‘I still have silent conversations with her’

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( May 20, 2023 [View in browser](   This week’s big story: Cannes Film Festival is back, and so is Johnny Depp. Jeanne du Barry, Depp’s first major role since his high-profile court battles with ex-wife Amber Heard, has opened the festival – and our critic Geoffrey Macnab [says the film is surprisingly good](. Depp will no doubt be glad he’s in the spotlight for his work again, rather than the queasy TikTok memes spawned by the Depp vs Heard defamation trial; could this be the start of a comeback? Elsewhere this week, Nicole Vassell went to Cardiff to [see Beyoncé ride her disco horse back into town](, and Indiana Jones made his grizzled way [back to the big screen](. In Succession, it was [an all-nighter for the ages](. And I [reviewed a starry new stage adaptation]( of Brokeback Mountain, with a standout performance from Mike Faist in an otherwise frustrating production. Rachel McAdams, Abby Ryder Fortson and Benny Safdie in ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’(Dana Hawley/Lionsgate) I loved this piece by Adam White about[Diane Keaton's increasingly chaotic recent roles.]( And I can’t wait to see this [adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic novel,]([Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret?]( We’ve got a real treat of a Saturday Interview for you this week, so read on for more… Jessie [@jessiecath](   What to do this weekend Art | [Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris]( This Pallant House Gallery exhibition offers a fresh perspective on Welsh painter Gwen John. Many think of her as quiet and unassuming, but this show argues she was in fact something of a social butterfly. In his review, Mark Hudson argues that it's still [undeniable that loneliness was at the heart of her paintings](. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](   Theatre | [The Second Woman]( As you’re getting out of bed this morning, spare a thought for Ruth Wilson, who has been performing the same scene over and over since 4pm yesterday. And she doesn’t get to stop until 4pm today. Plus, she’s never rehearsed with any of the actors before. It’s certainly 24 hours she won’t forget (after she’s had a good night’s sleep), but what about the audience? Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](   Film | [Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret]( Rachel McAdams seems to materialise every few years to remind us all of her quiet genius, wielding the kind of charisma so powerful that you just know she could run all of Hollywood if she wanted to. Here she plays mum to an 11-year-old girl struggling to find her place in the world, in this incredibly sweet but never syrupy adaptation of Judy Blume’s seminal coming-of-age bestseller. It’s one of the best films of the year. Adam White | Film editor [@__adamwhite](   TV | [Rebekah Vardy: Jehovah's Witnesses and Me]( From her shrewd decision to copyright the term “Wagatha Christie” to her fascinating new documentary on her former life as a Jehovah’s Witness, Rebekah Vardy is full of surprises. In this one-off for Channel 4, Vardy opens up about having grown up within the faith. She explains how the religion failed to support her through sexual abuse and shunned her as a child, and investigates the impact it has had on people who’ve left the community. Out now on All4 Ellie Harrison | TV editor [@Ellie_Harrison](   Books | [The Tidal Year by Freya Bromley]( If wild swimming has swum close to becoming a middle-class lifestyle fad, this moving memoir serves as a reminder of why the braving cold water became a craze in the first place. Dealing with the grief of her brother’s death, she decided to swim in every tidal pool in Britain, and writes about the transformative power she found in the water. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](     [The Saturday Interview – Richard E Grant]( [Oscars image]( Richard E Grant's 'A Pocketful of Happiness' is out now in paperback (Getty) I challenge you to get to the end of [Laura Barton's interview with Richard E Grant]( without crying because, reader, I could not. This deeply moving conversation about Grant's memoir, his life without late wife Joan Washington, and the saddest song in the world, is a truly beautiful piece of writing. Joan Washington and Richard E Grant pictured at the Jameson Empire Awards in 2016 (Getty) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… He makes for rum company this afternoon, our conversation ranging from the horror of tea-slurping to the challenges of a Geordie accent, and the particular pain of watching terrible theatre productions. He is faintly mischievous, and unwaveringly polite, and, with his long limbs and angular features, looks something like a crane fly folded into an armchair. Later, I will wonder whether I have confused my invertebrates, recalling Washington’s description on the first night they ever shared a bed: “You’re as skinny as a stick-insect!” [Read the full interview here](   Weekend Shelf-Care Weekend Shelf-Care Kasim Ali Here's a heartfelt romcom to add to your summer reading lists: Kasim Ali's debut, Good Intentions, explores love and cultural expectation, and it's out now in paperback. A book I recently read and loved is… Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt. This might be one of the best, strangest, queer books I've read in a long time. A phantasmagorical exploration of what it's like to be trans in modern Britain; there are images from this book that are seared into my brain, I cannot wait for her next. My three fantasy literary dinner party guests would be… Mohsin Hamid, so I could talk to him about how much I love Moth Smoke; Susan Barker, so I could tell her how I haven't stopped thinking about The Incarnations since I read it a year ago and press her on when that next book is coming; Sayaka Murata, because I just want to meet the woman who wrote Earthlings. Not finishing books: my stance is… Who cares! Literally, no one cares if you don't finish a book, not even the author - abandon TV shows two episodes in, walk out of films that aren't moving you, stop listening to albums if every song sounds the same. Not everything is for everyone and that's okay. My writing routine is… To just write. I have no routine, bar lifting the lid off my laptop and opening a Word doc. The writing itself is what matters, always. 'Good Intentions' is out now in paperback £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   [INDYBEST]( / [BEST BUYS]( [10 best books to dive into this summer]( From historical fiction to romantic comedies, discover debut novelists and immersive page-turners from acclaimed authors this season [Shop now](       OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Climate News]( Climate News Weekly Written by Louise Boyle [Join now]( [Simon Calder's Travel Week]( Simon Calder’s Travel Week Twice a week Written by Simon Calder [Join now]( [Climate News] Climate News Weekly Written by Louise Boyle [Join now]( [Simon Calder's Travel Week] Simon Calder's Travel Week Twice a week Written by Simon Calder [Join now](   The Independent proudly partners with [Refuge]( and the [National Domestic Abuse Helpline](: 0808 2000 247 If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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