: The writers, Dan [Hernandez], Benji [Samit], and Josh [Gad], really took advantage of the whole concept in the best way possible. So many times, I think being a fan of something can really help invigorate it. I think them working with Mel [Brooks] to keep what we love so much about Spaceballs, and then also just expound on it and expand on it… Anyone who’s a fan of anything will probably get a reference in there at some point.
What was your favorite prop that you got to see or work with? The stuff I saw looked amazing.
PULLMAN: I will just say there is a spaceship, a console, that I could not believe was real. No one will even see some of it. This should, and I hope will be, a freeze-frame fest of people freeze framing this movie and zooming in and seeing the detail that went into this. The buttons on this console, I discovered a new one every day, and literally had a laugh, all by myself.
Rick Moranis is coming out of retirement for this is amazing. Which was your I-can’t-believe-this-is-my-life moment when you were filming, and maybe, possibly with Dark Helmet?
PULLMAN: I think just hearing him do the Dark Helmet voice, and him just slipping back into it so, so seamlessly. It was just a mind-boggling moment because that voice lives in my brain free of rent. Just hearing him find it again — he didn’t even have to find it; it was just right there — was just a dream come true.
Popcorn buckets at movie theaters have really taken off. Are you aware of this?
PULLMAN: I know about the Dune bucket.
Do you know what the Spaceballs 2 popcorn bucket will be?
PULLMAN: I don’t, but I can’t wait to see. I think that they are going to have so much fun with the marketing of this thing. I think they already are. The ideas are overflowing.
“It’s just some brilliant writing that went into it.”
Last thing on Spaceballs. You have mentioned that filming Spaceballs 2 felt like a bizarre simulation. So, which is more intense, pulling G-forces in a real F-18 with Tom Cruise or pretending to fly a flying motorhome with your dad?
PULLMAN: [Laughs] You know, one was kind of mind-melting, and the other was body-melting, and both were challenging in their own ways. Both were very exciting and exhilarating in their own ways.
On a scale of one to I’ll-be-fired-if-I-blink, how stressed are you about keeping Marvel secrets before opening day?
PULLMAN: Is zero not stressed at all? I would say I’m not stressed at all because I haven’t seen it yet. If I had seen it, and I were sitting here right now, I’d be a five, I think. Once I see it, then ask me that again.
Do people in your life, like friends or family, ask you to actually say things, or do they know you can’t talk about this?
PULLMAN: Mostly, they just want to know what I was doing in London.
Like off set?
PULLMAN: No, like what did I have to do? Like, if you spend some time somewhere, usually your friends are like, “What did you have to do out there?” And so you dance around it. It’s just a fun little dance you get used to kind of grooving with.
Remarkably Bright Creatures premieres on Netflix on May 8.
May 8, 2026
111 Minutes
Olivia Newman
Prince Harry is reportedly “rattled” by news of a security incident involving his disgraced uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Ahead of a potential trip to the UK in July for an Invictus Games event, the Duke of Sussex will now be looking to double down on his security fight after claiming it’s “impossible” for him to take his family to his home country without police protection.
Reports also suggest Prince Harry has left the palace enraged after sending in a list of “demands” ahead of his trip to the UK this summer.

Prince Harry is reportedly shaken by news of his uncle Andrew’s security breach and will now intensify his efforts to ensure his security situation is sorted out.
Reports suggest the former Duke of York was walking his dogs near the Sandringham Estate, where he’s currently living out his exile from royal life, before a masked man suddenly jumped from a parked car and charged at him.
It took the intervention of his unarmed private bodyguard, who rushed him back into their vehicle and sped off.
Now sources have shared that the incident has further heightened the Duke’s concerns amid his own security fears in the UK after his taxpayers-funded police protection was withdrawn.
“Harry was horrified,” an insider told Rob Shuter’s #ShutterScoop. “If someone can get that close to Andrew near a royal estate, then nobody is truly protected anymore.”

Harry has been embroiled in a multi-year legal battle with the Home Office over his security status, and has previously expressed concerns about the possibility of returning to the UK with his family if the situation remains the same.
According to the journalist, he now believes more than ever that the situation has strengthened his argument that royals need protection and are very vulnerable.
“Harry believes this validates everything he’s been saying,” the source said. “He keeps asking what stops the same thing from happening to Meghan or the children.”
“Harry does not defend Andrew personally,” another source explained. “But he believes royals are permanent high-risk targets regardless of public opinion.”

Last year, Harry lost an appeal to have his security detail reinstated when visiting the UK.
His security has been handled on a “bespoke,” case-by-case basis by RAVEC, where he is required to give a 30-day notice ahead of any potential entry into the UK before the committee makes a decision on what security he receives.
However, his lawyers have argued that the process hasn’t been conducted in good faith, and the committee didn’t properly reassess the threats he faced when considering his situation in 2020.
According to the BBC, they argued that he had been “singled out” for “inferior treatment,” but the court maintained that there wasn’t anything unlawful about how the decision was reached.

Harry suffered a major loss in his fight for security as a judge ruled that his “sense of grievance” over how the decision by RAVEC was reached didn’t translate automatically to a successful appeal.
Following the ruling, Harry said he was “devastated” at losing the appeal and that the possibility of returning to the country with Meghan and his kids Archie and Lilibet was “impossible.”
“I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point,” he said.
Buckingham Palace said at the time, “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”

It comes amid reports Harry has left his family enraged with several “demands” ahead of his trip to his home country this summer.
The Duke will be in the country for an Invictus Games event and was understood to be looking to bring Meghan and his children. However, such reports have now been thrown up in flames following the latest security scare.
“Harry is coming in with all these demands on behalf of Meghan, and it’s rubbing a lot of people up the wrong way,” a source told Heat World. “Harry says he has no choice, based on how badly things have gone in the past.”
“The last thing he wants is Meghan walking into a situation where she feels judged, and he says all he’s asking is that she’s treated with basic respect and not cast as the bad guy before anything’s even happened,” they added.

Many of his family members are “outraged” that he’d even consider making the request, considering the fact that he left his working royal role in 2020, and the whole thing has Meghan written all over it.
“The fact that, once again, it all centers around Meghan — and presumably ensuring she’s treated with kid gloves,” the insider continued. “King Charles is clearly desperate for peace and to keep all sides happy, but he needs to be careful.”
“If it starts looking like he’s treating Harry like a prodigal son, it will cause a lot of resentment,” the source added.
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It seems like every time we open Instagram, another influencer is telling Us that something we love wearing is suddenly uncool. We’ve decided to stop paying attention, especially when it comes to the debate about Bermuda shorts. Not everyone wants to rock booty-baring options, and after seeing how Selma Blair styled her denim pair, we’re totally sold on the longer length.
The 53-year-old actress was spotted out in Los Angeles in early May, wearing knee-length cutoffs with a breezy white top. Her outfit was simple, but the shorts added flair by playing with proportions. Of course, we could try (and likely fail) to DIY our own version from an old pair of jeans, but rather than stressing about measurements and struggling with scissors, snagging Levi’s 94 Baggy Shorts is the smarter solution.
Get the Levi’s 94 Baggy Shorts for $40 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.
Made with 100% cotton, these classic, mid-rise bottoms are the ones you’ll reach for every day, all summer long. They’re as versatile as the itty-bitty cutoffs you wore on repeat throughout your teens and 20s, but since they hit right above the knee, you won’t have to worry about flashing anyone when you’re on the move. The Roll It Up Clean color option closely resembles the mid-wash blue Blair chose, however, the same style comes in multiple shades, including lighter and darker blues and even black denim. The shorts are also available in sizes 24 to 34.
You won’t have any issue working these Levi’s into your warm-weather wardrobe. Style them like Blair by wearing them with an airy white tank and strappy sandals, or, when the weather is rainy and chilly, slip them on with a hoodie and sneakers. You can even give them the ultimate fashion-girl spin by adding kitten heels and an elaborate going-out top whenever you’re feeling fancy.
Amazon shoppers love that these shorts “have that ’90s feel” and, unsurprisingly, praise the “excellent quality” and the fact that they “wash well,” which is definitely on par with other designs from the brand.
“The denim is nice quality, not too thick, and also not overly stretchy, which helps them keep their shape throughout the day instead of getting loose or saggy,” one person wrote, adding that they found sizing to be accurate. In fact, their only critique was that they wished there were even more washes, so that they could buy another pair.
It’s also worth noting that while these shorts are perfectly loose, you’re not going to get lost in them. Those who purchased them can’t believe how well they hug their curves. “It looks like I actually have a butt,” a happy customer remarked.
Fashion icons like Blair are clearly on board with Bermudas, so don’t let anyone tell you this totally wearable, easy and flattering shorts style isn’t cute. For $40, you’ll be in good company — and be comfy, too!
Get the Levi’s 94 Baggy Shorts for $40 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.
Not what you’re looking for? Shop other Bermuda shorts here, and don’t forget to check out Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
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