‘Weinstein said, “Alfred. What the f***’s going on?”’

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter   [The Independent]( [SUBSCRIBE]( November 26, 2022 [View in browser](   Happy weekend! We’re approaching that time of year when no one has a free evening until 3 January, by which date we all really need to take some vitamins. But keep going everyone, because there are too many good things to go out and see. I’m very excited for December theatre (a pleasing amount of new musicals) and we’ll be bringing you reviews of all the biggest shows. Where do you stand on the great Hollywood “nepo baby” debate? The showbiz world has always been gripped by nepotism, but young stars are now grappling with questions about privilege and famous parents like never before. Louis Chilton thinks that [maybe the fact we’re talking about it at all is a win](. Personally, I think we’ve got to be grateful that [it’s given us the gift of Brooklyn Beckham’s mixology masterclasses](. This weekend will see the crowning of 2022’s I’m a Celeb winner. (Please not Matt Hancock.) My vote goes to Jill Scott, Lioness and all-round legend – but the show’s early eliminations repeated a pattern that’s all too common on reality TV shows, [as Nicole Vassell writes here](. [Our Saturday Interview](this week comes from yours truly: I had a very fun conversation with [Alfred Molina]( – read on for a snippet – and I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. See you next week, Jessie Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' (John Wilson/Netflix) This week I loved: comedian Jordan Gray [telling Isobel Lewis about her pyrotechnic plans](. Furvah Shah’s[lovely piece on the true story behind new Netflix film, The Swimmers](. And Louis Chilton on how Daniel Craig’s Knives Out character [isn’t just Hollywood queerbaiting](. [The Saturday Interview – Alfred Molina]( [Oscars image]( Alfred Molina plays Inspector Armand Gamache in 'Three Pines' (Getty) I had a whale of a time [talking to Alfred Molina](, who stars in wintery new murder mystery series Three Pines. The Spiderman actor told me why he's proud to be called a "character actor", his appreciation for the technical side of filmmaking, and his stormy encounter with Harvey Weinstein while making Frida with Salma Hayek. [Oscars image]( Alfred Molina in 'Three Pines' (Prime Video) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… A meaty lead in a sophisticated crime drama fits Molina like a glove. But a role like this was never the plan. In fact, admits Molina: “My only plan was to stay employed.” Back at drama school – he trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London – he’d overhear his classmates, who were “strategising, planning, where they were going to go, where they wanted to be”. They’d say, “I want to be at the RSC by the time I’m 30, and I want to be playing this part by the time I’m 40.” He cites the title of American actor Lee Grant’s memoir, I Said Yes to Everything, as his motto. “All that mattered to me was that I would keep working. And I think that’s an inheritance. I think that happens to a lot of kids from immigrant parents. Because there’s a work ethic, where they’re working to provide a better life for their offspring.” Molina’s father came to England at the start of the Second World War; his mother arrived once it had ended. He was a waiter; she cleaned rooms in a hotel. When Molina graduated from drama school, it was his first agent who told him that unless he changed his name, “You’ll be playing Spanish waiters all your life.” “That really did sting, because my dad was Spanish, and my dad was a waiter. And I can remember being really kind of… it pissed me off.” He regrets it now but concedes that, given attitudes in the mid-Seventies, his agent was right. “Of course, now I’m nudging 70 and I’m thinking maybe I should reintroduce it.” He breaks into that creasing laugh again. “And then everyone’s going, ‘too late, mate! Too late!’” [Read the full interview here](   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](.   What to watch this weekend [Matilda]( This weekend is for one thing, and one thing only: going to see Matilda the Musical. If you are not, then seriously consider your life choices. (And [read our review here](, and our brilliant chat with one of its stars, [Stephen Graham](.) [Aftersun]( Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells's debut, which stars Paul Mescal, is, according to many wise voices, a) [amazing]( and b) guaranteed to make you bawl your eyes out. Sign me up, baby! [She Said]( Alfred Molina told me this week about his experiences working with Harvey Weinstein. In cinemas this week is She Said, which charts [how journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey]( broke the story that brought the producer down.   INDYBEST / [BEST BUYS]( Stranger Things and Quiksilver launch an Eighties-inspired collection that’s worn by the cast in season 4 As the second half of series four unfolds, inject some retro style into your wardrobe[Read more](     OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Competitions and Offers] Competitions and Offers Every Friday, 1.30pm (UK time) Our free weekly pick of great prizes, deals and discounts direct to your inbox [Join now]( [Health Check] Health Check Every Thursday, 7am (UK time) Written by Rebecca Thomas [Join now]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's entertainment newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. 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