• Social-media sentiment around Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has soured amid their feud.
• Lively has accused Baldoni of harassment, and he claims she tried to smear him.
• Negative posts around the stars have ballooned since Lively filed her complaint.

The feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni seems to have tanked public perception of both stars.

That's the key takeaway from a new analysis of social-media sentiment shared exclusively with Business Insider. The data comes from the social-monitoring firm Sprout Social, which tracks posts on X, YouTube, Reddit, and Tumblr and categorizes them as negative, neutral, or positive.

Lively's 80-page complaint, filed December 21, impressed some public-relations pros, who, in interviews with BI, called it well-timed and detailed. They said at the time it would be hard for Baldoni to come back from it. Lively accused her "It Ends With Us" costar Baldoni of sexually harassing her and engaging in a smear campaign against her. Her allegations were detailed in a The New York Times article published the same day the complaint was filed.

Baldoni hit back in a lawsuit filed against the Times, which accused the paper of libeling him and said Lively embarked on a negative PR campaign against him.

Sprout Social data showed that the volume of social-media mentions of both stars soared after Lively's complaint was filed and the Times story was published. Most of the commentary was negative, the firm's analysis found.

Lively saw negative sentiment jump 29 percentage points to 61% in the immediate aftermath of her complaint (from December 21 to 26), the data showed, compared with the period just before (December 15 to 20).

Baldoni's largely positive sentiment flipped to mostly negative, increasing 41 percentage points to 63% negative during that time.

Baldoni's lawsuit, filed December 31, as well as one filed by Lively the same day, brought a fresh round of negative sentiment on social media for both stars.

Negative sentiment around Lively jumped from 39% right before Baldoni's suit (from December 26 to 31) to 52% right after (from January 1 to Monday). Baldoni saw a similar jump, from 42% just before his lawsuit to 52% after.

The positive sentiment around both stars languished at 6% for Lively and 7% for Baldoni during the period following his suit.

In their legal filings, Lively and Baldoni accused each other of using PR pros to plant negative stories about them, supported by screenshots of conversations.

Lively's complaint alleges Baldoni's camp engaged in "astroturfing," a controversial PR tactic that involves planting online comments while making them look as if they're occurring organically.

The new data suggests that negative sentiment reached its highest point, however, after the stars went to war in legal filings and in the press.

• Fires in Los Angeles threaten to hamper the entertainment industry's recovery.
• LA's share of film and TV jobs has declined, and some residents are thinking anew about leaving.
• One producer and director said he felt he could improve his financial situation by leaving LA.

The fires tearing through Los Angeles are a new threat to an entertainment industry that has been trying to rebound from a studio spending slowdown and twin labor strikes.

"Survive till '25" was the mantra in Hollywood for much of 2024. Now, some in the entertainment industry are wondering whether they should stick around.

"If there's no longer a need to be in LA, the question arises: Do I stay here?" asked Adam Wood, a producer and director in North Hollywood. He said the shift during COVID to remote work had made it easier to build an entertainment career outside LA. Wood hasn't had to evacuate yet, but he helped a friend leave and is monitoring conditions.

"I could improve my lot financially by not being here," he said. "LA is the spiritual home of the industry, but at the same time, it's not loving me back."

Like many in entertainment, Wood works on a freelance basis. While he feels tied to the entertainment mecca, he said he's also counting the days of work lost to the fire.

Productions and premieres have largely been paused

The fires, which had killed at least 10 people as of Thursday night, paused production on shows including Amazon's "Fallout" and CBS Studios' "NCIS," while studios from Paramount to Universal canceled premieres.

Stars including Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal have lost their homes in the tony Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which is favored for its proximity to the studios. Countless others have lost or fled their homes, with thousands of structures reported destroyed.

FilmLA, the city's film permitting office, issued a statement Thursday warning that permits in or near evacuation zones could be canceled, while new applications to film in or near these areas would be denied.

It previously said the Los Angeles County Fire Department had ordered film permits to be revoked for the communities of Altadena, La Crescenta, La Canada/Flintridge, and Unincorporated Pasadena.

Hollywood was already hurting before the fires

Before the fires, the entertainment spending slowdown had already hit the industry's biggest market hard.

Los Angeles has also been hobbled by an exodus of productions and workers to other entertainment hubs in lower-cost places like Atlanta and Miami. Greater Los Angeles' share of US-produced TV and film projects declined from 23% in 2021 to 18% in 2023, according to FilmLA.

LA accounted for 22% of US film and TV jobs in August, down from 33% two years earlier, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics figures by Patrick Adler and Taner Osman of Westwood Economics & Planning Associates.

Despite the downturn, the producer Adam Fratto said he had been feeling pretty good about the state of the industry before the fires started.

"I was taking some projects out, and who knows if they're going to sell, but the fact that TV folks were open to pitches, that's good," he said. "Before a couple days ago, I felt a little upbeat about 2025."

While it's still early to say how far the destruction could spread, Fratto said he expected the fires to cause some people to reassess their commitment to the area and industry.

"I think there will be folks who just decide to take their chips off the table and do something else or relocate," he said.

Still, Adler, the economic researcher, said he doubted LA would lose its position at the top of the entertainment industry.

"In the likes of film, television, content creation, and video games, LA has been the place where major decisions have been made, where talented people collaborate, and where deals get done," he said. "This has remained true as the city has persevered through multiple earthquakes and riots, not to mention periodic industry downturns."

• Multiple fires are devastating the Los Angeles area with over 100,000 people told to evacuate.
• Landmarks such as the Hollywood sign and the Getty Center were undamaged but engulfed in smoke.
• The Griffith Observatory will be closed until further notice.

The Los Angeles wildfires have devastated portions of the city and surrounding areas.

The Palisades fire, which started on January 7, has left more than 19,000 acres burning. In total, wildfires have burned over 29,000 acres.

Over 100,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate, and many more — including celebrities — have lost their homes.

Here's how the fires have impacted some of the most famous landmarks in Los Angeles.

The Griffith Observatory offers free public telescopes and sweeping views of downtown Los Angeles.

The structure, which spans 67,000 square feet, includes a planetarium, observatory, and exhibits about the cosmos.

The observatory's telescopes were rendered useless due to thick clouds of smoke.

The Griffith Observatory wrote on Instagram on Wednesday that it will be closed until further notice due to the current weather and fire conditions.

The Hollywood sign, visible from the Griffith Observatory, is the most famous landmark in Los Angeles.

The Hollywood sign has been featured in countless TV shows and movies over the years as the most iconic location in the city.

As fires blazed across the city, the normally blue skies turned gray with smoke and ash.

As of Thursday, the sign was not located in an evacuation warning area, but the site is closed due to damage from surrounding fires.

After false images of the sign burning began to circulate on social media, the Hollywood Sign clarified in a Facebook post that it "continues to stand tall!"

Sunset Boulevard boasts luxury shops, restaurants, and nightlife.

The famous 1.7-mile-long Sunset Strip along Sunset Boulevard is located between Hollywood and West Hollywood.

Part of Sunset Boulevard has been hit hard by the wildfires.

Part of Sunset Boulevard, which spans 25 miles, is located in Pacific Palisades. The Palisades fire caused heavy damage, and many buildings along the famous street have burned down.

The Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena is home to the UCLA Bruins college football team.

The stadium also hosts its namesake Rose Bowl Game annually on New Year's Day.

Aerial views of The Rose Bowl were obscured by smoke.

Some sports games have been postponed due to the wildfires. On Wednesday, the National Hockey League delayed a match between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames that was supposed to take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

The Getty Center, a giant museum complex in the Santa Monica Mountains, spans 110 acres.

Designed by architect Richard Meier, the Getty Center houses collections of paintings, manuscripts, photography, and sculptures from Europe and the US.

The effects of the wildfires could be seen in the distance behind the museum on Wednesday at sunset.

Clouds of smoke billowed around the complex, but the museum was undamaged.

The Getty Villa, situated on a 64-acre estate, houses Greek and Roman antiquities.

The Getty Villa, built by J. Paul Getty, is located about 11 miles from the Getty Museum.

Wildfires scorched the grounds of the Getty Villa, but the building itself remains safe.

Katherine E. Fleming, president and chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times that the organization "had made extensive efforts to clear brush from the surrounding area as part of its fire mitigation efforts throughout the year."

"Some trees and vegetation on-site have burned, but staff and the collection remain safe," she said.

Located near the Getty Villa, the Kauffman Estate has appeared in music videos such as "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga and "Haunted" by Beyoncé.

Also known as the Villa de Leon, the French Revival estate was built in Malibu in 1927 for wool merchant Leon Kauffman.

The 12,000-square-foot mansion was barely visible in the orange sky.

Winds of up to 90 miles per hour made the California wildfires difficult to control.

The Kauffman Estate, now a private residence, appeared to still be standing as of Tuesday evening, but the extent of the damage is unclear.

Will Rogers State Historic Park in the Santa Monica Mountains was once the luxury residence of one of the highest-paid actors of the 1930s.

In the 1920s, Rogers built a ranch on the 359 acres of land he owned featuring a 31-room house, stables, and a golf course. His widow donated it to the California State Parks system in 1944.

The Palisades Fire destroyed "multiple structures" including Will Rogers' historic home, according to California State Parks.

"California State Parks mourns the loss of these treasured natural and cultural resources, and our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area," California State Parks director Armando Quintero said in a statement.

• Wildfires have torn through Los Angeles, destroying homes and displacing residents.
• Major Hollywood productions have paused shooting.
• They include "Fallout," one Amazon's biggest hits last year, and "Grey's Anatomy."

As the Los Angeles wildfires continue to tear through swaths of the city, Hollywood has responded by pausing multiple TV and film productions.

As of 7:00 a.m. ET Friday, at least 10 people had died in the wildfires, and approximately 179,000 people had been told to evacuate the greater Los Angeles area, including the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Pasadena. Over 10,000 structures were destroyed, per The LA Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Emerging photos of the LA area illustrate the devastation.

Numerous celebrities have lost homes in the fires, including Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton. The Palisades fire burned over almost 20,000 acres of land.

Here are the projects that have paused production.

'Fallout' and 'Grey's Anatomy' are among the TV shows affected

Amazon told Business Insider on Thursday that filming for "Fallout" season two hadn't restarted since the holiday break, but was expected to on Friday.

The show, based on the popular "Fallout" games by Bethesda Softworks, was one of the streamer's biggest hits of 2024.

Variety reported on Wednesday that the Warner Bros. studio backlot in Burbank was closed, stopping work on "Abbott Elementary," "The Pitt," "All-American," and "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage."

However, the city of Burbank said on Wednesday that there were no evacuation orders for the area.

NBC Universal stopped production on "Suits: LA," the spinoff to Aaron Korsh's popular legal drama starring Stephen Amell, as well as "Ted," "Hacks," "Loot," and "Happy's Place."

CBS Studios meanwhile paused work on "NCIS," "NCIS: Origins," "After Midnight," "The Neighborhood," and "Poppa's House." Representatives for Disney confirmed to BI that work has been delayed on "Grey's Anatomy," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and "Doctor Odyssey."

On Wednesday, FilmLA, which helps coordinate permits for movies and TV shows shooting in the city, said the LA County Fire Department told them to withdraw all permits for Altadena, La Crescenta, La Canada/Flintridge, and Unincorporated Pasadena, and others were possible.

In an update on the same day, the company said that the LA Parks and Recreation Department had canceled all filming permits until January 14.

The disruption from the wildfires comes as Hollywood tries to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and actor and writer strikes last year, which both led to numerous production delays for major and smaller studios alike.

Mike Miller, the vice president of the film and TV crew union IATSE, told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday that the organization would support those affected.

He said: "We're going to be there to support them and I'm confident that we'll be able to come through this. But it is absolutely going to add additional burden to many people in our industry that are already struggling."

Representatives for NBC Universal and CBS did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

• Media lawyers weighed in on Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against the New York Times over its Blake Lively article.
• They said it'll be hard to prove libel but that the suit could be effective amid a broader strategy.
• The Times defended its story and said it would vigorously fight the lawsuit.

Justin Baldoni's libel lawsuit against The New York Times may be tough to win but could help him in the court of public opinion, media lawyers told Business Insider.

Baldoni was part of a group that sued the Times this week over its bombshell story on Blake Lively's sexual-harassment claims against him. Baldoni and Lively starred in "It Ends With Us," a film that debuted in August.

The libel suit accused the Times of relying "almost entirely" on what it described as "Lively's unverified and self-serving narrative" and said the newspaper disregarded "an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives" in its December 21 story.

The bar for someone considered a public figure, like Baldoni, to prove libel is high. Public figures have to show that a news outlet not only published false information but also knew it was false or had a reckless disregard for the truth, a standard called "actual malice."

"The suit against the paper is going to be an uphill battle," said Desirée Moore, a partner at Venable LLP who specializes in similar disputes.

The Times said in a statement that its story was "meticulously and responsibly reported" and that it planned to vigorously defend against the suit.

Many jurisdictions offer broad protections for news outlets to publish accusations that are deemed newsworthy and also part of official proceedings — even if they know those accusations are false.

The Times article was largely based on a California Civil Rights Department complaint (CRD) that Lively filed, which would be considered official proceedings. It included excerpts from text messages and emails that the CRD said she obtained through a subpoena. Several media lawyers told BI that this could help insulate the Times.

The "fair report privilege" in New York, where the libel suit was filed, protects the news media from defamation lawsuits when they publish accurate and fair reports of official proceedings.

"The public policy behind this privilege is that keeping citizens informed about matters of public concern is more important than protecting individual reputations," said Sean Andrade, a Los Angeles lawyer who's represented plaintiffs in libel cases.

Baldoni accused the Times of falsely attaching him to a smear campaign

Baldoni's libel suit claimed that the Times falsely accused him of a campaign to smear Lively by cherry-picking the messages it reported. The suit said the Times knew its portrayal of him and the other plaintiffs was "false, incomplete, misleading, and highly inflammatory."

The libel suit claimed, for example, that the Times' reporting on a text exchange between Baldoni's publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel omitted the use of an upside-down smiley face emoji that indicated sarcasm. The Times said in a statement to BI that its reporters didn't see the emoji in question in the version of the docs they reviewed.

If the Times took certain texts out of context, that would be "a little unethical," Andrade said. But, in his view, that alone wouldn't negate that Baldoni's reps engaged in an alleged smear campaign.

Baldoni's libel suit also claimed that the Times made a false promise by publishing its article about two hours before the deadline it gave him and others to comment.

The Times said in a statement to BI that the outlet shared the information it planned to publish with Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, and other subjects of the article, and that they chose not to talk to the Times or address any specifics. Instead, the Times said, the subjects emailed a joint statement, which the Times printed in full.

Andrade felt that while it might be fair to point out that the Times didn't provide enough time to respond, as the libel suit claimed, that doesn't necessarily make the story libelous.

Baldoni's libel suit could have aims other than victory

Media lawyers said that whether or not Baldoni prevails in court, filing a libel suit could give him other advantages.

The plaintiffs might learn something about the paper's defense in the discovery process that could help them in other potential legal fights. Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told NBC News that his client planned to sue Lively. Given both cases would share some underlying facts, discovery in the Times case could help in a potential case against Lively, Moore said.

The plaintiffs in the Times suit could also prevail over any future motion to dismiss, or win a small financial settlement that could let them claim victory and keep the story in the public's eye.

"There is value for him potentially in simply getting his story out and presenting a counter-narrative," Moore said. "Any time we're working with high-profile clients, we look at the long-term narrative. To the extent you can control some of it, you want people to look back and say, there was more than one narrative."

It's hard to say if the case will impact other media outlets. Armed with strong First Amendment protections, news outlets are loath to pay big settlements in libel cases lest they appear to be conceding wrongdoing, Moore said.

ABC News and Fox News have recently paid settlements in high-profile defamation cases, however. Damon Dunn, a First Amendment attorney at Clark Hill, said courts have been allowing more cases to go to juries as media companies have lost prestige in some corners.

"The Dominion settlement rattled a lot of news desks," he said of the Fox case. He didn't expect the mere filing of a case against the Times to have a ripple effect on other newsrooms, though.

• Jennifer Love Hewitt, 45, is speaking out against ageism in Hollywood.
• She told Fox News that fans have a "hard time" accepting that she no longer looks like she did in her 20s.
• Age-based discrimination isn't just a problem in showbiz; it's prevalent in other workplaces, too.

Jennifer Love Hewitt is speaking up about the unrealistic expectations that come with growing up in showbiz.

"I feel like fans pick this you at this age that they love that they think represents you, and you're never supposed to grow beyond that," Hewitt, 45, told Fox News Digital, recalling a quote that she heard Taylor Swift use in her documentary.

"For me, it was like me in my 20s. People seem to have a really hard time accepting that I'm just not, that I don't look that way anymore," she said.

Hewitt is best known for starring in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" thriller franchise in the late 1990s and rom-coms such as "Heartbreakers" in the early 2000s.

Hewitt said she thinks aging is nothing to be ashamed of.

"I'm kind of going with it. Age is age," Hewitt said. "I think women really come into this, like, acceptance of themselves and this comfortability in their 40s that is beautiful."

"Whatever it is, you just want to have the freedom to be whoever you are at that age," she continued.

In December 2023, Hewitt took to the "Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum" podcast to address claims that she was trying to hide her real appearance after she posted a selfie with a filter.

"A bunch of people were like: 'Jennifer Love Hewitt is unrecognizable. She's unrecognizable, so she's gone to filters because she doesn't want us to know how bad she actually looks now in her 40s,'" Hewitt told the podcast's host, Michael Rosenbaum, recalling the criticism she received. "This is crazy, right?"

Hewitt isn't the only female actor who has spoken up about ageism in Hollywood.

In March, Kirsten Dunst told Marie Claire she took a two-year break from acting because she was typecast and offered only "sad mom" roles.

In an interview with Variety in September, Kathy Bates said she was able to have a long acting career only because she didn't fit societal standards of beauty.

"I have to say I give an inner wink when I see friends who have been beauty queens who are no longer working because of ageism, and in my case, I've been able to continue working for many years because I don't look like that," Bates said.

But ageism isn't just a problem in Hollywood; it's prevalent in other workplaces, too.

A survey of 913 women published in Harvard Business Review in June 2023 suggested that women in leadership roles faced workplace age discrimination at every age bracket.

A 2020 report from the AARP — formerly the American Association of Retired Persons — and the Economist Intelligence Unit said discrimination against older workers cost the US economy an estimated $850 billion in GDP in 2018.

A representative for Hewitt didn't immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• Justin Baldoni sued The New York Times over its story about Blake Lively's harassment claims.
• The lawsuit claims the Times relied on Lively's narrative and caused Baldoni damage.
• The Times defended its story as "meticulously" reported.

Justin Baldoni sued The New York Times over its bombshell story on his "It Ends With Us" costar Blake Lively's sexual-harassment claims against him.

The libel lawsuit, filed Tuesday and reviewed by Business Insider, accused the Times of relying "almost entirely" on what it described as "Lively's unverified and self-serving narrative" and said the newspaper disregarded in its December 21 story "an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives."

The suit said Lively embarked on a negative PR campaign against Baldoni and that she falsely accused him of sexual harassment to gain control over every aspect of the production. The lawsuit included screenshots of messages that it said contradicted the Times' reporting.

The suit is the latest legal action to emerge from the romantic drama, which premiered this past summer.

A New York Times spokesperson said Wednesday the story was "meticulously and responsibly reported" based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including text messages and emails quoted "accurately and at length in the article."

"We published their full statement in response to the allegations in the article as well," the spokesperson said. "We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit."

A representative for Lively, who is not named as a defendant in the libel lawsuit, said in a statement Wednesday that "nothing in the lawsuit changes anything" about the claims in her California Civil Rights Department complaint, which the Times story cited, or a federal complaint she filed on Tuesday. The rep said they planned to address the suit's allegations in court.

Reps for Baldoni; Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds; and others named in the suit did not respond to requests for comment.

The suit said the plaintiffs — including Baldoni, his publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, and the producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz — suffered damages that amounted to at least $250 million.

"This lawsuit seeks to hold the Times accountable for its role in this defamation campaign, but plaintiffs are not done," lawyers for Baldoni said in the suit. "There are other bad actors involved, and make no mistake — this will not be the last lawsuit."

Here's a breakdown of the top takeaways in the suit:

Baldoni and his fellow plaintiffs claim the Times article missed key context, wrongly bolstering Lively's case

Lively's California Civil Rights Department complaint, as reported by the Times, said Baldoni used the public-relations pros Nathan and Abel to spread negative content about Lively with the press, fearing that she would come forward with complaints about Baldoni and Jamey Heath, the lead producer of "It Ends With US" and the CEO of their production company, Wayfarer Studios.

The Times story included a text exchange that was part of Lively's complaint. In the texts, Nathan and Abel discussed a Daily Mail story that described Lively's promotion of the domestic-violence-themed film as "tone deaf."

"You really outdid yourself with this piece," Abel wrote, to which Nathan replied: "That's why you hired me right? I'm the best."'

The libel suit said the Times omitted a text from Nathan preceding the exchange where she said she was uninvolved in the story's publication, writing, "Damn this is unfair because it's also not me."

The suit said the Times also didn't include Abel's use of the upside-down smiley face emoji when she wrote, "You really outdid yourself." It added that the emoji showed that the writer was being sarcastic.

In his statement to the Times, Baldoni's lawyer called the reporting cherry-picked.

The suit claimed that the backlash against Lively was due to "her own tone-deaf messaging."

Baldoni pushes back on harassment claims

The libel suit accused the Times of "uncritically advancing Lively's
unsubstantiated claims of sexual harassment against Heath and Baldoni."

The Times story said, for example, that Heath had shown Lively a video of his naked wife. The Baldoni suit said the video depicted a home birth that was discussed in connection with a scene in the movie.

The libel suit also denied that Baldoni and Heath repeatedly entered Lively's trailer uninvited while she was undressed and while she was breastfeeding, and that she considered certain sex scenes gratuitous, as the Times story reported, citing the Civil Rights Department complaint.

Baldoni's suit said Lively breastfed in their presence. It also shared a text message she sent before production suggesting she wasn't in a hurry to meet with the film's intimacy coordinator, in which she wrote: "I feel good. I can meet her when we start :) thank you though!"

Baldoni claims he never agreed to a document seeking safeguards

The Times reported that Lively presented a letter to the movie's producers in November 2023 that sought safeguards on the set before shooting began.

Baldoni's suit said that the letter wasn't presented to Wayfarer.

"No such document was ever presented to Baldoni, the Wayfarer team, or, to their knowledge, anyone else — whether during that meeting or at any other time — and therefore, could not have been agreed to," the suit said.

Baldoni alleges Lively's PR launched a negative press push against him

Lively's Civil Rights Department complaint said Baldoni "abruptly pivoted away from the film's marketing plan" days before its release as part of a "multi-tiered plan" using "social manipulation" to ultimately "destroy" her public reputation.

Baldoni said it was the other way around. He said in the suit — as well as in a statement to the Times — that he and his company hired a PR firm to protect him, with Lively's PR going on the attack against him. The libel suit claimed that Lively's PR hire, Leslie Sloane, planted stories critical of Baldoni, including one that said he made Lively uncomfortable on set.

Baldoni accuses Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of bullying

The libel suit described multiple confrontations between Baldoni and Lively's husband, Reynolds, the star of "Deadpool."

The suit said Reynolds "aggressively berated" Baldoni and accused him of "fat shaming" Lively during a meeting at the couple's penthouse in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York.

Baldoni's suit said he had asked his trainer about Lively's weight because he had back injuries and wanted to determine if he could safely lift her as directed in a scene. The trainer later shared Baldoni's inquiry with Lively, the suit said.

"The confrontation that followed was so aggressive that Baldoni felt compelled to offer repeated apologies, despite his question being entirely reasonable and made in good faith," Baldoni's suit said.

In another meeting at the penthouse, the suit alleged, Reynolds "blindsided" Baldoni by berating him over a list of grievances and became "enraged" when Baldoni didn't apologize. Baldoni later called it a "traumatic" encounter and said others left the meeting in "shock," his suit said.

Baldoni's suit further claimed that Reynolds pressured Baldoni's agency, WME, to drop Baldoni as a client. Both Lively and Reynolds are repped by WME. In a statement to BI, a WME spokesperson denied that Lively or Reynolds pressured the company to drop Baldoni.

"The wielding of power and influence became undeniable," the suit said. "Baldoni and Wayfarer grew increasingly fearful of what Lively and Reynolds were capable of, as their actions seemed aimed at destroying Baldoni's career and personal life."

• Some celebrity-led production companies struggled in 2024 as Hollywood cut spending.
• Investments by firms like Blackstone and RedBird were hampered by market shifts.
• Despite headwinds, companies like LuckyChap could thrive by diversifying beyond their famous founders.

2024 was a bad year for the TV and film business — and was particularly hard for a set of celebrity-backed production companies that previously raised large amounts of capital at eye-popping valuations.

Private equity firms like Blackstone and RedBird Capital Partners poured a lot of money into celebrity-led production companies, making notable deals in 2021 to back roll-up Candle Media and LeBron James' SpringHill, respectively. The bet was that their star power would give them a head start in a crowded market and that streamers' appetite for filmed entertainment would continue to rise.

The investment boom drove a celebrity production company bubble, said Paul Hardart, who directs the entertainment, media, and technology program at NYU's Stern business school.

"The prices they were garnering were probably bigger than the market could hold," he said. "The Candle thesis was, we'll buy all this content, we'll roll them up and sell them to the streamers. But the scale they put into it wasn't justified."

The cracks in the investment thesis started to show when streamers pulled back on spending, and production was hampered by the 2023 labor strikes.

Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine fell far short of its profit expectations in 2023, leading parent Candle Media co-CEO Kevin Mayer to admit they "paid at the top of the market." Candle Media — which restructured its businesses in 2024 to cut costs — had invested $500 million in the company as part of a Blackstone-backed roll-up strategy.

2024 was grim for many in Hollywood, with new TV series orders down 42% from their peak in mid-2022, per Ampere Analysis. The year brought more damage to some celebrity-backed outfits. These companies don't have big content libraries and usually depend on streamers' fees. That has meant they've acutely felt the pain when streamers started ordering fewer shows.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's Westbrook Inc. laid off staff in early 2024 and restructured after struggling to get major deals following The Slap episode of 2022, Semafor reported.

James' company, SpringHill, in late 2024 agreed to merge with Fulwell 73, the British TV, film, and music production company behind shows including "The Kardashians" and "Carpool Karaoke," after losing $45 million from 2022 to 2023, Bloomberg reported. SpringHill had been one biggest fundraisers in the athlete-entertainer space and was valued at $725 million in 2021 after a funding round led by RedBird. The combined company didn't release a new valuation.

One media investor said at least one celebrity-led company struggled to raise funds this past year because its reliance on a famous face gave potential backers cold feet. This person asked for anonymity to protect business relationships; their identity is known to Business Insider.

Which companies will survive and why

Some industry insiders say the celebrity production companies with staying power will be the ones that move beyond their famous backers. Celebrity founders can't star in everything, after all.

Kevin Hart's Hartbeat has expanded beyond projects starring Hart with its development slate. The company also had someone take over as CEO from Hart, who was leading it after its last chief exec left.

Dwayne Johnson's company, Seven Bucks Productions, is looking beyond Johnson's persona for success and making a doc about the comedian Andy Kaufman.

One favorite around town is Margot Robbie's LuckyChap, which has raised no money and just got a big film deal with Warner Bros. after its success with the Robbie-starring "Barbie." But it's produced other hits that don't feature her at all, like "Saltburn" and "My Old Ass," which stars Aubrey Plaza.

Another is Brownstone Productions, the company founded by Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman, which is behind recent hits "Cocaine Bear" and "Bottoms."

"The key is to develop things they don't have to be in," said a second investor, who also asked for anonymity to protect business relationships. "You can only be in so many things."

• Movie studios have new competition — from Madison Ave.
• A slew of brands got behind films and TV shows in 2024 as they try to combat ad fatigue.
• Here's what marketers from Walmart to H&R Block say about their approach to the format.

People are increasingly tired of seeing ads, so big brands, from Walmart to Chick-fil-A, have been getting behind filmed entertainment as a way to grab their attention.

Brands' dollars and ability to promote projects have been welcomed by Hollywood, which is still hungry for programming but has less money to buy it.

"Brands, platforms, and partners, they're all open for business more than I've ever seen," said Paul Furia, head of content and creative packaging at ad agency Media by Mother. "Everyone's having conversations."

2024 brought many new iterations of the branded content trend to life.

Mattel's success with 2023's "Barbie" notwithstanding, brands' comfort zones have largely been unscripted formats like documentaries. But 2024 saw some branch out to new formats like reality TV and game shows, which are cheap to make, crowd favorites, and lend themselves to product integration. Brands have also been getting into shoppable shows, a trend that's likely to continue as brands figure out how to get people to buy things straight from their TVs.

Read: Why Brands like Ally and H&R Block are making reality TV-style shows

New players are trying to capitalize. Many Hollywood production companies are actively pitching their talents to brands, from Michael Sugar's Sugar23 to Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment (which produced "The Day Sports Stood Still" alongside Nike) and Anonymous Content. New ones like Sonic Gods Studios are going a step further, using brands to fully finance TV shows from the start.

Top talent are no longer turning up their noses at brand films (or their money). Saint Laurent, for example, paired with Pedro Almodóvar and David Cronenberg to make films.

Read: 13 production companies helping Chase, Pepsi, and more brands make Hollywood movies and TV for streamers like Netflix

Streamers are willing partners in brand films. As streamers increasingly look to ad dollars to become profitable, they're rolling out the red carpet for brands. And brands want the distribution because it legitimizes their projects and helps ensure they get seen (and in some cases, even make a profit). They're also becoming more systematic about tracking measurement and results.

Read: Netflix and Amazon are duking it out over brand partnerships as streaming ads enter a new phase

Read more about how brands and partners are jumping on filmed entertainment:

• Amazon's newest branded entertainment show wants to tie its boxes to 'spreading joy'
• Walmart is betting this holiday movie can get you to spend more

• Netflix has grown into the world's largest streaming service with more than 280 million subscribers worldwide.
• It came out on top in 2024's streaming wars.
• Here's a look at Netflix's rise and what's next.

1997: Netflix is founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph.

1998: Netflix launches a DVD-by-mail rental service. That same year, Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos offers to buy the company.

In his book "That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea," Randolph wrote that he and Hastings met with Bezos in 1998, who offered them "probably something between $14 million and $16 million," Randolph wrote. But they turned down the offer.

1999: Netflix begins offering a subscription-based model, in which customers could choose movies to rent-by-mail for a monthly fee.

Netflix gained 239,000 subscribers in its first year, according to Inc.

2002: Netflix goes public. Randolph exits the company soon after.

"As you get older, if you're lucky, you realize two things: what you like, but also what you're good at," Randolph told Forbes in 2019 on why he left Netflix. "The answer to both of them [for me] is early-stage companies. I like the chaos. I like the fact that you're working on hundreds of things at once."

2007: Netflix launches a video streaming service, free for its already-existing DVD-rental subscribers.

Netflix ended 2006 with over 6 million subscribers for its DVD-rental service.

But a New York Times story at the time highlighted how the company still faced doubts about its streaming plans, noting that it would cost Netflix $40 million to implement it. The company's stock dropped 6% with the announcement. But Hastings, who was CEO at the time, said that he had "gotten used to" reservations.

 

 

2012: Netflix debuts "Lilyhammer," its first original series. The show was originally broadcast in Norway, but Netflix acquired the rights. It laid the foundation for Netflix's binge-release model and its surge in original programming, including expanding into international markets.

"This was the first time we streamed a show across multiple countries and languages … and it worked," Netflix's current co-CEO Ted Sarandos wrote in a blog post in February 2022.

"It worked because it was a deeply local story that we could share with the world," Sarandos added.

2013: Netflix ramps up its original programming with "House of Cards" and "Orange Is the New Black," which gain critical acclaim and Emmys recognition.

2015: Netflix releases its first original feature film, "Beasts of No Nation."

2017: Netflix surpasses 100 million subscribers, a crucial milestone, 10 years after it launched its streaming option.

2018: Netflix wins its first feature-film Oscar: best documentary feature for "Icarus." Later this year, it releases "Roma," which becomes Netflix's first best-picture nominee the following year.

Netflix has yet to nab the Oscars' top prize, though, despite elaborate campaign spending. Apple TV+ won best picture last year for "CODA," becoming the first streaming platform to do so.

2020: Netflix names Ted Sarandos, its creative chief, as co-CEO with Hastings. The two have known each other since 1999.

January, 2021: Netflix announces that it surpassed 200 million subscribers, another milestone.

September, 2021: Netflix wins more Emmys than any network or streaming service for the first time, and nabs best-series wins for the first time with "The Crown" (drama) and "The Queen's Gambit" (limited).

October, 2021: Netflix faces its most public controversy yet, after some employees speak out against Dave Chappelle's Netflix special, "The Closer," in which he makes comments many criticized as transphobic.

Chappelle said in the special that "gender is a fact" and defended "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who came under fire for past transphobic comments.

Sarandos defended Chappelle in a memo to employees, saying in part: "Chappelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long standing deal with him. His last special, 'Sticks & Stones,' also controversial, is our most watched, stickiest, and most award winning stand-up special to date."

Netflix trans employees planned a walkout in response to the special and Sarandos' comments.

November, 2021: Netflix launches its first video games around the world, free as part of a user's subscription.

April, 2022: Netflix reports that it lost subscribers for the first time in a decade in the first quarter of 2022. It lost 200,000 subscribers and said it was expecting to lose 2 million more in Q2.

Aside from the economic strains of the coronavirus pandemic, Netflix blamed the subscriber loss partly on password sharing. It said that it estimated that an additional 100 million people use Netflix with a shared password. 

It also acknowledged increased competition. Over the last few years, new streaming services like Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, and more have entered the space on top of already existing rivals like Hulu and Prime Video.

April, 2022: Hastings confirms that an ad-supported tier is coming to Netflix.

Hastings confirmed during Netflix's April 2022 earnings call that the company plans to roll out an ad-supported plan — something it has pushed back against in the past — as the streaming service faced slowing revenue growth and lost subscribers.

Other streamers have, like HBO Max and Paramount+, have embraced ads. Disney+, Netflix's biggest rival, has also launched an ad-supported option.

Netflix's standard HD plan (its most popular plan) is $15.49 per month after the company recently raised prices. 

May and June, 2022: Netflix conducts layoffs amid slowing revenue growth.

Netflix laid off 150 staffers in May 2022 and then 300 more in June.

"While we continue to invest significantly in the business, we made these adjustments so that our costs are growing in line with our slower revenue growth," a Netflix spokesperson said of the most recent round of layoffs.

 

July 2022: Netflix loses subscribers for the second quarter in a row, a first for the company.

In Q2 2022, Netflix said it lost 970,000 subscribers. It had forecasted losing 2 million subscribers in the quarter, so it beat expectations — but it was still a sign of company's struggles, proving why it is introducing an ad-based plan and cracking down on password sharing. 

Netflix is optimistic about Q3, though, and forecasted adding 1 million subscribers.

November 2022: Netflix officially launches its ad-supported plan.

When the ad program launched, the streamer said it was nearly sold out of inventory.

December 2022: Netflix ended 2022 strong, breaking Q4 targets.

The end of 2022 represented a bit of a bounce back for Netflix, as the entertainment company outpaced subscriber growth in Q4 by around 3.1 million, adding 7.66 new subscribers despite its own estimates of 4.5 million, per Variety.

In total the streaming giant amassed 230.75 million subscribers by the end of 2022, compared to its target figure of 227.59 million.

Netflix noted that after a decade into making original content, it was "past the most cash-intensive phase of this buildout," per Variety. Accordingly, money spent on content was $16.84 billion in 2022 — about a 5% less than its 2021 spend.

January 2023: Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings steps down as co-CEO and is replaced by Greg Peters, who was serving as COO.

April 2023: Netflix announces its final red envelope DVDs will be shipped out in September of this year

Netflix announced it will end its DVD-rental services on September 29, 2023, according to an official Twitter account dedicated to the DVD-side of the business. It will mark the end of a 25-year chapter for the business, which became known for its red envelopes.

Users will have until October 27, 2023 to return their DVDs. Those still subscribed to the DVD service or whose subscription was cancelled in the last nine months will be able to download their queue, rental history, ratings, and reviews via this link.

January 2024: Subscriptions soar amid password crackdown.

Netflix began cracking down on password sharing in 2023, a move that – along with offering a cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier – helped it add new subscribers and deliver blowout earnings throughout 2024, quarter after quarter.

That said, Netflix will stop reporting quarterly subscriber figures in 2025, and some analysts expect the returns on its password crackdown to diminish in the future.  

January 2024: Netflix pushes into live sports with massive WWE deal.

Netflix made a costly push into live sports content with a $5 billion deal for a weekly WWE show in the US, and to air other one-off pro wrestling events globally. The content will start rolling out in early 2025.

April 2024: Longtime film chief Scott Stuber is succeeded by Dan Lin.

Netflix's former firm chief Scott Stuber left the company in January. He was later replaced by Dan Lin, who has reportedly sought to implement a new strategy that shifts away from big-budget action films fronted by marquee stars. 

Lin's plan also involves diversifying Netflix's offerings, prioritizing in-house producers, and skipping theatrical releases.

February 2024: Netflix signs on to produce its first Broadway show.

In February, Netflix signed on to produce its first Broadway show – a stage play about a Russian oligarch in partnership with "The Crown" creator Peter Morgan. The show started previews in April and closed in June.  

Netflix is also working on a "Stranger Things" prequel play in London, but not as a producer, according to The New York Times. That show, dubbed "Stranger Things: The First Shadow," premiered in the West End this month, and is expected to arrive on Broadway in the spring. 

June 2024: Experiential 'Netflix Houses' announced in Dallas and Philadelphia.

Netflix announced a new venture dubbed Netflix House in June – or "experiential entertainment venues" that are slated to arrive in shopping malls in Dallas and Philadelphia next year.

The locations will include Netflix-themed attractions, games, restaurants, and merch as Netflix looks to hone a model pioneered by Disney.

November 2024: Netflix shares stellar growth stats for ad-supported subscriptions.

In November 2024, Netflix's ad business turned two years old. It announced it had 70 million ad-supported subscribers – up from 40 million the previous May – and said that more than half of new sign-ups were for ad-supported plans in countries where the option is available.

November 2024: Netflix's Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing stream attracts masses despite technical mishaps.

Netflix made another massive foray into live sports content in November, streaming a highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which drew a record-breaking 65 million concurrent viewers globally.

That said, the stream was beset by technical difficulties, with some viewers reporting buffering and audio problems. 

December 2024: Netflix streams its first-ever NFL games, with some help from Beyoncé.

Netflix closed out the year by streaming its first-ever Christmas Day NFL games, following a pact it announced in May with the NFL to carry holiday games through 2026. This year's spectacle also featured Beyoncé performing at halftime as the Houston Texans faced off against the Baltimore Ravens. 

• These Hollywood feuds offer a glimpse into the sometimes-fraught world of entertainment.
• Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's reported feud has already solidified its place in pop-culture history.
• Though some make up after spats, other celebs never quite get over their friction.

"It Ends With Us," the long-awaited film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, had no shortage of controversies, starting with its subject matter — some critics said the story "romanticizes" domestic abuse.

Still, that's not the only reason you might have seen this movie in the headlines. Internet detectives became convinced there was drama between Justin Baldoni, the director (who also starred in the film), and Blake Lively, who played protagonist Lily Bloom earlier this year.

Those theories were proven right when Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment in December, confirming that the two did not get along during filming.

However, Baldoni and Lively aren't the only director-actor pairing to have reportedly dealt with on-set friction. This feud is frequent in Hollywood history, going back to the 1960s at least.

Here are some of movie history's most infamous feuds between actors and directors.

Melina Glusac contributed to an earlier version of this story.

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively

Whispers of a feud started on social media after it became clear that Baldoni, who both directed and starred in "It Ends With Us," wasn't doing press with the rest of the cast. Then, internet sleuths discovered that while Baldoni follows the entire cast on Instagram, none follow him back.

Over the summer, reports emerged that there were two cuts of the movie: one approved by Baldoni and another done by editor Shane Reid, who has worked with Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which Lively commissioned, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Rumbles of a feud continued as Lively began getting called out for how she promoted the movie. Baldoni hired Melissa Nathan, a seasoned crisis PR manager, as this happened. Nathan is known for working with Johnny Depp during the Amber Heard trial.

After a quiet few months, their rift returned to the headlines when Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment in December 2024 and said that he worked with Nathan and his publicist, Jennifer Abel, to start a smear campaign against her.

Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement, "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation."

Lively's representative directed Business Insider to a statement she shared with The New York Times: "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."

Celebrities have begun to support Lively publicly, including her "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" costars and "It Ends With Us" author Colleen Hoover. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Baldoni has been dropped by his agency, WME.

Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh

Rumors about Wilde and Pugh not getting along began in July 2022, when Page Six reported that Pugh was "displeased" about Wilde's relationship with "Don't Worry Darling's" other costar (and pop music sensation) Harry Styles. Wilde and Styles have since broken up.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Pugh did little to no promotion of "Don't Worry Darling" on social media. Pugh also was not involved in any of the film's events besides its premiere at the Venice Film Festival (notably missing the much-memed press conference) and declined to comment about Wilde in a profile on the director in Variety.

At the premiere itself, fans seemed convinced that Pugh refused to make eye contact with Wilde, didn't stand next to her in any photos, and generally seemed unbothered.

Add in the "Miss Flo" comments from a leaked video of Wilde sent to Shia LaBeouf, and we had all the makings of a feud.

"As for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, the internet feeds itself. I don't feel the need to contribute; I think it's sufficiently well-nourished," said Wilde during the Venice press conference.

David O. Russell and George Clooney

Mounting tensions on the set of 1999's "Three Kings" reportedly led to a physical fight between the film's star, Clooney, and its director, Russell.

According to one of the film's producers, Charles Roven, Clooney was tired from working on both "ER" and "Three Kings" simultaneously, and Russell was experiencing budget pressure from the studio. Reportedly, when Clooney saw Russell yelling at a crew member, it was the final straw. The two engaged in a "tussle," per The Hollywood Reporter.

In a 2000 interview with Playboy, Clooney said Russell's aggression was a widespread problem on set, and that the director also made the script supervisor cry, physically pushed an extra, and embarrassed a camera-car driver. 

After the reports about Harvey Weinstein came out in 2017, stories surfaced about Russell, with former co-workers accusing him of on-set abuse, as reported by Vulture.

It's been 25 years since "Three Kings," but the bad feelings have not disappeared. In an August 2024 GQ profile, Clooney said it was "not worth it" to work with a "miserable" person like Russell, who made every person on set's life difficult.

David O. Russell and Lily Tomlin

A video leaked a few years ago shows Russell screaming at Tomlin while filming 2004's "I Heart Huckabees." 

The video is profanity-laden: After Tomlin complains to Russell about his constant re-writing of lines and scenes, he has a complete meltdown. Russell shoves and knocks items over on the set as crew members flee. 

But the episode did not harm Russell and Tomlin's relationship for more than a few hours. She told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015, "We've overcome it. It dissipates and it's gone." The two have said they would gladly work together again.

Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer

Schumacher told Entertainment Weekly in 1996 that the two even "had a physical pushing match" on set.

"He was badly behaved, he was rude and inappropriate. I was forced to tell him that this would not be tolerated for one more second. Then we had two weeks where he did not speak to me, but it was bliss," he continued.

Kilmer was eventually replaced in the sequel by George Clooney.

Time did not heal this wound, though — in 2019, 24 years after the film, Schumacher doubled down on their beef. In an interview with Vulture, he called Kilmer "psychotic," though he did admit that he was a "fabulous Batman."

It's unknown if the two reconciled before Schumacher's death in June 2020.

Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor

McGregor and Boyle were close friends due to Boyle casting McGregor in his directorial debut "Shallow Grave" and his follow-up, the critically acclaimed "Trainspotting" in 1996.

However, when it came time for Boyle to direct "The Beach" in 2000, he chose Leonardo DiCaprio to be his leading man, instead of McGregor. According to a 2021 interview between McGregor and The Hollywood Reporter, this fractured their relationship for years.

McGregor said the two did not speak for "a long time" and even sat together in a first-class cabin on a transatlantic flight "without exchanging a single word."

"It wasn't handled very well. There was probably both sides to it," McGregor said. "I was upset. But at the same time, it's part of life, it's just part of growing up."

Boyle has said he felt "great shame" about what happened, even admitting that he had given McGregor the impression that the role in "The Beach" would be his.

"I handled it very, very badly, and I've apologized to you," Boyle told McGregor on "The Graham Norton Show" in 2017. "I felt a great shame about it. I was not proud of the way I handled it," Boyle added.

Eventually, the two reconciled and worked together again on the 2017 sequel "T2 Trainspotting."

Roman Polanski and Faye Dunaway

Dunaway and controversial director Polanski apparently clashed on the set of 1975's "Chinatown."

At one point during filming, Polanski was upset by a stray piece of Dunaway's hair that was ruining his shot, so he walked up to Dunaway and yanked it out of her head. One urban legend even said that Polanski's refusal to allow Dunaway bathroom breaks led to her throwing a cup of her own urine at the director.

Dunaway vehemently denied the urine incident to The Guardian but did tell the Sabotage Times that "the friction between Roman and me began from the start" of filming.

Henri-Georges Clouzot and Brigitte Bardot

French director Clouzot was well-known in the horror genre during the '50s and '60s. While filming "La Vérité" ("The Truth") in 1960, he wanted his lead actor, Bardot, to realistically fall asleep and drool for a scene. 

So he apparently gave Bardot sleeping pills, claiming that they were painkillers, The Guardian reported. Bardot took too many and ended up having to get her stomach pumped as a result.

After the fact, Bardot called Clouzot "a negative being, forever at odds with himself and the world around him," according to the outlet.

This was just one of many incidents for Clouzot, however, as he reportedly slapped Suzy Delair while filming "Quai des Orfèvres" in 1947.

Stanley Kubrick and Shelley Duvall

"The Shining" is one of the most iconic films in American history — and the reported feud between  Duvall and Kubrick is just as infamous.

Kubrick's masterpiece took 13 months to shoot, and every bit of it seems to have been torture for lead actor Shelley Duvall. A perfectionist, Kubrick apparently nitpicked her performance, re-shooting scenes and lines and reaming her in front of the crew for missing cues, reported Rolling Stone. To get real desperation out of Duvall, he apparently filmed one emotionally taxing scene 127 times.

After "The Shining" was released in 1980, Duvall said to critic Roger Ebert, "Going through day after day of excruciating work. Almost unbearable ... in my character I had to cry 12 hours a day, all day long, the last nine months straight, five or six days a week."

Later in her career, though, Duvall celebrated the director. In a video posted to X by the Shelley Duvall Archive, Duvall (who died in July 2024) said she "wouldn't trade the experience" of shooting the film "for anything" because of Kubrick. "It was a fascinating learning experience," she said.

Tony Kaye and Edward Norton

"American History X" got off to a rough start: Controversial British director Kaye didn't even want to hire Norton to play the lead, but he told The Guardian in 2002 that he "couldn't find anyone better."

Norton and Kaye reportedly began to clash when the film was being edited. Kaye's 95-minute cut was not favorably received by New Line Cinema and Norton, who both began to offer Kaye some notes — and he did not take the suggestions well, reported Den of Geek.

Entertainment Weekly reported in 1998 that Kaye was so furious with Norton that he punched a wall and broke his hand. Kaye also threatened to replace his director's credit with the name Humpty Dumpty. Kaye even called Norton "a narcissistic dilettante" to the outlet.

Norton has never spoken publicly about Kaye.

Michael Bay and Megan Fox

Bay and Fox openly slammed each other in the press, and the animosity seems to have started on the set of "Transformers" in 2007.

In a 2009 interview with Wonderland magazine, Fox said of her director, "[Bay] wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is ... He has no social skills at all. It's endearing to watch him. He's so vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set, he's a tyrant."

Members of Bay's "Transformers" crew retaliated by writing an open letter that year that called Fox "the queen of talking trailer trash and posing like a porn star," reported Deadline.

Fox was then fired from the "Transformers" franchise in 2011 and replaced with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

The two eventually buried the hatchet, and Fox starred in Bay's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film in 2014.

"I've always loved Michael," Fox told Entertainment Weekly that year. "We've had our battles in the past but even when I've been really outspoken about difficulties we've had, I've always followed up by saying that I have a particular affinity to him."

Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren

Hedren ascended to stardom after scoring lead roles in Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Marnie." But Hedren later told Variety that the director made unwanted sexual advances on her throughout the filming of "The Birds" in 1963 — and threatened her career if she didn't comply. 

Hedren repeatedly rebuffed his advances. She said, "When he told me that he would ruin me, I just told him to do what he had to do. I went out of the door and slammed it so hard that I looked back to see if it was still on its hinges."

According to Hedren, the inappropriate behavior continued on the set of "Marnie." At one point, Hitchcock and Hedren were in the back of a limousine, and she said he lunged at her, begging her to kiss him.

"It was absolutely awful, and as soon as the movie 'Marnie' was over, I was out of there," Hedren said. "That was the end of the Hitchcock relationship."

Judd Apatow and Katherine Heigl

In a now-infamous Vanity Fair interview from 2008, Heigl insulted her "Knocked Up" director, Apatow, by calling the movie "a little sexist." 

Heigl went on to express discontent with her character's personality in the film: "It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight," she told the magazine. "It paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys."

Both Apatow and Heigl's costar, Seth Rogen, did not take this critique well. Apatow commented on Heigl's lack of an apology on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2009, saying, "[You'd think] at some point I'll get a call saying, 'Sorry, I was tired ...' and then the call never comes." 

The incident dampened Heigl's career, leading her to apologize (via the press) in 2016. In 2017, Apatow told Vulture he still hasn't spoken to Heigl since the Vanity Fair interview came out a decade ago.

In 2021, Heigl spoke to The Washington Post about being branded as "difficult" in Hollywood after her "Knocked Up" comments.

"I may have said a couple of things you didn't like, but then that escalated to 'she's ungrateful,' then that escalated to 'she's difficult,' and that escalated to 'she's unprofessional,'" she said. "What is your definition of difficult? Somebody with an opinion that you don't like?"

Kevin Smith and Bruce Willis

Smith discussed the making of the 2010 film "Cop Out" on an episode of "WTF with Marc Maron" in 2011, almost a year after its release. He told the comedian that one of the stars of the film wouldn't sit for a poster photo shoot — and once Maron pressed the director for a name, he let loose.

The "Mallrats" director confirmed that it definitely wasn't Tracy Morgan," who he called "a dream" and said he would "lay down in traffic for."

"Were it not for Tracy, I might've killed myself or someone else in the making of that movie," Smith said. "It was difficult. I've never been involved in a situation like that where one component is not in the box at all." He added it was "soul-crushing."

Wills, for his part, kept it simple in his response. "Poor Kevin. He's just a whiner," he told Time Out in 2013.

However, the two seem to have squashed their beef. Almost a decade later, in 2019, Smith told a story on his podcast, "Fatman Beyond," about the action star texting him to ask for his address, as Willis had some pictures he wanted to send Smith.

"Reach out to an old friend or to someone you never thought would be a friend again. You never know what bridges you can mend," said Smith.

In 2022, Willis' family announced the actor was stepping back from acting after he was diagnosed with aphasia, and the director had some kind words to say on X. "Long before any of the Cop Out stuff, I was a big Bruce Willis fan - so this is really heartbreaking to read," he wrote. He also expressed regret for his previous comments.

Harold Ramis and Bill Murray

Murray and Ramis were longtime friends and "Ghostbusters" costars, but they had a bitter falling out on the set of Ramis' 1993 film "Groundhog Day."

Murray was the star of the film, and, according to Ramis' daughter Violet's book "Ghostbuster's Daughter: Life With My Dad, Harold Ramis," his behavior became increasingly erratic while shooting —  he was repeatedly late to set and threw many a tantrum. The issue came to a head when Ramis, at one point, is said to have grabbed Murray by the collar and shoved him against a wall.

Ramis' daughter also wrote that "Bill was going through a difficult time in his personal life, and he and my dad were not seeing eye to eye on the tone of the film."

She added, "Eventually, Bill just completely shut my dad out ... for the next 20-plus years."

Ramis became terminally ill in 2010, and it was then that Murray extended an olive branch, arriving at Ramis' house with a police escort and a dozen doughnuts. The two were friends until Ramis' death in 2014.

Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski

Kinski was known for being a difficult actor to work with, and this seemed to prove true for director Herzog on the set of "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" in 1972. 

Kinski and Herzog began to disagree about how Kinski should play his character, and Kinski became defiant. He reportedly threw wild tantrums on set and constantly threatened to quit the production. In one of the latter instances, Herzog is said to have held Kinski at gunpoint in order to make him stay, reported Indiewire.

The two went on to work together four more times, and Herzog made a documentary about their mercurial, decadeslong friendship called "My Best Fiend" in 1999.

Lars von Trier and Björk

Both Björk and von Trier won many awards and accolades for their 2000 indie film "Dancer in the Dark." But in light of the #MeToo movement, Björk claimed in 2017 that von Trier made unwanted sexual advances at her during filming. 

In a series of Facebook posts, Björk alleged that von Trier made "unwanted whispered sexual offers from him with graphic descriptions," and he threatened to "climb from his room's balcony in the middle of the night with a clear sexual intention." 

Von Trier denied the claims, saying that sexual harassment was "not the case. But that we were definitely not friends, that's a fact," reported The Guardian.

John Carney and Keira Knightley

Carney blasted Knightley in a 2016 interview with The Independent after their film "Begin Again" was released, calling her a "supermodel" who was unable to capture the essence of her musician character.

Carney said, "Keira's thing is to hide who you are and I don't think you can be an actor and do that ... being a film actor requires a certain level of honesty and self-analysis that I don't think she's ready for yet, and I certainly don't think she was ready for on that film." 

Directors rallied to defend the Oscar-nominated actor on Twitter (now X), calling her "utterly spectacular" and "a joy" to work with. Carney then issued an apology on X in 2016, saying, "Keira was nothing but professional and dedicated during that film and she contributed hugely to its success." 

In 2019, Knightley revealed in an interview with the Irish Times that Carney had privately apologized to her, and she had accepted it.

"It was a very difficult shoot. We didn't get on. It's just a thing that happens sometimes and I say that with no blame. It takes two to tango," she said. "I think we can both be very proud of ourselves for the film that we made because it's difficult when a lead actor and director don't get on. And I don't think you could tell that from watching the film."

Paul Thomas Anderson and Burt Reynolds

Anderson hit it big with his critically adored second film, "Boogie Nights," in 1997. But Reynolds, who won a Golden Globe for his performance, never saw the film.

Reynolds told GQ in 2015 that he and Anderson clashed on set, personality-wise. He found Anderson to be too pleased with his own ability, saying they butted heads "mostly because he was young and full of himself. Every shot we did, it was like the first time [that shot had ever been done]." 

Anderson extended an olive branch by offering Reynolds a part in his next film, "Magnolia," but Reynolds told The Guardian he declined the offer, saying, "I'd done my picture with Paul Thomas Anderson; that was enough for me."

Adrian Lyne and Kim Basinger

Basinger spoke to The New York Times in 1986 about the grueling experience of shooting the erotic drama "9 1/2 Weeks."

Basinger was reportedly bullied by director Lyne, who also convinced costar Mickey Rourke to completely ignore Basinger off-camera in order to add to the duo's intensity on-screen. Lyne said to the Times, "In order for her to be angry I would rage at her and she would rage back at me."

It wasn't until after "9 1/2 Weeks" was released that Basinger realized the level of manipulation that was happening on set. She reflected, "Mickey was egging me on — I hated him sometimes. I got confused. I didn't know who I was after a while. My husband [Ron Snyder] and I had a bad time during this movie."

Even though Basinger said there were times she was ready to quit the movie, she holds firm that the experience — and the final product — were worthwhile.

Bernardo Bertolucci and Maria Schneider

Though the scene depicting the rape of Schneider's character was in the script for "Last Tango in Paris," director Bertolucci created a disturbing last-minute addendum.

Bertolucci and actor Marlon Brando had the idea of using a stick of butter as a lubricant for the scene, but they apparently didn't warn Schneider beforehand because Bertolucci wanted "her reaction as a girl, not as an actress," he said in 2013.

In 2007, a few years before her death in 2011, Schneider told The Daily Mail that the scene felt real to her. "Marlon said to me: 'Maria, don't worry, it's just a movie,' but during the scene, even though what Marlon was doing wasn't real, I was crying real tears," she said.

Bertolucci said Schneider hated him for years after the film, and "Last Tango In Paris" received renewed media attention in 2016 before the #MeToo movement, as celebrities — both actors and actresses — rallied to defend Schneider on X.

Becoming a venture capitalist has become the latest status symbol In Hollywood. 
Everyone from Olivia Wilde to Emma Watson is investing in startups.

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• Florence Pugh has said it's "exhausting" to be a young woman in the acting industry.
• Pugh told The Times of London that female movie stars face being called divas if they don't follow stereotypes.
• "There are fine lines women have to stay within," she said.

Florence Pugh has opened up about what it's like to be a young woman in Hollywood, describing the experience as "exhausting."

In an interview with The Times of London published on Sunday, the 28-year-old British star reflected on her decadelong career as an actor and issues in the industry.

"There are fine lines women have to stay within, otherwise they are called a diva, demanding, problematic. And I don't want to fit into stereotypes made by others," Pugh said. "It is really exhausting for a young woman to just be in this industry, and actually other industries."

Pugh rose to fame after making her movie debut in "The Falling" in 2014. She followed that up with roles in "Midsommar," "Black Widow," "Oppenheimer," "Dune: Part Two," and "Little Women" — the latter of which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Pugh told The Times that throughout her career, she had loved challenging ideas she didn't like, such as how women in the public eye are expected to look.

"I remember watching this industry and feeling that I wasn't represented. I remember godawful headlines about how Keira Knightley isn't thin anymore, or watching women getting torn apart despite being talented and beautiful," she said. "The only thing people want to talk about is some useless crap about how they look. And so I didn't care to abide by those rules."

Pugh has frequently spoken out over comments to do with her body or look.

In 2019, the actor called out a publication for "singling out my 'chunky' thighs" in a review of one of her movies.

The "We Live in Time" star also told The Telegraph in 2022 that she was told to lose weight and change her "look" when she was cast in a failed television pilot at the start of her career.

Pugh also spoke out over comments she received after wearing a transparent pink gown to a Valentino Haute Couture show in 2022.

In the interview with The Times, Pugh said: "I wanted to challenge how women were perceived, how we are supposed to look."

"Actually I wasn't trying to challenge. I just wanted to be there, to make space for a version of a person that isn't all the things they used to have to be," Pugh said. "I'm proud I've stuck by myself and look the way I look — I'm really interested in people who are still angry with me for not losing more weight, or who just hate my nose ring."

"I am not going to be able to just change the way that things are — but I can certainly help young women coming into this industry by making conversations happen where they weren't before," she added.

The actor recently revealed that she had been previously diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis and that it had prompted her to freeze her eggs.

• Business Insider spoke to up-and-coming filmmakers and professors as OpenAI's Sora debuted.
• AI video generation could open the door for indie filmmakers — and more blockbusters.
• Fear of job losses looms, but one professor called AI text tools a bigger threat.

Up-and-coming filmmakers and professors at some of the nation's top film schools say the arrival of OpenAI video generators like Sora signals a democratization of the industry may be afoot, even though the tech is still limited.

Sora rolled out widely on Monday following a February pilot program. The tool generates short video clips — 20 seconds max — from users' text prompts. Sora can also modify existing clips.

For example, say a user wants to create a scene with green monsters in a thunderstorm. To do that, she'd type a prompt, and Sora would spit out a file.

While bold-faced creators are already bracing for impact, early Sora testers told Business Insider it gave them new ways to think about their work — even as others also complained the platform appeared to regurgitate content from a limited database.

Michaela Ternasky-Holland was one of the first directors to create and premiere a short film using Sora. It screened at Tribeca in 2024. She said she's excited about Sora's potential to cut filmmaking's development costs by creating things like sizzle reels, but she's aware of its limitations.

These things are giving you an illusion of control. And no matter how good the generations are, there's still someone behind them prompting it," she said. "Just because someone has a 4K camera, it doesn't make them a Steven Spielberg."

Dana Polan, a professor of cinema studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, said AI image generators aren't stoking the same fears as their text-based counterparts.

That's because many in Hollywood see the screenplay as "the first act of creativity," said Polan, who noted that other people in the filmmaking process, including cinematographers, are already seen as "adapters into images of words."

While he remains optimistic about AI in film, George Huang, a professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television — who has experimented with AI tools in his own moviemaking — concedes the technology has a bad rap in Hollywood, which has made countless movies on the topic.

"We think AI is now coming to destroy all of us, and that's a narrative that Hollywood created," he said. "It's embedded in our culture."

Sora's not quite ready for prime time — yet

Industry watchers told Business Insider that they don't foresee Sora or AI image generation appearing widely in finished films just yet given that the image quality still exists in something of an "uncanny valley."

Sora's pace of improvement has slowed down with later versions, Ternasky-Holland said. For example, it still struggles to put multiple characters in a scene no matter how many times it's prompted, she said.

But Polan told BI the tech could come in handy for the previsualization process — or animated storyboards to check pacing and flow. Huang also said he could see it being used as a "pitch reel" for screenwriters.

That said, other AI startups like Runway have created tools already used across the industry to expedite editing, with clients that include "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and the effects team behind "Everything Everywhere All At Once."

Michael Gilkison, a Lexington, Kentucky-based filmmaker whose latest project, "The Finish Line," is on Amazon's Prime Video, said a free AI app helped create a scene where a car was crushed. "That would have cost a lot more 20 years ago," he said over email. Using AI technology could also create cheaper ways to film period pieces. But it also can negate the need to hire extras, which can deprive a film of its spirit.

"As a producer, I would use it to keep the cost down, but it is all about balance," Gilkison said.

Tahsis Fairley, a creative producing student at Chapman University, said via email he envisions using Sora to expedite storyboarding and illustrate ideas to his team.

"We will be able to test out new visual ideas without investing significant amounts of money," Fairley said.

That said, Huang doesn't believe we're far off from full implementation, saying AI could appear within completed films "by the end of the next year easily."

Cost savings could boost indies and blockbusters alike

The expenses associated with filmmaking can put a damper on artistic vision, Huang said. But students are generally receptive to new technology, Polan said.

ChatGPT Plus subscribers, who pay $20 a month, get up to 50 Sora generations a month that are five seconds maximum. ChatGPT Pro users, who pay $200 a month, get unlimited generations up to 20 seconds in length.

In slashing costs, Huang said platforms like Sora are bound to "almost democratize the filmmaking process, sort of lower those barriers to entry." In addition to more tools for indie filmmakers working in the margins, this could also mean more blockbusters produced at a relative discount by major studios, he said.

Fairley, for his part, sees AI as a "double-edged sword."

While he cheered its efficiency gains, he expressed concern about job losses across the industry — particularly in fields like animation, pointing to a Coca-Cola Chrismas ad created entirely with AI.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Warner Bros. Discovery is splitting its linear TV business from streaming and studios.
• Comcast last month also spun off its cable networks — except Bravo — into a stand-alone company.
• The moves illustrate a cable business in decline, with both repositioning for M&A opportunities.

Warner Bros. Discovery is separating its linear television business from its streaming business and film studios.

It follows a similar move by Comcast, which announced in November it would spin off all of its NBCUniversal cable networks except Bravo into a stand-alone company.

The new corporate structure will be complete by the middle of next year, WBD said. Unlike Comcast, WBD won't spin its assets off into a separate company.

A new Global Linear Networks division will house TV properties like the Discovery Channel and CNN, while the Streaming & Studios side will be the home of Max and movie studio Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.

"Our Global Linear Networks business is well positioned to continue to drive free cash flow, while our Streaming & Studios business focuses on driving growth," WBD president and CEO David Zaslav said in a statement.

A source with direct knowledge of the matter said the move was meant to clean up the company's structure, which was formed in 2022 from the combination of WarnerMedia and Discovery. (Discovery itself was the product of its acquisition of Scripps Networks in 2017.)

This person said the company is still determining how the specific business units will be divided, and no leadership changes were planned.

The moves by both Comcast and WBD illuminate a cable business increasingly in decline. Their repositioning of properties could help them participate in potential mergers and acquisitions expected to reshape the media and entertainment industry in 2025.

Warner Bros. Discovery was supposed to create scale and value and help compete with Big Tech by mashing WarnerMedia's prestige networks like HBO and CNN with Discovery's lifestyle properties like HGTV. But its stock has sunk to about a third of its value at the time of its creation in 2022. (It was up about 14% Thursday morning on the news of the new organization.)

Industry observers say a Comcast-like spin wouldn't be favorable for WBD because it needs the cash from its linear channels to pay down the heavy debt it took on to form the company.

Still, they see WBD bulking up or shedding channels, with Paramount Global or Comcast seen as the most likely merger partners.

The announcement was met with mixed reactions from analysts. BofA Securities, which has long argued that WBD should sell assets or merge with another company, said in a note that it saw WBD's linear assets as a logical partner for the Comcast SpinCo, while its streaming and studio assets could be an attractive takeover target for multiple suitors.

Longtime ad industry advisor Brian Wieser said that as with the Comcast SpinCo, a WBD separation weakens the company on a few fronts, though. Without being tethered to the cable channels, he said, it'll be harder for WBD's streamer Max to grow its ads business, which is becoming increasingly important. The linear networks will lose leverage in distribution negotiations without Max and have trouble attracting talent if they're seen as a declining business, among other issues, he said.

In July, WBD reportedly floated the idea to investors of essentially undoing the 2022 merger to create the two separate divisions. And in August, the company said its TV assets were worth $9 billion less than it had anticipated just two years ago.

• Jeffrey Katzenberg, the cofounder of DreamWorks, said Hollywood bigshots are embracing AI.
• He said the top showrunners and creators find AI an "amazing resource."
• During the monthslong WGA strike last year, writers opposed the adoption of AI.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, the cofounder of DreamWorks, said Hollywood is warming up to the use of artificial intelligence.

Speaking at Fortune's Brainstorm AI conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, he said top Hollywood showrunners and creators are embracing AI.

"I would say almost across the board they have all talked about how the AI tools today have been helpful to them," Katzenberg said.

"They have seen them as a resource and an asset that have made them more productive," he said about AI tools, adding that with the use of AI, creators have been "able to widen the diversity of their work, the quality of their work."

"They find these tools an amazing resource for them — and it's not constraining them, it's inspiring them," he added.

DreamWorks Animation is the force behind animated classics like "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda," and "How to Train Your Dragon."

Katzenberg's comments come after Hollywood writers spent months on strike last year, partially in reaction to the use of AI in their industry.

More than 11,000 film and TV screenwriters went on strike from May to September 2023 after the Writers Guild of America, or WGA, could not agree on a labor contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP.

The strike was aimed at securing better wages and fairer work practices, and at prompting more regulation of the use of AI in film writing and production.

The strike led to key wins: The WGA agreement with AMPTP said the AMPTP members can use AI-generated material but can't write or rewrite literary material with AI.

Under the agreement, AI-generated material won't be considered source material, a rule that will protect writers from having their credit undermined by AI. Writers also can't be required to use AI software.

Katzenberg previously said AI could reduce the cost of animated films by 90%.

"I think AI as a creative tool, think of that as a new form, a new paintbrush or new camera, has so much opportunity around it," he said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore in November 2023.

"Well, the good old days when, you know, I made an animated movie, it took 500 artists five years to make a world-class animated movie," he said.

"I don't think it will take 10% of that three years out from now," he added.

Representatives for DreamWorks didn't respond to a request for comment from BI, sent outside regular business hours.

• Keira Knightley recalled how she was told that she "wanted to be stalked" early in her career.
• Knightley became famous after starring in "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Love Actually" in 2003.
• Now, she's opening up about how toxic Hollywood was for women in the early 2000s.

Keira Knightley was told she "wanted to be stalked" at the beginning of her career. The actor spoke about the "violent, misogynistic atmosphere" of Hollywood in the 2000s in an interview on Thursday.

The British actor became famous after landing roles in "Love Actually" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" in 2003 at 17-years-old. As a result, Knightley spent her late teens and early 20s under the press's microscope.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times ahead of her new Netflix series, "Black Doves," Knightley recalled being told that she "wanted to be stalked" during her rise to fame.

In response to a question by the LA Times reporter about the culture of Hollywood back then, Knightley said, "I didn't think it was okay at the time. I was very clear on it being absolutely shocking. There was an amount of gaslighting to be told by a load of men that 'you wanted this.' It was rape speak. You know, 'This is what you deserve.'"

Knightley continued to paint a picture of the negative atmosphere in early 2000s Hollywood that women had to navigate.

She added, "It was a very violent, misogynistic atmosphere. They very specifically meant I wanted to be stalked by men. Whether that was stalking because somebody was mentally ill, or because people were earning money from it — it felt the same to me. It was a brutal time to be a young woman in the public eye."

The star is also conscious that despite the harassment and pressure she faced, her early work gave her "financial stability."

"It's very brutal to have your privacy taken away in your teenage years, early 20s, and to be put under that scrutiny at a point when you are still growing. Having said that, I wouldn't have the financial stability or the career that I do now without that period," she said.

Keira Knightley was 17 when she first starting filming the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise in 2003. She played Elizabeth Swann, the point of a love triangle opposite Orlando Bloom, who was 26 at the time, and Johnny Depp who was 22 years Knightley's senior.

She of said the five-year period of success in her early career, "It totally set me up for life. Did it come at a cost? Yes, it did. It came at a big cost."

The thing that got the actor through her turbulent era of fame was having people around her who were disconnected from Hollywood.

She added, "I had a separate life from the industry, and I've maintained that."

This isn't the first time that Knightley has opened up about the toxicity she endured at a young age.

In November, she recalled how her role in "Pirates of the Caribbean" was the main reason she was "taken down publicly."

In 2018, Knightley told The Hollywood Reporter that paparazzi constantly followed her because they wanted to tear her down.

"It was big money to get pictures of women falling apart because you [consumers] wanted them to be sexy, but you wanted to punish them for that sexuality," she said.

• Nicole Kidman is one of the busiest working actors in Hollywood.
• But when she turned 40, she wasn't sure how much longer she'd have a career.
• Kidman recalled her agent convincing her that 40 wasn't the end for her.

Nicole Kidman has reached new heights in her career over the last decade. It's not something she expected — in fact, when she was 40, she thought her career might be winding down for good.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday, Kidman reflected on her prolific acting career and her eventual foray into producing. She recalled being in her early 40s, after producing and starring in the 2010 film "Rabbit Hole," and feeling like her days in the industry were numbered.

"It was at that crossroads, actually, where you go, 'Oh, I'm either going to drift away now or things will solidify,'" Kidman, now 57, told THR. "You were told to retire at a certain age."

Kidman said her agent convinced her she had plenty of work still ahead of her.

"My agent, Kevin Huvane, when I was 40, was like, 'It's not over, Nicole. It's going to begin now.' And I was like, "What? No, I think it's over,' and he's like, 'Uh-uh,'" she said.

Huvane, who is also Meryl Streep's agent, turned out to be right. Kidman is more in demand than ever, toplining six separate projects this year alone, including the Taylor Sheridan spy thriller "Lioness," the hit Netflix series "The Perfect Couple," and the upcoming A24 erotic drama "Babygirl." The latter is already being lauded as Kidman's most interesting and daring role in years.

Kidman credited her support system, including her producing partner, her husband Keith Urban, and their two daughters, Sunday Rose, 16, and Faith, 13, with keeping her career thriving. She also noted that things seem to be changing in the industry for the better.

"People are living longer and there's more to be said, and more stories to be told," Kidman said.

"It's about whether you still feel vibrant and alive. And that has a lot to do with nourishing your soul and staying in a place of curiosity and not sleepy," she added. "Dreamy is good, but not sleepy."

• This month, Walmart launched its first shoppable feature film, "Jingle Bell Love," with Roku.
• It's ramping up its efforts this holiday to get people to shop while watching TV.
• Walmart made some key changes to its shoppable entertainment strategy this year.

Walmart is making its biggest push yet this holiday season to get people to shop while watching TV by debuting its first feature-length movie.

Last year, Walmart brought viewers "Add to Heart," a rom-com series with integrated shopping features that was designed to be watched on social media. It's building on that this year by sponsoring its first "shoppable" feature film, "Jingle Bell Love," which is a Roku Original movie.

"Jingle Bell Love" is streaming now on The Roku Channel. Here's the logline: Jack Cooper, played by Joey McIntyre from "New Kids on the Block," visits his late wife's hometown for Christmas and gets more than he bargained for when his 10-year-old daughter matches him up with a local shop owner (Michelle Morgan).

Last year's "Add to Heart" was a test for Walmart to see if it could get people to shop directly while watching episodic TV. Online reviewers were mixed in their assessments: Some said the quality of the series was decent while others criticized the script and said the shopping experience felt clunky.

Walmart didn't share specific results of last year's experiment but made some key tweaks this time around:

• First, "Jingle Bell Love" is a feature film. Walmart learned that the longer people watched, the more likely they were to shop, and it hopes a film will encourage people to watch from start to finish.
• Walmart also produced "Add to Heart" itself, while "Jingle Bell Love" is a Roku production.
• "Add to Heart" crammed 330 shoppable products into the show. "Jingle Bell Love," in contrast, doesn't have any direct product integration. Instead, there are two "shoppable moments" featuring overlays with five Walmart products that are contextually relevant to the scene that people can buy directly on their TVs.
• During its "Add to Heart" launch, Walmart found people wanted more and easier ways to shop. This year, it's added the ability for people to link their Walmart and Roku accounts by clicking an ad on the screen with their remote, which sends a prompt to their phone to sign in to Walmart.com. From there, whenever a Roku user reaches the checkout screen, their Walmart payment details are pre-populated so they can buy with a single tap.

"'Add to Heart' was one of the first times that we really created that fully shoppable type of video experience," Aimee Roesler, senior director of social commerce at Walmart, told Business Insider. "One of our key insights is that it can be very hard to shop from your remote control."

Are people ready for shoppable TV?

Retailers have been pushing "shoppable TV" — where people can buy products straight from their TV sets — for some time as they try to drive sales and media companies try to connect ads to business results.

For instance, during the CMT Music Awards in April, Paramount used QR codes to try to get people to buy items inspired by the red carpet looks. NBCUniversal had a tool that let people order food while watching the Olympics this summer.

Still, there's been a big challenge for these efforts: Shopping on TV isn't the most natural behavior for viewers. Add the fact that shoppable TV doesn't always fit neatly into ad agencies' buying practices, and it's been slow to take off.

Christopher Vollmer, a partner and managing director at UTA's MediaLink, said retailers and media companies have gotten smarter about shoppable TV, knowing video content is where most consumers discover new brands and products. He sees them increasingly prioritizing premium content environments like sports for their efforts, as that's where there are big, live audiences. This year, for example, Walmart and NBCUniversal are bringing shoppable ads to a Thanksgiving Day NFL game.

As the biggest US retailer, Walmart has a strong incentive to figure it out. The company has been experimenting in many ways. It's trying shoppable ads on social media, gaming platforms, and streaming TV.

Walmart said Roku was a natural partner, as 78% of the platform's audience are Walmart shoppers. Despite the large customer overlap, in the past couple of years of testing, Walmart said 70% of its shoppers from Roku were new to Walmart.com.

"Now we've gained a new type of shopping behavior and a new customer who has typically shopped our store now is shopping our store and our website, which is very, very exciting," Roesler said.

"Jingle Bell Love" isn't the only way Walmart will try to get people to shop from their TVs this holiday season. It created four videos — inspired by the YouTube ambient room trend — that are meant to immerse the viewer in a pleasant environment. All are shoppable with QR codes linking to decor and gifts sold at Walmart. The rooms portray a cozy chalet, a festive holiday party scene, Santa's reindeer in flight, and Luke's Diner of "Gilmore Girls" (an example of Walmart's effort to integrate itself into the culture). They'll be streamed on YouTube, YouTube TV, and Roku starting December 3.

Shoppable ad breaks will also pop up during a family movie night series in which Walmart is teaming up with Roku to offer classics like "Stuart Little" and "Miracle on 34th Street" on The Roku Channel.

• Cher came back from owing $270,000 in back taxes only to wind up broke again years later.
• The star makes several striking points about money in her memoir published this week.
• Cher says she overspent, lacked financial acumen, and benefited from owning real estate.

Cher has made and lost several fortunes in her career. The "Believe" singer, who shot to fame with hits including "I Got You Babe" with her ex-husband Sonny Bono, reflects on her financial triumphs and troubles in her new book, "Cher: The Memoir, Part One."

Here are six points she makes about money:

1. Feeling safe

Cher's parents struggled financially, so she often had to give things up she liked. When she made it big, the performer found comfort in having backup products.

"I was so insecure about becoming poor again that I started buying two of a few key household items in case we needed to replace things that had worn out," she writes.

"There was no logic to owning two electric frying pans or two hair dryers — I'd have been a broke housewife with great hair — but it made me feel better because since childhood I'd been accustomed to losing what I had or being forced to trade down to a worse situation."

2. Overspending

"We're broke, Cher. We owe the IRS $270,000 in back taxes and we don't have the money," Bono said to Cher in the late 1960s, in her telling.

Cher realized that she'd spent almost precisely that amount on her dream house. "That's how people in the movie industry or music business get into such trouble," she writes.

"You come from nothing and suddenly you've got all this money and you're doing Ed Sullivan and people are screaming for you all over the world and you think it's gonna last forever," she continued. "Then one day it dries up and you realize you never had any backup."

In 1980, Cher was on the brink of declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy when she was saved by a man who'd bought some apartment buildings from her — he decided to pay in full instead of in installments.

"Thank you, God," she writes. "I vowed never to overextend myself like that again. (Not that it stuck—I've been overextending myself in a million ways my whole life!)."

3. Financial acumen

Cher writes she was "someone who didn't know my ass from first base when it came to money."

She never considered that Bono might not be financially savvy or the best person to manage their money, and the pair didn't have a business manager.

Cher later relied on David Geffen, a music and film producer, to help her handle her finances.

4. Checking contracts

After separating from Bono in the 1970s, Cher learned from Geffen that despite being a duet for years, the pair were far from equal partners.

"Sweetheart, this contract is involuntary servitude," Geffen told Cher in her telling. "You work for Sonny. You have no rights, no vote, no money, nothing."

Cher writes in her memoir that "the contracts he'd had me sign were secretly designed to strip me of my income and the rights to my own career."

In 1980, when Cher discovered her managers were making more money than her, she swiftly fired them.

5. Diversified portfolio

Cher writes that when she had spare cash at one point, she invested some of it in apartment buildings which she later sold. The buyer's decision to pay in full instead of in installments not only taught her a lesson in not overextending herself, it also showed the power of holding assets and the value of a diversified portfolio.

In this case, parking her money in real estate spared her from bankruptcy.

6. Helping family

After her career took off, Cher supported her mom financially and at one point gave her money to open a store called Granny's Cabbage Patch in Brentwood, California.

"Mom's store attracted a lot of press attention, but it was never solvent and soon began to lose money," Cher writes. "As my business manager put it, 'Georgia's independence is killing you.'"