‘Some film critics act like you’ve murdered their grandmother’

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( August 05, 2023 [View in browser](   "Most striking was the impression both he and his character left on you: watching from the outside, you simply wanted to see them win." This was how Annabel Nugent [remembered Euphoria star Angus Cloud in her tribute to the actor this week](, after the news broke that he had passed away at the age of just 25. His [death]( shocked fans around the world, who had fallen in love with him for his portrayal of Fezco, the drug dealer with a heart in the popular HBO series. Annabel mentions an interview he gave last year that now feels unbearably sad, in which he said that he saw his future as about more than being an actor – he wanted to "see what happens next". In other shocking news this week, pop star Lizzo found herself facing a lawsuit from former dancers, [alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment](. The singer, who has become beloved around the world for the empowering messages in her music, [vociferously denied the allegations in a statement on Instagram](. In a profile, [Kate Ng looked back at the star's career and how the lawsuit threatens her brand]( as "the poster girl for body positivity". Lizzo is at the centre of a lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers (Shutterstock/iStock) Elsewhere this week, Sean O'Grady [reviewed Wolf on BBC One](, which he described as one of the most harrowing dramas to grace screens for years. Netflix favourite Heartstopper returned for a second series, which Nick Hilton saw as [a disappointing follow-up]( to the first. As new figures revealed that TV audiences have had their sharpest fall since records began, our TV editor Ellie Harrison dropped a bombshell: [she doesn't even own a TV](. And don't miss Tom Murray's brilliant feature on why the [very best TV episodes are often the ones without the main characters](. Jessie [@jessiecath](   What to do this weekend Books | [Retroland by Peter Kemp]( What are some of the greatest novels of the past 50 years? The former Sunday Times literary editor Peter Kemp offers the ultimate companion for any book lover with Retroland, a survey of the best fiction from the past half a decade. Sarah Waters, Salman Rushdie and Hilary Mantel are just a few of the authors who feature in Kemp's invaluable overview. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](   TV | [Wolf]( I really do think the [BBC]( should find a way of cautioning its licence payers about what is about to arrive in their homes. Wolf is horrific, frankly, and much the most harrowing thing I’ve had to watch for some many years. Viewing discretion is highly recommended, but so is sticking with it – if you’ve the stomach for a fright – because it’s also highly compelling, a real horror-[thriller]( in the best tradition, and brilliantly directed. Sean O'Grady | TV critic   Film | [Joy Ride]( In the dirty-minded yet sweet-toothed comedy Joy Ride, athletic threesomes and balloons of cocaine stuffed up internal cavities help resolve the tricky battles of identity and self-image. Crazy Rich Asians screenwriter Adele Lim, in her directorial debut, works off a script by Family Guy’s Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, for a film about reckless, luckless people you can’t help but fall in love with. Clarisse Loughrey | Film critic   Theatre | [Edinburgh Fringe]( The annual arts bonanza is back, with the Edinburgh Fringe kicking off in earnest this weekend. My colleague Isobel Lewis will be reporting on the very best shows later in the month, but for now don't miss her handy guide to ten of her [personal highlights](. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](   Books | [Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key]( This beautiful memoir by poet Amy Key is the latest book I've been raving about to anyone who comes my way. Key, 44, hasn't had a romantic relationship since she was 22, and in this gorgeously written memoir, full of vulnerability and insight, she uses Joni Mitchell's Blue album as a way in to exploring solo existence. It's much more than a reconsideration of the status we place on romantic relationships, though, offering much wisdom about what makes a home and a family. Expect it to become a classic. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](     [The Saturday Interview – Charlie Day]( [Oscars image]( Charlie Day's film 'Fool's Paradise' comes to UK streamers later this month (Shutterstock) This week, It's Always Sunny star [Charlie Day speaks to Louis Chilton]( about ambitious comedy, his friendship with Guillermo del Toro, and why he’s still dissecting the poor response to his eccentric new satire Fool’s Paradise. Day with the cast of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (Shutterstock) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… It was Day’s work in Sunny – one of the great sitcoms of the modern era, now in its 16th season – that made his name, both as a writer and as an actor, playing the illiterate, rat-bashing, glue-huffing, cat-food-eating pub janitor Charlie Kelly. In Hollywood, he has often been cast as oddballs or neurotics. The sci-fi epic Pacific Rim saw Day play the enjoyably incongruous comic relief; leading turns in comedies Horrible Bosses and Fist Fight and romcom I Want You Back were roundly well-received, but failed to capture what makes him such an idiosyncratic force on TV (both in Sunny and as the co-creator of the superlative Apple TV+ sitcom Mythic Quest). He’s meanwhile cultivated a sturdy reputation in animation; that peppery voice of his can be heard in Monsters University, The Lego Movie, and, most recently, as Luigi in The Super Mario Bros Movie. (Calls for a Luigi-centric spin-off are as much a testament to his wiry performance as they are to the public’s allergy to Chris Pratt.) [Read the full interview here](   Weekend Shelf-Care Weekend Shelf-Care Meg Howrey American author Meg Howrey took inspiration from her own past with her latest novel, They're Going to Love You, a family drama set in the world of professional ballet, which comes out in paperback at the end of the month. Howrey was once a professional dancer herself, having performed with City Ballet of Los Angeles among other prestigious troupes. A book I recently read and loved is… Monsters by Claire Dederer. A consideration of how we separate (or don't) the art from the artist. Great arguments and fabulous writing. The most fun you could possibly have with moral ambiguity. My three fantasy literary dinner party guests would be… Elizabeth Bowen, Aldous Huxley, and Anita Loos. It's a picnic, 1939. We talk writing, pacifism, religion, Hollywood gossip, and music. Aldous gets crushed in a friendly argument with Elizabeth and has to wear Anita's hat. Not finishing books: my stance is… I feel bad if I don't finish, unless a book is a bestseller and then I figure it doesn't need me. My writing routine is… At home, so I can gesticulate wildly, act out the dialogue, and alternate sitting down with standing up. When I'm floundering, I set a timer and do fifty minutes writing, ten minutes of break. When I'm really floundering, I put on lipstick and light candles. Sometimes books need to be seduced. 'They're Going to Love You' in released in paperback on 31 August Enjoy a year of unlimited digital access for just £99 £20 ✓ 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]( [12 best changing robe for camping, outdoor watersports and beach days]( These [insulated, waterproof coats]( keep you warm and dry (and bang on trend). 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