source picturehouse
Saturday, March 29, 2008
You want the Thandie look?
Earlier this week Thandie Newton showed up at the premiere for her new movie, Run Fat Boy, Run, looking downright glowing. Her subtle eye makeup, rosy cheeks, and pretty smile are perfect for Spring, and since you all seem to be fans of this look, I thought I would show you some quick and easy steps you can follow to get it at home.
To see my tips for re-creating Thandie's look, read more.
Face: Thandie has beautiful skin, but that doesn't mean she hasn't had a little help looking flawless underneath those flashbulbs. You will need to choose a medium-to-full coverage foundation, and Cover Girl Queen Collection Oil Free Moisturizing Makeup ($7) in Classic Bronze would match Thandie's complexion perfectly. Brighten your complexion by dabbing a highlighting concealer like Stila Illuminating Concealer ($22) in Bronze under your eyes, brow bone, on your chin, and in the middle of your forehead, blending outward.
Eyes: Thandie's eye makeup is simple. Start by applying a light gold, shimmery shadow over the entire lid, like Urban Decay Eyeshadow ($16) in Midnight Cowgirl. Add depth and a bit of smokiness by blending a charcoal shade on the outer third of the lid, as well as right under the eye. Try Shu Uemura Pressed Eye Shadow ($20) in Ir Black. Finish by lining the upper eye and the outside corner of the inner rims with a jet-black liquid liner, like Sephora Brand Long Lasting Liner ($10) in Black.
Cheeks: The centerpiece of Thandie's look comes from her perfectly rosy cheeks. To get a flushed glow like hers, start with a cream blush in a bright coral-rose shade, like Paula Dorf Cheek Color Cream ($20) in Dollface. Smile, then with either a tapered makeup sponge or your fingers, rub the blush onto the apples of your cheeks, blending outward towards the top of your ears. To set the color and really make it pop, sweep a complementary shade of blush on top, like Jane Blushing Cheeks Powder Blush ($3.50) in Blushing Glow.
Lips: The lip shade used on Thandie just barely enhances her natural lip color. I suggest using a matte lipstick in a pinky-neutral shade, like CoverGirl TruShine Lip Color ($6) in Blushberry Shine. Finish by dabbing a bit of clear gloss in the center of your lower lip, and you'll be good to go!
source http://bellasugar.com/1506448
To see my tips for re-creating Thandie's look, read more.
Face: Thandie has beautiful skin, but that doesn't mean she hasn't had a little help looking flawless underneath those flashbulbs. You will need to choose a medium-to-full coverage foundation, and Cover Girl Queen Collection Oil Free Moisturizing Makeup ($7) in Classic Bronze would match Thandie's complexion perfectly. Brighten your complexion by dabbing a highlighting concealer like Stila Illuminating Concealer ($22) in Bronze under your eyes, brow bone, on your chin, and in the middle of your forehead, blending outward.
Eyes: Thandie's eye makeup is simple. Start by applying a light gold, shimmery shadow over the entire lid, like Urban Decay Eyeshadow ($16) in Midnight Cowgirl. Add depth and a bit of smokiness by blending a charcoal shade on the outer third of the lid, as well as right under the eye. Try Shu Uemura Pressed Eye Shadow ($20) in Ir Black. Finish by lining the upper eye and the outside corner of the inner rims with a jet-black liquid liner, like Sephora Brand Long Lasting Liner ($10) in Black.
Cheeks: The centerpiece of Thandie's look comes from her perfectly rosy cheeks. To get a flushed glow like hers, start with a cream blush in a bright coral-rose shade, like Paula Dorf Cheek Color Cream ($20) in Dollface. Smile, then with either a tapered makeup sponge or your fingers, rub the blush onto the apples of your cheeks, blending outward towards the top of your ears. To set the color and really make it pop, sweep a complementary shade of blush on top, like Jane Blushing Cheeks Powder Blush ($3.50) in Blushing Glow.
Lips: The lip shade used on Thandie just barely enhances her natural lip color. I suggest using a matte lipstick in a pinky-neutral shade, like CoverGirl TruShine Lip Color ($6) in Blushberry Shine. Finish by dabbing a bit of clear gloss in the center of your lower lip, and you'll be good to go!
source http://bellasugar.com/1506448
Thursday, March 27, 2008
USA Today
Thandie Newton: A fresh attitude with a little vintage flair
NEW YORK — Don't come between Thandie Newton and Ossie Clark.
At Fashion District's Southpaw, a mirrored, flashy, plant-filled den crammed with costly vintage gowns by sartorial icons Clark, Yves Saint Laurent and Jean Muir, Newton is having a fashion emergency.
The giddy actress holds a black, yellow, orange and green Ossie Clark frock up to her and twirls. "This is sick. This is disgusting!" she cries, meaning the exact opposite.
Newton, 35, doesn't work with a stylist, picks out all her own ensembles, loves Matthew Williamson, Jonathan Saunders and Alexander McQueen, and haunts the vintage stores at home in London. Today, she's wearing a dark-blue minidress by Bella Freud, paired with a leopard-print vintage coat and matching Prada bag.
"It is grotesque how out of control manufacturing has become, and the excess, the pollution that's caused by it. Vintage is not only glorious and stylish, it's also the way forward in terms of recycling," she says. "Whenever I go into great vintage stores, I wonder why we ever buy new things."
Among finds: some "amazing" Clark dresses "that I paw occasionally in my cupboard," and a Jean Muir dress, white with blue spots, "that I wear to death."
Newton's daughters Ripley, 7, and Nico, 3, aren't immune to their mom's vintage scores. "I got a pair of Terry de Havilland bright pink showgirl shoes, with pink encrusted glitter. Ripley was like, 'Can I have those when I'm older?' " Newton says with a laugh. "Yes, you can."
Newton is so sparkly, so confident, that it's impossible to imagine her in the same situation as Libby, the pregnant bride who gets left at the altar by her panicked fiancé (Simon Pegg) in Run Fat Boy Run, opening Friday. To win her back, he decides to compete in a marathon.
"Despite it being a comedy, the movie resonates with real, proper sentiment that, very often, our worst enemy is ourselves and how we feel about ourselves," she says. "Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. The most heroic thing is to write that letter that says 'I love you.' "
In real life, Newton is happily married to British writer Ol Parker (Imagine Me & You). She also just finished her first script. "Until something's really happening, there's no point in talking about it because it's just empty promises. I wanted to do it and I enjoyed it, so whatever happens …."
She applies that same attitude toward her acting. Newton has been in 1998's Beloved, 2000's Mission: Impossible II and 2004's Crash. But, the actress says, "I'm not as fascinated by this job anymore, and I know it has to do with the material. I'm not going to chase it."
Take Crash, in which she played Terrence Howard's enraged wife, who gets groped by a racist cop. It's one of the rare parts that engrossed Newton, but, she says, "Crash was two weeks of my life. The roles that fascinate me have been teeny. Some people get to do great work and be really impressive and wonderful — Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep, Isabelle Adjani. And then, there's a lot of (junk). I'm not moaning, because that's how it is, so I've built up life to compensate."
She recently traveled to Mali with the World Vision relief organization, calling it "deeply satisfying."
Though she may find acting less gratifying, she keeps at it. A West End stage debut is in the works for later this year. And she just wrapped Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla, a gangster movie in which she plays a crooked accountant. Now, she calls Ritchie, who's married to Madonna, a friend.
"They're a great family, those guys. They're really evolved."
NEW YORK — Don't come between Thandie Newton and Ossie Clark.
At Fashion District's Southpaw, a mirrored, flashy, plant-filled den crammed with costly vintage gowns by sartorial icons Clark, Yves Saint Laurent and Jean Muir, Newton is having a fashion emergency.
The giddy actress holds a black, yellow, orange and green Ossie Clark frock up to her and twirls. "This is sick. This is disgusting!" she cries, meaning the exact opposite.
Newton, 35, doesn't work with a stylist, picks out all her own ensembles, loves Matthew Williamson, Jonathan Saunders and Alexander McQueen, and haunts the vintage stores at home in London. Today, she's wearing a dark-blue minidress by Bella Freud, paired with a leopard-print vintage coat and matching Prada bag.
"It is grotesque how out of control manufacturing has become, and the excess, the pollution that's caused by it. Vintage is not only glorious and stylish, it's also the way forward in terms of recycling," she says. "Whenever I go into great vintage stores, I wonder why we ever buy new things."
Among finds: some "amazing" Clark dresses "that I paw occasionally in my cupboard," and a Jean Muir dress, white with blue spots, "that I wear to death."
Newton's daughters Ripley, 7, and Nico, 3, aren't immune to their mom's vintage scores. "I got a pair of Terry de Havilland bright pink showgirl shoes, with pink encrusted glitter. Ripley was like, 'Can I have those when I'm older?' " Newton says with a laugh. "Yes, you can."
Newton is so sparkly, so confident, that it's impossible to imagine her in the same situation as Libby, the pregnant bride who gets left at the altar by her panicked fiancé (Simon Pegg) in Run Fat Boy Run, opening Friday. To win her back, he decides to compete in a marathon.
"Despite it being a comedy, the movie resonates with real, proper sentiment that, very often, our worst enemy is ourselves and how we feel about ourselves," she says. "Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. The most heroic thing is to write that letter that says 'I love you.' "
In real life, Newton is happily married to British writer Ol Parker (Imagine Me & You). She also just finished her first script. "Until something's really happening, there's no point in talking about it because it's just empty promises. I wanted to do it and I enjoyed it, so whatever happens …."
She applies that same attitude toward her acting. Newton has been in 1998's Beloved, 2000's Mission: Impossible II and 2004's Crash. But, the actress says, "I'm not as fascinated by this job anymore, and I know it has to do with the material. I'm not going to chase it."
Take Crash, in which she played Terrence Howard's enraged wife, who gets groped by a racist cop. It's one of the rare parts that engrossed Newton, but, she says, "Crash was two weeks of my life. The roles that fascinate me have been teeny. Some people get to do great work and be really impressive and wonderful — Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep, Isabelle Adjani. And then, there's a lot of (junk). I'm not moaning, because that's how it is, so I've built up life to compensate."
She recently traveled to Mali with the World Vision relief organization, calling it "deeply satisfying."
Though she may find acting less gratifying, she keeps at it. A West End stage debut is in the works for later this year. And she just wrapped Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla, a gangster movie in which she plays a crooked accountant. Now, she calls Ritchie, who's married to Madonna, a friend.
"They're a great family, those guys. They're really evolved."
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Thandie Newton: The Run, Fatboy, Run Interview
Born in London on November 6, 1972, Thandiwe Newton spent some of her formative years in Zambia with her Zimbabwean mother, Nyasha, and her British father, Nick. However, political unrest would prompt the family to relocate to England where Thandiwe would attend the University of Cambridge.
After a back injury curtailed her plans for a career in dance, she dropped the “w” from her name when she turned her attention to acting. In 1991, the regal beauty made her screen debut in Flirting, an Australian film featuring another then unknown, Nicole Kidman.
Thandie has since proven herself to be one of the most talented thespians around, delivering very memorable performances in such pictures as Crash, Beloved, Besieged, Jefferson in Paris, Mission: Impossible II and The Pursuit of Happyness. Recently, the versatile actress has even mastered comedy, first as the object of Eddie Murphy’s affection in the $100 million hit Norbit, and now as a pregnant woman left at the altar by Simon Pegg’s character in Run, Fatboy, Run.
As for her private life, Thandie has been married for ten years to writer/director Ol Parker. The couple lives in London where they are raising their two daughters, Ripley, 7, and Nico, 3. Here, she weighs in on everything from family life to her new movie to colorblind casting to the candidacy of Barack Obama.
KW: Hi Thandie, I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with you.
TN: Really? That’s so lovely.
KW: Absolutely!
TN: Nice. Is Kam short for something?
KW: Funny you should ask. Yes, Kamau, it’s an African name.
TN: Cool!
KW: I was given the name when I was a jazz musician back in the Seventies. We were getting ready to record an album and the leader of the group didn’t want any slave names on the record cover.
TN: Wow!
KW: Over the years, people sort of Anglicized it by dropping the “au” off.
TN: How amazing! “Kam” is gorgeous. I love it. My name, Thandie, is an abbreviation, too, of Thandiwe.
KW: I knew that. And that it means “beloved.” Ironically, Beloved might have been your breakout role.
TN: Yes, I think it probably was.
KW: I also thought you were terrific in your next picture, Besieged.
TN: I loved that film.
KW: Why did you decide to make your second comedy in a row with Run, Fatboy, Run?
TN: Well, I made Norbit, but I still felt that I hadn’t really been involved in a comedy in terms of having the experience of just witnessing comedians at work. Norbit just felt a little claustrophobic. It didn’t have the kind of freedom or camaraderie that I thought a comedy should have. And I was keen to work in England, as I always have been, because my children go to school there. Plus, I’ve been a fan of Simon Pegg’s for a number of years. I love the work that he’s done with Nick Frost, like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. And I just got a sense of [director] David Schwimmer as a really well-rounded, decent guy from when he did a play with a friend of mine, Saffron Burrows. I like working with first-time directors because it’s often a risk well worth taking. And I loved the material. So, it was fun!
KW: One of the things I love about this film is that it’s hard to pigeonhole.
TN: I feel the same way. It’s not a romantic comedy. It’s not a straight drama. It feels much more true to life than a formulaic comedy. But I also think that Simon has great timing and a unique kind of humor, reminiscent of Peter Sellers or Jack Lemmon. He reminds me of those old school comedians whose brands of humor were much more authentically a part of their personality, not anything generic. Simon’s is a combination of physical, creative and intelligent. His other gift is that he can move from a strongly comedic moment to one of complete earnestness which draws you in much more. Ordinarily, comedy is a detachment from feeling where you turn something into a joke instead of express how you really feel. That kind of protects you from being the one with an opinion, if you know what I mean.
KW: Right.
TN: But Simon can get right into earnest emotion very easily, so the comedy almost allows for the sentiments to go deeper. I think he’s unique in that respect. In England, it’s been a while since we’ve found someone who could cross over and be an international success in movies. And I just think Simon’s it.
KW: I think you’re obviously “it” too. I felt that your performance in Crash was pivotal, and providing that Oscar-winning Best Picture with its most riveting and social significant moment by far. That’s why I said you deserved an Oscar for it.
TN: Well, there were a large number of very strong performances that year. I don’t know, ever since Beloved was snubbed by the industry, and not taken seriously in that respect, I don’t feel impassioned with either joy or sadness by getting or not getting accolades. It’s not part of the way that I value myself.
KW: I also think that many of the challenging, iconoclastic characters that you’ve played, in films like Beloved and Besieged and Crash, aren’t the types of roles ordinarily recognized by the Oscars.
TN: The thing about all of those roles, and The Pursuit of Happyness, as well, is that they make people uncomfortable, because it goes right to the marrow of the truth. That is not a popular place to be. With Beloved, it wasn’t popular to take the lid off denial. But I like to put myself in that area of discomfort, because that’s what truly reveals the essence of what we really are, those areas that you’d rather ignore and get away from. They’re the ones that I just want to stare at as long as I can. So, I don’t mind, even though the Oscar has become the absolute benchmark for filmmaking talent. I think we can sort of promote ourselves as individuals. If we feel privileged to witness a great performance, then that in itself is enough to feel validated.
KW: I agree. Plus, the job that you do as a mother is far more important than acting.
TN: It is and it isn’t though, Kam, because the truth is that if you want to be a movie star, you’ve got to work at it. But I’ve found that in order to ensure longevity, it’s better to avoid the highs and lows of success. It’s sort of like surfing where if you stay in the middle of a wave, you’re going to stick around longer. But if you get into the dizzying heights, you’ve got to maintain, and that’s a tough thing to do. I‘ve got two kids, so I’m quite happy to stay on in the middle, burning my light a bit brighter here and there. But I love what I do.
KW: The Tao teaches that both the very heights and the very bottom are to be avoided.
TN: I think that’s true, but I’ll get the old Oscar for all of us one day.
KW: I’m sure. Given that you have a parent from Africa, and one who’s white, I’d love to hear what you think of Barack Obama’s candidacy.
TN: I think that it’s wonderful for America to have these rich choices in whom they vote for. It feels like there’s evolution happening right in front of us. And I don’t think it’s just about America but an international vote for life to have these exciting choices available. Once a pick has been made, what’s important is to commit to the changes that these people actually want to put in place. I think that how Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or anyone else is going to benefit the country is far more complex than the color of their skin or their gender. So, in a way, it’s been a distraction from what’s truly necessary which is to get in there and make real changes.
KW: I’ve read that you were born in England, and also that you were born in Africa. Which is correct?
TN: I was born in London during a brief trip back from Africa which is where we all lived at the time.
KW: How do you think growing up in Africa and England, and having both a black and a white parent has shaped you?
TN: Oh, God, that would be an hour-long answer to your question. It provided challenges which have made me who I am…It provided great wealth in terms of having this great-colored skin, and looking exotic, and different. However, it also made for a very lonely disposition as a child, at times. Being an outsider has its good and its bad. There’s a ying and yang to all of it. Having to negotiate that kind of winding road has made me much more inquisitive about psychology, and interested in investigating myself and the parameters that people set up around themselves and others. It’s a privilege, in a way, to have had to question my identity. By virtue of being unconventional, I was exploring that from a very young age. And I feel glad about that. But by the same token, if I hadn’t had the strength of character and some real pluses, like getting involved in the arts, for example, where differences can be celebrated, I could have been a very depressed, a very closeted, and a very unhappy person. But I see these challenges and negative experiences as gifts, at least I do now, anyway. [Laughs] So, I’ve been showered with gifts, and I’m glad of that. Life is about being uncomfortable and about how we deal with those areas of discomfort. I’m sorry I’m not answering your question, but it’s such a gigantic question, and one that I can’t answer briefly.
KW: No, this was an excellent answer, given our time constraints. Another thing I really liked about Run, Fatboy, Run was its colorblind casting.
TN: I love that not one journalist has questioned my son in the movie looking so light. In real life, I have one blonde child, and one dark-haired child. One of my daughters is olive-skinned, like me, and my other is very pale-skinned. Their faces are similar, but they have different coloring. 30 or 40 years ago, it would have been noted, and someone would’ve complained, saying, “She couldn’t have a kid that color.” So, I do love that the casting hasn’t been questioned in England [where it opened last September] and I’m interested in seeing how it is accepted in the United States. I wonder whether black audiences will want to see the movie.
KW: I certainly hope so, not only because it’s very funny, but to support colorblind casting and the idea that you can have you and Simon Pegg paired in a romantic comedy without skin color having to be the theme. So, I’m asking all my readers to support it.
TN: You do it, Kam!
KW: Bookworm Troy Johnson was wondering what’s the last book you read?
TN: Oh my Lord! What was the last book I read? Oh, it was a book by my friend, Justine Picardie, called Daphne. It’s about Daphne du Maurier and the Bronte family.
KW: Lastly. are you ever afraid?
TN: No.
KW: Well, thanks again for the interview, Thandie, and best of luck in the future.
TN: Thanks you so much. Take care, bye!
After a back injury curtailed her plans for a career in dance, she dropped the “w” from her name when she turned her attention to acting. In 1991, the regal beauty made her screen debut in Flirting, an Australian film featuring another then unknown, Nicole Kidman.
Thandie has since proven herself to be one of the most talented thespians around, delivering very memorable performances in such pictures as Crash, Beloved, Besieged, Jefferson in Paris, Mission: Impossible II and The Pursuit of Happyness. Recently, the versatile actress has even mastered comedy, first as the object of Eddie Murphy’s affection in the $100 million hit Norbit, and now as a pregnant woman left at the altar by Simon Pegg’s character in Run, Fatboy, Run.
As for her private life, Thandie has been married for ten years to writer/director Ol Parker. The couple lives in London where they are raising their two daughters, Ripley, 7, and Nico, 3. Here, she weighs in on everything from family life to her new movie to colorblind casting to the candidacy of Barack Obama.
KW: Hi Thandie, I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with you.
TN: Really? That’s so lovely.
KW: Absolutely!
TN: Nice. Is Kam short for something?
KW: Funny you should ask. Yes, Kamau, it’s an African name.
TN: Cool!
KW: I was given the name when I was a jazz musician back in the Seventies. We were getting ready to record an album and the leader of the group didn’t want any slave names on the record cover.
TN: Wow!
KW: Over the years, people sort of Anglicized it by dropping the “au” off.
TN: How amazing! “Kam” is gorgeous. I love it. My name, Thandie, is an abbreviation, too, of Thandiwe.
KW: I knew that. And that it means “beloved.” Ironically, Beloved might have been your breakout role.
TN: Yes, I think it probably was.
KW: I also thought you were terrific in your next picture, Besieged.
TN: I loved that film.
KW: Why did you decide to make your second comedy in a row with Run, Fatboy, Run?
TN: Well, I made Norbit, but I still felt that I hadn’t really been involved in a comedy in terms of having the experience of just witnessing comedians at work. Norbit just felt a little claustrophobic. It didn’t have the kind of freedom or camaraderie that I thought a comedy should have. And I was keen to work in England, as I always have been, because my children go to school there. Plus, I’ve been a fan of Simon Pegg’s for a number of years. I love the work that he’s done with Nick Frost, like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. And I just got a sense of [director] David Schwimmer as a really well-rounded, decent guy from when he did a play with a friend of mine, Saffron Burrows. I like working with first-time directors because it’s often a risk well worth taking. And I loved the material. So, it was fun!
KW: One of the things I love about this film is that it’s hard to pigeonhole.
TN: I feel the same way. It’s not a romantic comedy. It’s not a straight drama. It feels much more true to life than a formulaic comedy. But I also think that Simon has great timing and a unique kind of humor, reminiscent of Peter Sellers or Jack Lemmon. He reminds me of those old school comedians whose brands of humor were much more authentically a part of their personality, not anything generic. Simon’s is a combination of physical, creative and intelligent. His other gift is that he can move from a strongly comedic moment to one of complete earnestness which draws you in much more. Ordinarily, comedy is a detachment from feeling where you turn something into a joke instead of express how you really feel. That kind of protects you from being the one with an opinion, if you know what I mean.
KW: Right.
TN: But Simon can get right into earnest emotion very easily, so the comedy almost allows for the sentiments to go deeper. I think he’s unique in that respect. In England, it’s been a while since we’ve found someone who could cross over and be an international success in movies. And I just think Simon’s it.
KW: I think you’re obviously “it” too. I felt that your performance in Crash was pivotal, and providing that Oscar-winning Best Picture with its most riveting and social significant moment by far. That’s why I said you deserved an Oscar for it.
TN: Well, there were a large number of very strong performances that year. I don’t know, ever since Beloved was snubbed by the industry, and not taken seriously in that respect, I don’t feel impassioned with either joy or sadness by getting or not getting accolades. It’s not part of the way that I value myself.
KW: I also think that many of the challenging, iconoclastic characters that you’ve played, in films like Beloved and Besieged and Crash, aren’t the types of roles ordinarily recognized by the Oscars.
TN: The thing about all of those roles, and The Pursuit of Happyness, as well, is that they make people uncomfortable, because it goes right to the marrow of the truth. That is not a popular place to be. With Beloved, it wasn’t popular to take the lid off denial. But I like to put myself in that area of discomfort, because that’s what truly reveals the essence of what we really are, those areas that you’d rather ignore and get away from. They’re the ones that I just want to stare at as long as I can. So, I don’t mind, even though the Oscar has become the absolute benchmark for filmmaking talent. I think we can sort of promote ourselves as individuals. If we feel privileged to witness a great performance, then that in itself is enough to feel validated.
KW: I agree. Plus, the job that you do as a mother is far more important than acting.
TN: It is and it isn’t though, Kam, because the truth is that if you want to be a movie star, you’ve got to work at it. But I’ve found that in order to ensure longevity, it’s better to avoid the highs and lows of success. It’s sort of like surfing where if you stay in the middle of a wave, you’re going to stick around longer. But if you get into the dizzying heights, you’ve got to maintain, and that’s a tough thing to do. I‘ve got two kids, so I’m quite happy to stay on in the middle, burning my light a bit brighter here and there. But I love what I do.
KW: The Tao teaches that both the very heights and the very bottom are to be avoided.
TN: I think that’s true, but I’ll get the old Oscar for all of us one day.
KW: I’m sure. Given that you have a parent from Africa, and one who’s white, I’d love to hear what you think of Barack Obama’s candidacy.
TN: I think that it’s wonderful for America to have these rich choices in whom they vote for. It feels like there’s evolution happening right in front of us. And I don’t think it’s just about America but an international vote for life to have these exciting choices available. Once a pick has been made, what’s important is to commit to the changes that these people actually want to put in place. I think that how Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or anyone else is going to benefit the country is far more complex than the color of their skin or their gender. So, in a way, it’s been a distraction from what’s truly necessary which is to get in there and make real changes.
KW: I’ve read that you were born in England, and also that you were born in Africa. Which is correct?
TN: I was born in London during a brief trip back from Africa which is where we all lived at the time.
KW: How do you think growing up in Africa and England, and having both a black and a white parent has shaped you?
TN: Oh, God, that would be an hour-long answer to your question. It provided challenges which have made me who I am…It provided great wealth in terms of having this great-colored skin, and looking exotic, and different. However, it also made for a very lonely disposition as a child, at times. Being an outsider has its good and its bad. There’s a ying and yang to all of it. Having to negotiate that kind of winding road has made me much more inquisitive about psychology, and interested in investigating myself and the parameters that people set up around themselves and others. It’s a privilege, in a way, to have had to question my identity. By virtue of being unconventional, I was exploring that from a very young age. And I feel glad about that. But by the same token, if I hadn’t had the strength of character and some real pluses, like getting involved in the arts, for example, where differences can be celebrated, I could have been a very depressed, a very closeted, and a very unhappy person. But I see these challenges and negative experiences as gifts, at least I do now, anyway. [Laughs] So, I’ve been showered with gifts, and I’m glad of that. Life is about being uncomfortable and about how we deal with those areas of discomfort. I’m sorry I’m not answering your question, but it’s such a gigantic question, and one that I can’t answer briefly.
KW: No, this was an excellent answer, given our time constraints. Another thing I really liked about Run, Fatboy, Run was its colorblind casting.
TN: I love that not one journalist has questioned my son in the movie looking so light. In real life, I have one blonde child, and one dark-haired child. One of my daughters is olive-skinned, like me, and my other is very pale-skinned. Their faces are similar, but they have different coloring. 30 or 40 years ago, it would have been noted, and someone would’ve complained, saying, “She couldn’t have a kid that color.” So, I do love that the casting hasn’t been questioned in England [where it opened last September] and I’m interested in seeing how it is accepted in the United States. I wonder whether black audiences will want to see the movie.
KW: I certainly hope so, not only because it’s very funny, but to support colorblind casting and the idea that you can have you and Simon Pegg paired in a romantic comedy without skin color having to be the theme. So, I’m asking all my readers to support it.
TN: You do it, Kam!
KW: Bookworm Troy Johnson was wondering what’s the last book you read?
TN: Oh my Lord! What was the last book I read? Oh, it was a book by my friend, Justine Picardie, called Daphne. It’s about Daphne du Maurier and the Bronte family.
KW: Lastly. are you ever afraid?
TN: No.
KW: Well, thanks again for the interview, Thandie, and best of luck in the future.
TN: Thanks you so much. Take care, bye!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Thandie Newton Considered Adoption
Actress Thandie Newton considered adoption after visiting children in poverty-stricken Mali. The Crash star has two daughters with husband Ol Parker, but contemplated adding to her family following her trip to the West African Country.
However, Newton decided against adopting, preferring to donate money to their cause instead. She says, "I had a really strong urge immediately after both my daughters to have another. But I felt it best to get to know them better first. Later I realized that urge can be satisfied by helping people."
"Rather than having more kids within my four walls, it's better for me to give out. That's not to say adopting isn't fantastic.
She also talked about her own relationship with husband, Ol Parker, to whom she has been married for nearly ten years and their family life together with their children. "The key thing is that my kids don't go to bed until 10 every night. From 7 at night until 10 - that's when it rocks out in our house! It's terrible because they're knackered." Whoah. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that "knackered" means drunk and throwing things.(it just means tired Quinn) British kids sound like a handful. No wonder British nannies are so strict
However, Newton decided against adopting, preferring to donate money to their cause instead. She says, "I had a really strong urge immediately after both my daughters to have another. But I felt it best to get to know them better first. Later I realized that urge can be satisfied by helping people."
"Rather than having more kids within my four walls, it's better for me to give out. That's not to say adopting isn't fantastic.
She also talked about her own relationship with husband, Ol Parker, to whom she has been married for nearly ten years and their family life together with their children. "The key thing is that my kids don't go to bed until 10 every night. From 7 at night until 10 - that's when it rocks out in our house! It's terrible because they're knackered." Whoah. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that "knackered" means drunk and throwing things.(it just means tired Quinn) British kids sound like a handful. No wonder British nannies are so strict
Friday, March 21, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Break? Thandie plans another little one
By KATIE NICHOLL - More by this author
Last updated at 20:43pm on 8th March 2008
Children have always been the first priority for Hollywood actress Thandie Newton.
The 35-year-old star took time out after her first daughter Ripley was born in 2000 –and did the same when she had another girl, Nico, in 2004.
Yummy mummy: Thandie Newton, 35, has two daughters, Ripley and Nico, and now wants time off as she plans to add to the brood
Now, having had time to get to know them, the star of Crash and Run Fatboy Run is planning to add to her family again.
And that will mean another break from the big screen for London-born Thandie, who is married to film director Oliver Parker, 39, the father of her two children.
"She felt a strong urge to have another baby straight after both Ripley and Nico," a source says. "But she decided to bond with them and see how she felt.
"Now she wants time off to maybe add to her family. Thandie is very maternal and if she even hears a kid cry, she goes over to offer help."
source Daily Mail
Friday, March 07, 2008
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Theatre stars unite for reform of 'brutal' UK asylum system
Young Vic to stage play about life in notorious detention centre to show plight of women and child migrants
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Stars of British theatre, film and television will tonight turn the spotlight on what they describe as the brutal treatment of women and children seeking asylum in the UK.
The award-winning actress Juliet Stevenson will lead the protest against conditions at the controversial Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire and the UK's treatment of Meltem Avcil, a 14-year-old Turkish asylum seeker.
Ms Stevenson, the star of the film Truly Madly Deeply, met Meltem and her mother Cennet in Yarl's Wood earlier this year and was so moved by the encounter that she decided to bring their stories, together with those of other asylum seekers, to life in a special Mother's Day performance at the Young Vic in London.
Ms Stevenson and her 13-year-old daughter Rosalind will perform in Motherland, a dramatisation of life in a British immigration detention centre. They will play the parts of Meltem Avcil and her mother, who were released from Yarl's Wood after a high-profile campaign.
"The brutality of the asylum process here is far more shocking than I realised," said Ms Stevenson. "I hope people will be moved. I think that if they really heard the forms of injustice and cruelty this system is inflicting on people perhaps they might be moved to take action. We can't bring everyone to Yarl's Wood but we can bring Yarl's Wood to more people," she added.
A celebrity line-up is expected to support the event, including the actresses Thandie Newton and Harriet Walter, the novelist Susie Boyt and the restaurateur Ruth Rogers. Alan Rickman, Stevenson's co-star in Truly Madly Deeply, Baroness (Helena) Kennedy QC and the former England cricket captain Mike Brearley are also lending support to the campaign for an improved, more humane detention system.
The event is being organised by Women for Refugee Women, which will urge supporters to sign a Mother's Day petition to be sent to ministers. The petition calls on the Government to "ensure that the persecution women face, including rape, honour crimes and female genital mutilation, is taken seriously in asylum claims; we call on the Government not to make destitute, detain or deport women who are at risk of gender-related persecution."
It demands that Harriet Harman, the minister for women and equality, "push for justice for women in the asylum process, including full implementation of the gender guidelines introduced in 2004; access to quality legal representation for every woman asylum seeker; and an end to the detention of families and survivors of torture".
Although Meltem and her mother are now free, their future is far from certain as the Government is understood to still be pressing for their deportation.
from the Independent
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Stars of British theatre, film and television will tonight turn the spotlight on what they describe as the brutal treatment of women and children seeking asylum in the UK.
The award-winning actress Juliet Stevenson will lead the protest against conditions at the controversial Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire and the UK's treatment of Meltem Avcil, a 14-year-old Turkish asylum seeker.
Ms Stevenson, the star of the film Truly Madly Deeply, met Meltem and her mother Cennet in Yarl's Wood earlier this year and was so moved by the encounter that she decided to bring their stories, together with those of other asylum seekers, to life in a special Mother's Day performance at the Young Vic in London.
Ms Stevenson and her 13-year-old daughter Rosalind will perform in Motherland, a dramatisation of life in a British immigration detention centre. They will play the parts of Meltem Avcil and her mother, who were released from Yarl's Wood after a high-profile campaign.
"The brutality of the asylum process here is far more shocking than I realised," said Ms Stevenson. "I hope people will be moved. I think that if they really heard the forms of injustice and cruelty this system is inflicting on people perhaps they might be moved to take action. We can't bring everyone to Yarl's Wood but we can bring Yarl's Wood to more people," she added.
A celebrity line-up is expected to support the event, including the actresses Thandie Newton and Harriet Walter, the novelist Susie Boyt and the restaurateur Ruth Rogers. Alan Rickman, Stevenson's co-star in Truly Madly Deeply, Baroness (Helena) Kennedy QC and the former England cricket captain Mike Brearley are also lending support to the campaign for an improved, more humane detention system.
The event is being organised by Women for Refugee Women, which will urge supporters to sign a Mother's Day petition to be sent to ministers. The petition calls on the Government to "ensure that the persecution women face, including rape, honour crimes and female genital mutilation, is taken seriously in asylum claims; we call on the Government not to make destitute, detain or deport women who are at risk of gender-related persecution."
It demands that Harriet Harman, the minister for women and equality, "push for justice for women in the asylum process, including full implementation of the gender guidelines introduced in 2004; access to quality legal representation for every woman asylum seeker; and an end to the detention of families and survivors of torture".
Although Meltem and her mother are now free, their future is far from certain as the Government is understood to still be pressing for their deportation.
from the Independent
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