Marlene Dietrich went on anti-Asian rant while working with Anna May Wong, Chinese American star’...

Dietrich and Wong costarred in the 1932 drama “Shanghai Express.” Marlene Dietrich went on antiAsian rant while working with Anna May Wong, Chinese American star’s biographer recalls Dietrich and Wong costarred in the 1932 drama “Shanghai Express.” By Ryan Coleman :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RyanColemanauthorphoto0081ce8f0254478080f35972c433877b.jpg) Ryan Coleman Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books. EW's editorial guidelines September 8, 2026 8:13 p.m.

Dietrich and Wong costarred in the 1932 drama “Shanghai Express.”

Marlene Dietrich went on anti-Asian rant while working with Anna May Wong, Chinese American star’s biographer recalls

Dietrich and Wong costarred in the 1932 drama “Shanghai Express.”

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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Anna May Wong and Marlene Dietrich in ‘Shanghai Express’ (1932). Credit:

Courtesy Everett

- Marlene Dietrich launched into a shocking anti-Asian tirade while working with her *Shanghai Express *costar Anna May Wong, Dietrich’s daughter claims.

- A new biography of Wong by Shirley Jennifer Lim details Dietrich and Wong’s “fleeting friendship” on the 1932 film set.

- Dietrich’s daughter, Maria Riva, first detailed the alleged rant in her 1992 biography of her mother, claiming that Dietrich said, “If I see one more yellow face, I am going to throw up.”

Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong’s memories in the public consciousness will forever be entwined because of *Shanghai Express*, the boundary-pushing thriller they headlined in 1932. But a new biography of Wong sheds light on why that bond may not have endured as a friendship.

Wong and Dietrich were at very different places professionally when *Shanghai Express *launched into theaters in the middle of the Great Depression. Born in Germany, Dietrich had moved to Hollywood only two years prior, hoping to capitalize on the promise of the first three films she made with the director who transformed her into a star: Josef Von Sternberg. Wong, meanwhile, born in Los Angeles’ Chinatown to Taishanese parents from China, had been steadily acting for years, but was held back from Dietrich’s level of success largely because of her race.

Dietrich was paid “$78,166 for *Shanghai Express *to Wong’s $8,100,” Wong biographer Shirley Jennifer Lim notes in her new book, *Anna May Wong: An Intimate Portrait* (published Tuesday via Abrams Books). Dietrich was the film’s star, but Wong routinely earned “less money than her white female counterparts.”

‘Shanghai Express’ stars Anna May Wong as Hui Fei and Marlene Dietrich as Shanghai Lily.

Bettmann Archive

That kind of bias worked against Wong throughout her career on an institutional level. And unfortunately, it worked against her personally during production on *Shanghai Express*.

According to Lim, “a fleeting friendship blossoms on the set of *Shanghai Express*” between Dietrich and Wong, who play sex workers aboard a train traveling from Peiping (Beijing) to Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War. The two had become acquainted off screen, posing together for a notorious picture in Berlin with future Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl in 1930.

But according to Dietrich’s daughter Maria Riva, whose 1992 biography of her mother Lim liberally quotes from, Dietrich privately did not hold Wong in the highest esteem.

“Anna May Wong and my mother became chummy. Between takes, they talked, not rehearsing their scenes, just soft conversation, smoked, sipped cool coffee through their straws,” Riva wrote. Dietrich even “fussed over Miss Wong’s square bangs and had [Paramount head designer Travis Banton] redesign one of her kimonos so it would be more flattering.”

During one dinner, Riva wrote, Dietrich responded with scorn when asked if she’d read *The Good Earth*, a hot new work of historical fiction by Pearl S. Buck, which tracks the rise of a poor farmer to the heights Chinese society.

Marlene Dietrich: Life and Legend

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“‘Is that the one about China?’ When my father answered that it was, she gave an exasperated snort,” Riva recalled.

“‘China here! China there!’” Dietrich allegedly rambled. “‘What is this obsession with China? The whole lot is swarming with slant-eyed people! If I see one more yellow face, I am going to throw up!’”

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Riva writes that her mother then “left to get my father more cabbage rolls,” leaving Von Sternberg looking “rather crestfallen after this attack, but my father gave him a broad, knowing wink, which made our little man smile, and by the time my mother returned they were having a lovely discussion about light diffusion and someone who got a Nobel Prize for it.”

Anna May Wong in 1935.

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Dietrich’s rant disturbed at least Von Sternberg and Riva, but as she noted in *Marlene Dietrich*, Von Sternberg trafficked in his own fair share of racism. The Austrian American director once gifted Dietrich a “‘Chinese coolie doll’ to keep her black ‘Savage’ (doll) company. She took them with her throughout her professional life.”

*Shanghai Express *was a hit upon its release, earning three Academy Award nominations (Lee Garmes won for his cinematography, but Von Sternberg lost Best Director to Frank Borzage for *Bad Girl*, and Best Picture went to Irving Thalberg’s *Grand Hotel*).

Dietrich’s star only rose from there, leading to her starring in hits like *The Scarlett Empress*, *Angel*, and *Destry Rides Again*. Wong, meanwhile, should have had more offers for parts than ever. As Lim notes, “studios [greenlit] motion pictures starring Chinese characters” following the success of *Shanghai Express*. But the Chinese roles in films like *The Hatchet Man*, *The Mask of Fu Manchu*, and *The Son-Daughter* all went to white actresses. When *The Good Earth *was ultimately made into a film, Luise Rainer was cast in the lead role, winning her an Oscar.

*Anna May Wong: An Intimate Portrait*, is currently available online and in bookstores.

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“Brand New Day” is the highestearning summer release in over a decade, and this summer’s recordbreaking gross more than doubles that of last summer’s. SpiderMan: Brand New Day and The Odyssey boost 2026 domestic box office to best summer on record “Brand New Day” is the highestearning summer release in over a decade, and this summer’s recordbreaking gross more than doubles that of last summer’s. By Ryan Coleman :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RyanColemanauthorphoto0081ce8f0254478080f35972c433877b.

“Brand New Day” is the highest-earning summer release in over a decade, and this summer’s record-breaking gross more than doubles that of last summer’s.

*Spider-Man: Brand New Day *and *The Odyssey *boost 2026 domestic box office to best summer on record

“Brand New Day” is the highest-earning summer release in over a decade, and this summer’s record-breaking gross more than doubles that of last summer’s.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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September 8, 2026 9:51 p.m. ET

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Matt Damon in ‘The Odyssey’ and Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’. Credit:

Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures; Jay Maidment

- The summer of 2026 has officially become the highest-grossing summer season in domestic box office history.

- *Spider-Man: Brand New Day *and *The Odyssey *played critical roles in shattering the elusive record long held by the summer of 2013.

- *Brand New Day* has also become the highest-earning summer release in over a decade, and this summer’s gross more than doubles that of last summer’s, per Rentrak data.

Spider-Man has teamed up with (checks notes) Odysseus for his most important mission yet: saving cinema.

Due largely to the unprecedented success of both *Spider-Man: Brand New Day** *and *The Odyssey** *with American audiences, the summer season at the 2026 domestic box office has broken the record for the highest-performing summer on record.

Per data from box office tracker Rentrak shared on Tuesday, the total proceeds from the domestic box office ranging from May 1-Sept. 7 reached $4,765,071,855. That’s $9,296,771 higher than the sum reached by the previous record holder, the summer of 2013, which pulled in $4,755,775,084. Buried in the numbers spelling out this massive coup are even more more broken records to note.

Michael Johnston, Megan Lawless, and Cooper Tomlinson in ‘Obsession’.

*Brand New Day*, the fourth Spidey film to star Tom Holland as Peter Parker and Zendaya as MJ Watson, is on the verge of crossing the $1 billion threshold domestically. No film has ever achieved that feat, though the No. 1 domestic grosser to *Brand New Day*’s No. 2 — 2015’s *Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens* — does reach $1.3 billion when adjusted for inflation.

Unadjusted, *Brand New Day *sits in second place on the all-time domestic leaderboard with $923.5 million. Globally it has earned $2.4 billion, which places it behind just *Avatar *and *Avengers: Endgame.* With only six weeks in theaters under its belt (major releases tend to run for 8-12 weeks), it very well could reach the top spot at home and around the world.

*Brand New Day *is also the highest-grossing summer release in over a decade, and by a wide margin. The next closest is *Top Gun: Maverick*, which earned $701.3 million back in 2022. Spidey’s super-sum also more than doubles the figures earned by the top grossers of 2025, 2021, 2020, 2017, 2014, and 2013.

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‘The Odyssey’ overtakes ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ at the global box office 8 weeks after release

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ to oust ‘Titanic’ from top 5 highest-grossing films at global box office

This isn’t just the Spider-Man show. *Brand New Day*’s $923.5 million and *The Odyssey*’s $598 million to date in the domestic market account for 19.38 percent and 12.36 percent of the summer 2026 sum, respectively. That leaves nearly 70 percent made up by the summer’s other big victories.

Those start with *Toy Story 5*, which currently stands as the third highest-grossing film of the year thus far with $480 million following its June 19 release. Skipping the likes of *Michael*, *Project Hail Mary*, and *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie*, all of which were released before the official summer cutoff, the unlikely horror hit *Obsession *played the next biggest role in this bit of domestic box office history.

The microbudget relationship drama with a bleeding edge grossed an astounding $236.4 domestically following its May 15 release. Given its sub-million dollar production budget, and even factoring in Focus Features’ lavish marketing and promotional rollout (these figures are customarily left out of budgetary estimates), the film’s performance is historic.

Then there’s *The Devil Wears Prada 2*, which earned $220.5 domestically following its May 1 release; *Backrooms*, which boasts $197.5 million in the same market after being released on May 29; and finally *Minions & Monsters*, which premiered on July 1 and has since grossed $183.1 million.

A still from ‘Toy Story 5’.

One important caveat to the analytics: the 2026 summer season now stretches seven days longer than it did when assessed in 2013. Compare 2026’s 130-day window from May 1-Sept. 7 to 2013’s 123-day window from May 3-Sept. 2.

Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s Head of Marketplace Trends, noted in a statement shared with Tuesday’s release, “2026 now stands as the highest-grossing domestic summer on record. Even bigger than the milestone itself is what this remarkable moviegoing season meant to studios, theater owners and, most importantly, moviegoers.”

This coming weekend, as *The Odyssey *and *Brand New Day *continue victory lapping around their big accomplishment, the first serious contender to their stronghold on the No. 1 spot will enter the arena. *Practical Magic 2 *releases on Thursday, and hopes to draw a massive female audience to theaters that weren’t directly targeted in the same way by the promotion for either *The Odyssey *or *Brand New Day*.

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“[It’s] a work in progress that is really organic, that is real, that is inspired,” Sabrina Impacciatore says. How much of The Paper is improvised? The cast and creators explain the evolution of a scene “[It’s] a work in progress that is really organic, that is real, that is inspired,” Sabrina Impacciatore says. By Wesley Stenzel :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/WesleyStenzelauthorphoto32b61793a2784639af623f2ae091477e.jpg) Wesley Stenzel Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at . He began writing for EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines September 9, 2026 10:00 a.m.

“[It’s] a work in progress that is really organic, that is real, that is inspired,” Sabrina Impacciatore says.

How much of The Paper is improvised? The cast and creators explain the evolution of a scene

“[It’s] a work in progress that is really organic, that is real, that is inspired,” Sabrina Impacciatore says.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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September 9, 2026 10:00 a.m. ET

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Ramona Young, Oscar Nuñez, Domhnall Gleeson, and Alex Edelman in ‘The Paper’. Credit:

John P. Fleenor/Peacock

- Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Eric Rahill, and more of *The Paper* cast reflect on the improvisational style of the show.

- Co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman explain their improv philosophy.

- “Our cast improvises toward story and towards realism in a way that I think is very helpful,” Koman says.

It is 5:30 p.m. on a Thursday at Universal Studios, and Domhnall Gleeson is barking like a dog.

The *Ex Machina* star is beginning the 10th take for an early scene in season 2, episode 8 of *The Paper* when the animal sounds begin. For a few hours on an April afternoon, ** is visiting the set, which is a lot chillier than it looks — a purposeful choice by the producers, as lower temperatures keep the cast and crew on their toes to maximize comedic creativity.

Gleeson’s barking stands out because it only happens once. He begins every take of the scene with a different anxious vocal stim — whistling, clicking, water droplet noises, an “ay-yi-yi!”

In every iteration of the scene, Gleeson’s character, Ned, approaches the desk of disaffected accountant-slash-journalist Adelola (Gbemisola Ikumelo) at the *Toledo Truth Teller *office to inquire about the mysterious death of a waiter at the Glass Club, the exclusive upper-class organization that Ned has suspected of wrongdoing all season.

Domhnall Gleeson on ‘The Paper’.

John P. Fleenor/Peacock

“You know what they were looking for at the top of the scene? They asked for Adelola to be under pressure from Ned — that he was staring at her and making her feel weird,” Gleeson tells EW in a follow-up interview in August. “So I was just looking for ways to make her feel weird.”

Every take hits most of the same major beats: Ned makes a weird noise, wanders over to Adelola’s desk, continually presses for more information about the Glass Club fatality, resists admitting to his curiosity about the club, and eventually calls a meeting that includes Oscar (Oscar Nuñez), Detrick (Melvin Gregg), and Travis (Eric Rahill).

But the connective tissue between those beats and the individual decisions from each actor are strikingly different from take to take. The dialogue changes dramatically, to the point that Ned’s description of the waiter swings between polar opposites — at one point, he’s a large man, and at another, he’s quite small — and actors who didn’t have any lines in the first six or seven takes suddenly start chiming in on take 8 to ask Ned if his impromptu meeting is about the Glass Club. “That was really funny. Everyone question him,” the ep’s director, Claire Scanlon, tells the cast, prompting the actors to repeat their ad-libbed inquiries in subsequent takes.

From the first take to the last, the scene evolves quite dramatically, and the final take is the one that most closely resembles the scene in the finished episode (though, sadly, Ned’s introductory muttering seems to have been cut for time).

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“When I think about that scene, I think about how much it changed,” Gleeson reflects. “Somewhere in the middle, there were bits changed. The picture of the waiter in the computer, what the joke was, whether he was actually a big guy or a small guy — that took up a lot of time on that one, and then how far into the comedy we were leaning.”

The *Star Wars* alum says that the cast “added in everybody asking him” about the Glass Club on a later take because he “wanted Ned to feel under more pressure at the end.”

He adds, “I think that worked out really well. They ended up using that, which was cool. That was all the cast together coming up with that sort of stuff, which was cool. I like it when that happens.”

Domhnall Gleeson, Chelsea Frei, and Eric Rahill on ‘The Paper’.

John P. Fleenor/Peacock

It’s clear that *The Paper* cast enjoys this kind of creative freedom on a regular basis. The shifts from take to take aren’t always as dramatic — “A lot of the scenes we do, the changes will be minimal,” Gleeson says, noting that most scenes don’t typically exceed five takes apiece. But the cast and crew of the show all indicate that improvisation is a key weapon in the actors’ arsenal that’s strategically deployed to complement the work of the writers.

“I feel like it’s 90-10: 90 percent script, maybe 10 percent improv,” says Rahill, who also writes for the show. “It depends on the scenes. I always feel like some scenes are ready to go, and then some have been written the day before and need to get on their feet to figure out what the dynamic is. But it’s pretty agile. If something’s not working, you just gather everybody up and the writers are on set and they’re like, ‘Let’s just try this.’ And everyone’s so down to just try out another avenue.”

Gregg says that the cast doesn’t rehearse much together ahead of time. “We try to get what’s on the page first, and we’re finding it as we go because we don’t have rehearsals,” he explains. “So the first take is kind of the rehearsal and trying to find a frame of what it is, and we’re getting different notes and trying to give the directors and the producers what they want.”

Domhnall Gleeson, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, and Eric Rahill on ‘The Paper’.

John P. Fleenor/Peacock

The *High Flying Bird* star says that once the cast has nailed the scripted version of the scene, “then we can try to have fun and improv, but we still got to keep it within the realms of what the scene is about.” Deviating too far from the arc of the scene isn’t usually wise, though. “If you go too far up, it’s never going to make it because it’s not in line with the story,” he says.

“We keep exploring,” adds Sabrina Impacciatore, who portrays the narcissistic Esmeralda on the series. “This show is a living theater that we keep exploring with genuine listening to each other. And so it can happen that things come out in a different way. And I think this is one of my favorite parts of this show: the way we work is a work in progress that is really organic, that is real, that is inspired. It’s very special, I think.”

Showrunners Greg Daniels and Michael Koman help foster that creative environment, as they want the best ideas to come through, even if they don’t arrive until after scripts are finished.

“You should refine things as you go, and you drop things that aren’t necessary for the scene,” Koman says. “Our cast improvises toward story and towards realism in a way that I think is very helpful.”

Domhnall Gleeson and Allan Havey on ‘The Paper’.

John P. Fleenor/Peacock

“We’ll give them the scene on the script, and then we’ll have something that I call the ‘candy bag,’ which is alternates that the writers have generated that aren’t in the script, but could be used if something isn’t working,” Daniels adds. “And then there’s this sort of middle zone of the process where the director and the cast are finding the scene, and they’re changing it, and they’re adding to it, and they’re getting to understand it, and hopefully they’re shooting the original scene as well.”

Of course, there are also ample opportunities for Daniels and Koman to stitch multiple distinct takes together in the editing room. “It’s great that they’re putting out different things and then we get to see everything that comes in and how it should work,” Daniels says.

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Alex Edelman, who portrays Adam on the series and writes for the show, says that improv comes naturally because “story is already so in the bones for Greg and Michael,” which gives the cast the space to find the funniest possible version of every moment.

Chelsea Frei on ‘The Paper’.

John P. Fleenor/Peacock

“If something doesn’t work, there are a lot of dads and moms there to make it work,” he says. “You tend to get a sense that things are going right. And if they’re not, you don’t move on. I’ve been in scenes where I’m thinking, ‘Man, there’s something just not right here.’ And before I’ve ever had to be like, ‘Do I say something?’ someone comes in — it’s usually the director or Greg or Koman or the onset writer —and it gets fixed pretty lickety-split. And none of the actors are shy about going, ‘Hey, this isn’t feeling right.’”

Chelsea Frei, who plays ambitious reporter Mare, says figuring out scenes in real time is one of the highlights of working on the show. “There’s nothing more fun than when a scene isn’t working and you’re all kind of coming together,” she says. “It’s a little stressful because if the writers come in, you know you’re not doing great. And then you all really band together and think: okay, how do we make this work?”

She adds, “To me, those are the most fulfilling moments on set, where it’s like: We found this together.”

*The Paper *season 2 is now streaming on Peacock.

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How much of The Paper is improvised? The cast and creators explain the evolution of a scene

“[It’s] a work in progress that is really organic, that is real, that is inspired,” Sabrina Impacciatore says. How much of The Paper i...

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From walking a dog to buying shoes while drunk, stars can truly come from anywhere. 10 stars who were discovered in unexpected ways From walking a dog to buying shoes while drunk, stars can truly come from anywhere. By Brianna Zigler September 9, 2026 8:30 a.m. ET Leave a Comment :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/lanaturnercharlizetheronchrispratt090726b654ce19c97f45a0969607e3a2749338.jpg) Lana Turner; Charlize Theron; Chris Pratt.

From walking a dog to buying shoes while drunk, stars can truly come from anywhere.

10 stars who were discovered in unexpected ways

From walking a dog to buying shoes while drunk, stars can truly come from anywhere.

By Brianna Zigler

September 9, 2026 8:30 a.m. ET

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Lana Turner; Charlize Theron; Chris Pratt. Credit:

Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty; HLL/Imazins via Getty; Carlos Alvarez/Getty

While not every rags-to-riches story is quite like Pamela Anderson getting discovered on the jumbotron at a football game, some Hollywood stars had similarly surprising paths to stepping into the spotlight.

With the sheer abundance of nepo babies seemingly infiltrating just about every inch of the entertainment industry, it’s nice to know that there are still grassroots ways of finding fame, from being scouted during a meltdown at a bank to serving an actress while waiting tables at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Even in the cutthroat days of Old Hollywood, a starlet could suddenly find fame after simply being discovered at a soda shop.

Ahead, ** takes a look at 10 stars who got discovered in ways that might surprise you — and give you some unrealistic hope that you, too, could become instantly famous after getting spotted at the grocery store.

Lana Turner, circa 1942.

Screen Archives/Getty

In 1995, the *Los Angeles Times* described *Imitation of Life* and *The Postman Always Rings Twice* star Lana Turner’s rise to fame as a “true-to-life Cinderella story,” as recounted by the son of the man who found her, William R. “Billy” Wilkerson.

When she was just 16 years old, Turner, whose real name was Judy, was discovered while at a soda fountain on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. One day, Billy, who owned *The Hollywood Reporter*, saw Turner and wanted to meet her. He gave her his business card and asked if she “would like to be in pictures,” per W. R. Wilkerson III. “There was something about her that was special. She had a quality all her own that was unforgettable,” Billy said of Turner sometime later.

After writing a letter to agent Zeppo Marx (yes, of Marx Brothers fame), Marx signed Turner, gave her the stage name “Lana,” and the rest is Hollywood history.

Janet Leigh, circa 1950.

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

*Psycho* legend Janet Leigh got her start from a chance encounter in Lake Tahoe in 1947. While visiting the area on winter break, Leigh, born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was photographed by the lodge photographer at the resort where her parents worked.

“I had never seen snow before,” she told *The* *Record-Courier* in 2001. “I guess he caught just the right expression.” One month later, her photo caught the attention of actress Norma Shearer, and she arranged to have Leigh do a screen test with MGM Studios.

Within days of the screen test, she had signed a seven-year contract, and weeks later she made her film debut in the 1947 movie *The Romance of Rosy Ridge *opposite actor Van Johnson.

Tippi Hedren

Tippi Hedren at Claridge’s Hotel on Aug. 23, 1963.

Bela Zola/Mirrorpix/Getty

Tippi Hedren, born Nathalie Kay Hedren, was a working model before she was discovered by director Alfred Hitchcock. However, as she told *NBC 7 San Diego* in 2012, she needed better job security. She was a single mother, recently divorced from her ad executive husband.

“When I did move out to California when Melanie [Griffith, her daughter] was about four years old, I thought my career would continue as it had in New York and it didn’t,” she explains. “I’m thinking, ‘Okay, what am I going to do now? I don’t type.’”

But a memorable spot in a popular diet soda commercial caught the eye of none other than Hitchcock, on the rather fitting date of Friday the 13th, in October 1961. “This call came asking me if I was the girl in the Sego commercials,” Hedren recalled. “They said that a producer was interested in me, and I said, ‘Who? Who?’ And they said ‘Come over and have a meeting with us,’ so I did. They wouldn’t tell me at that meeting, and they asked if I would leave my reel of twelve or so commercials and my photo book over the weekend, which I did. I went back on Monday and met more executives. Nobody would tell me who this was!”

“It became kind of a game, and was kind of fun,” she continued. “I was asked to go to MCA, which was then the biggest talent agency in the United States, and it was then that I was told that Alfred Hitchcock wanted to sign me to a contract.”

David Boreanaz

David Boreanaz at the Italian Global Series Festival on July 9, 2026 in Riccione, Italy.

Lorenzo Palizzolo/Getty

*Bones* star David Boreanaz didn’t get his big mainstream break for a while after he became serious about acting, but his entry into the industry came from an unlikely place: his dog. He’d been involved in local theater, improv classes, and commercial spots. He walked around handing out his resume, and even pretended to be a studio executive, but it was only while walking his dog in Los Angeles that he finally got noticed by a talent manager.

Tom Parziale took a liking to Boreanaz, and before he knew it, he secured a guest spot on the sitcom *Married… With Children* in 1993. Parziale is still Boreanaz’s agent to this day, but the actor gives equal credit to his pet for launching his career. “I owe a lot to Bertha Blue, my dog at the time,” he told *Parade* in 2019.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron at the premiere of ‘The Odyssey’ on July 14, 2026 in New York City.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

It’s no surprise that Charlize Theron modeled when she moved to the United States from South Africa, but the 18-year-old wasn’t even discovered while at a gig — it was during an ugly moment at a bank.

With only $400 in her account, Theron desperately needed to get a check cashed. But there was a problem. “I was trying to cash my last check from a modeling job in New York, but because it was an out-of-state check, the bank wouldn’t accept it—and I really needed the money. So I began pleading with this teller to help me,” she told Oprah Winfrey in 2005.

She continued: “I was begging and pleading, and a gentleman came over and tried to help... What I didn’t know is that I was auditioning for a guy who would end up being my manager. On the way out, the man who’d helped gave me his card. [He was John Crosby, who represented John Hurt and Rene Russo.] He said, ‘If you’re interested, I’ll represent you.’”

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Danny Trejo at SiriusXM Studios on Nov. 5, 2025 in New York City.

Gary Gershoff/Getty

Before becoming famous, Danny Trejo had a hard life, dealing with a heroin addiction at a young age and spending some time in prison. He got sober around 1969, which ultimately provided him a surprising path to his acting career.

After getting clean, he worked for a while as a drug counselor, where he became acquainted with a young production assistant who was looking to stay clean himself (via *Variety*). The PA ended up getting Trejo a job as an extra on a film, because he wanted Trejo around to help make sure he stayed sober.

The movie was *Runaway Train* (1985), and one of the screenwriters, Eddie Bunker, just happened to be a formerly incarcerated man who knew Trejo from his final stint in prison. Remembering that Trejo excelled in boxing, Bunker asked him to train the film’s star, Eric Roberts. The director, Andrei Konchalovsky, ultimately offered him a role.

“All of a sudden everybody started calling me ‘Mr. Trejo,’” the actor recalled. “I got my hair done; I got to wear makeup.”

Alden Ehrenreich

Alden Ehrenreich at the 79th Annual Tony Awards on June 7, 2026 in New York City.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Alden Ehrenreich had no idea that a friend’s bat mitzvah would be attended by legendary director Steven Spielberg, or that a home video he made for the celebration would be the thing that kickstarted his career in the film industry.

Ehrenreich told Conan O’Brien about how it all started (via *Us Weekly*). “Me and my friend Johnny used to make these really stupid videos just to make ourselves laugh,” he recalled. “So then this girl asked us to make one for her bat mitzvah and so we made this horrible video for her bat mitzvah where I’m sneaking into her house and I’m smelling her clothes and singing a song. And we showed it to our parents and they all said, ‘You can’t let anybody see this cause you look like a moron.’ And we said, ‘We don’t care.’”

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Ultimately, Ehrenreich wasn’t even *at* the bat mitzvah — but that was enough for the director of *Jurassic Park. *“So then it showed at the [bat] mitzvah and Steven Spielberg was there and he saw me,” Ehrenreich said. “I wasn’t there, I was at a Latin convention with my school. And then we got a phone call from Dreamworks and then they asked me to come in and have a meeting and that’s how I was able to start working.”

Chris Pratt promoting ‘Mercy’ on Jan. 8, 2026 in London, England.

Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage

Chris Pratt got discovered through a tried-and-true profession for aspiring actors: waiting tables. When he was 19, Pratt had an acting background but was tired of his most recent day job as a door-to-door salesman.* *He moved to Hawaii with his friend, where they literally lived in a van, and for cash, he worked as a waiter at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

In the end, luck was improbably on Pratt’s side. One day, *The Color Purple* actress Rae Dawn Chong came in to eat, and Pratt noticed her immediately. He took the opportunity to talk to her, saying, “‘You’re in the movies, right? I always wanted to be in the movies.’”

As he recounted to EW, his boldness ended up paying off: “She said, ‘You’re cute. Do you act?’ I was like, f— it, ‘Goddamn right I act! Put me in a movie!”’ Chong cast him in her directorial debut, *Cursed Part 3,* and while it wasn’t very good, it was the open door Pratt was looking for.

“I knew the movie was bad but it didn’t matter,” he told *GQ* in 2015. “All I needed was footage from my scenes so that I could use it to get a manager and an agent. I was just always hyper-focused on the next step...I was pretty delusional and young. Luckily.”

Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson at D23 on Aug. 14, 2026 in Anaheim, California.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Rosario Dawson was a teenager living in affordable housing in the East Village with her mother and stepfather when her life changed forever. When the *Death Proof* actress was 15, a commercial shoot took place outside her family’s apartment. While her father wanted her to get discovered, Dawson was preoccupied with a crush on one of the grips.

While vying for the grip’s attention, Dawson would hang out on her front porch and send him flirty looks. He eventually came over and asked if the crew could film any scenes in her apartment. “I couldn’t really hear what he was saying, and I started laughing to myself because I thought, this guy looks like the classic depiction of Jesus, you know?” Dawson recalled for *Dazed*. “I started guffawing because I was like, ‘I’m humouring Jesus’. They were shooting sounds that day on the commercial and this whole group of people suddenly turned and looked at me and I thought I was in trouble, and it ended up being a pre-production group from *Kids* that were scouting for locations.”

She was then approached by *Kids* director Larry Clark and its screenwriter, a then-19-year-old Harmony Korine, who wanted Dawson to audition for the part of Ruby — which would ultimately become her film debut. “Larry said he was making his first movie and would I be interested,” she said. “And Harmony was jumping up and down, like, ‘Oh my God, I wrote this character for you without even realising. I didn’t even know you. You’re perfect for this character, you have to come in. You have to come in, you have to come in.’”

Charlie Hunnam

Charlie Hunnam at the 32nd Annual Actor Awards on March 1, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty

*Sons of Anarchy* star Charlie Hunnam wanted to make it as an actor, but when he was finally discovered, the circumstances weren’t exactly ideal. While doing some last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve, Hunnam, drunk after hours spent in a pub, wandered into a shoe shop.

“I was in JD Sports trying on some trainers for my brother, [having] a bit of a dance around, drunk,” Hunnam recalled during an appearance on *The Graham Norton Show* in 2017. “And there was a lady staring at me, and so I blew her a kiss and gave her a little wink.”

But the woman he decided to get cheeky with wasn’t just a random citizen — she was the production manager of the long-running British drama series *Byker Grove*. She invited him to audition for the show, and he ended up making his screen debut in an episode.

- Celebrities & Creators

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September 09, 2026

10 stars who were discovered in unexpected ways

From walking a dog to buying shoes while drunk, stars can truly come from anywhere. 10 stars who were discovered in unexpected ways...

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With large crowds gathering, Norway to lay King Harald to rest

With large crowds gathering, Norway to lay King Harald to rest By Nerijus Adomaitis, Tom Little and Gwladys Fouche Wed, September 9, 2026 at 9:17 AM UTC 0 By Nerijus Adomaitis, Tom Little and Gwladys Fouche OSLO, Sept 9 (Reuters) Norway&x27;s King Harald V will be laid to rest on Wednesday, in a series of ceremonies marking the culmination of 13 days of national mourning following his death at the age of 89.

With large crowds gathering, Norway to lay King Harald to rest

By Nerijus Adomaitis, Tom Little and Gwladys Fouche Wed, September 9, 2026 at 9:17 AM UTC

0

By Nerijus Adomaitis, Tom Little and Gwladys Fouche

OSLO, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Norway's King Harald V will be laid to rest on Wednesday, in a series of ceremonies marking the culmination of 13 days of national mourning following his death at the age of 89.

Harald, a reformer who spent more than three decades on the throne after gradually emerging from the shadow of his popular and charismatic father, died at a time of multiple crises for the Norwegian royal family.

A procession on foot from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral will start at 1200 local time (1000 GMT) followed by a church ceremony at about 1300 local time (1100 GMT). The ceremony will begin with a nationwide minute of silence.

Among the guests expected are Britain's Prince William and Princess Anne; Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko; Spain's King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia; Sweden's royal family; and Denmark's King Frederik and Queen Mary.

Heads of state from around the world have also been invited.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Oslo late on Tuesday, meeting with Norway's prime minister to discuss the ongoing war with Russia, officials from both sides said.

Representing the United States will be Allison Hooker, under-secretary of state for political affairs, Norwegian media reported. The U.S. embassy in Oslo declined to comment.

WILL THE NEW QUEEN ATTEND?

Queen Mette-Marit, 53, is expected to attend but will travel by car with Harald's widow, Queen Sonja, 89, as she continues to recover from a lung transplant undertaken in June.

Last week, Mette-Marit had to cancel plans to attend her husband King Haakon VIII's oath ceremony in parliament due to complications following her operation.

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Her son, Marius Borg Hoiby, from a relationship before her marriage to Haakon, is also expected at the funeral despite being under house arrest and wearing an ankle monitor after his conviction for rape and domestic violence. He is appealing the sentence.

Hoiby was one of the pall-bearers during the transfer of Harald's coffin to the royal chapel, drawing criticism in some quarters in Norway and abroad.

After Wednesday's service, a smaller procession will accompany the coffin to the royal crypt at Akershus Fortress overlooking Oslo harbour. There, Harald's coffin will be placed in a sarcophagus, alongside those of his parents.

When Haakon emerges from the crypt, the national mourning period will formally end and flags that have flown at half-mast since Harald's death will be raised. Church bells throughout the country will ring for an hour.

Norwegian police said securing the funeral is the largest planned operation in the force's history, with large crowds expected in central Oslo. School children will be allowed to skip classes to attend the funeral.

"He had meant so much for me and my family and for the whole country as an institution that brings us respect for other minorities, for people that suffer and for people that need to be taken care of," said Elisabeth Kallevik Nesheim, 66, dressed in black and wearing a funeral veil over her eyes.

"So, we really loved our royal family," she said, adding that she had travelled from Norway's west coast for the occasion.

Hundreds of thousands of Norwegians have already paid tribute to Harald by leaving flowers, candles and flags outside the Royal Palace or filing past his coffin in the royal chapel.

Many mourners have praised Harald's inclusiveness, while Haakon described him as a wonderful father in his first address to the nation as sovereign.

Despite its recent troubles, the monarchy remains broadly popular: 72% of Norwegians support it, while 20% favour a republic or another form of government, a Norstat poll for broadcaster NRK published on September 1 found, the first poll taken since Harald's death.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, Nerijus Adomaitis, Nora Buli, Terje Solsvik, Claudia Greco, Leonhard Foeger, Tom Little and Dylan Martinez in Oslo; Editing by Ros Russell)

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September 09, 2026

With large crowds gathering, Norway to lay King Harald to rest

With large crowds gathering, Norway to lay King Harald to rest By Nerijus Adomaitis, Tom Little and Gwladys Fouche Wed, September...

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Jimmy Kimmel Taunts ‘Crazier Than Ever’ Trump With 1 Vicious Reality Check

Jimmy Kimmel Taunts ‘Crazier Than Ever’ Trump With 1 Vicious Reality Check Ed Mazza Wed, September 9, 2026 at 9:19 AM UTC 0 Jimmy Kimmel returned to television on Tuesday after taking the summer off to discover that he and his longtime nemesis share something. “Donald Trump and I have one thing in common,” Kimmel said. “We both accomplished nothing all summer long.

Jimmy Kimmel Taunts ‘Crazier Than Ever’ Trump With 1 Vicious Reality Check

Ed Mazza Wed, September 9, 2026 at 9:19 AM UTC

0

Jimmy Kimmel returned to television on Tuesday after taking the summer off to discover that he and his longtime nemesis share something.

“Donald Trump and I have one thing in common,” Kimmel said. “We both accomplished nothing all summer long.”

Buzz: Pamela Anderson Opens Up About Overcoming Hepatitis C After Doctors Told Her She Had ‘10 Years To Live’

Kimmel noted that when he left for his vacation, gas prices were high, the war with Iran was continuing, and the Reflecting Pool was a mess after Trump’s botched “repair” to the D.C. landmark.

But today, nothing has changed.

If anything, the Reflecting Pool looks worse than ever after a storm blew over a fence into the pool, which has only a small amount of water in it as repairs continue.

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“Wait, are you telling me the president of the United States had three full months and spent $20 million and couldn’t even get a pool cleaned?” Kimmel asked as he showed footage: “There it is!”

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Kimmel added: “How are we supposed to win the war with Iran when we can’t even win the war against algae?”

Buzz: Prince George Starts His First Day At Eton College, And We Have All The Photos

Kimmel said Trump is “crazier than ever” as he spent the holiday weekend posting memes and AI slop dozens of times a day.

“It almost felt like he was welcoming me back to work,” Kimmel cracked, then pointed out that several of Trump’s posts were about changing the name of New Mexico to New America.

That led Kimmel to offer the president a reality check.

“Listen, if there was a new America, we’d all go there immediately,” Kimmel said. “We’re all for that!”

See more in his Tuesday night monologue:

Entertainment Updates -

Jimmy Kimmel Taunts Trump With A Personal Message About His Show

Future Of Jimmy Kimmel's Late Night Show In Doubt Following Bombshell Report

Trump Lashes Out At Jimmy Kimmel, Who Agrees On 1 Accidentally Accurate Point

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Jimmy Kimmel Taunts ‘Crazier Than Ever’ Trump With 1 Vicious Reality Check

Jimmy Kimmel Taunts  ‘Crazier Than Ever’ Trump With 1 Vicious Reality Check Ed Mazza Wed, September 9, 2026 at 9:19 AM UTC 0 Jim...

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Iran declares capture of US submarine near the Strait of Hormuz in major escalation

Iran declares capture of US submarine near the Strait of Hormuz in major escalation Falyn Stempler Tue, September 8, 2026 at 6:51 PM UTC 212 Iran seized a U.S. military submarine near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday morning, the IRGC said (Image: Getty) An unmanned underwater United States military submarine was captured Tuesday by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy near the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media.

Iran declares capture of US submarine near the Strait of Hormuz in major escalation

Falyn Stempler Tue, September 8, 2026 at 6:51 PM UTC

212

Iran seized a U.S. military submarine near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday morning, the IRGC said (Image: Getty)

An unmanned underwater United States military submarine was captured Tuesday by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy near the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media.

The IRGC Navy announced that it seized the underwater vehicle "as a prize of war" through a complex intelligence and operational action at "dawn" on Tuesday. The move comes days after the IRGC announced that it targeted three U.S.-linked oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, as the rogue Middle Eastern nation issued a bloodthirsty revenge promise.

"In the special grace of Almighty God, the IRGC Navy forces trapped one of the most modern, smart and unmanned submarines of the terrorist U.S. Army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz during a complex intelligence and operational action at dawn today," the IRGC Navy said in a statement on Tuesday. It comes after Trump was pictured being stuffed in something terrifying in a chilling new Iran billboard.

Trump's strange reaction after learning Iran's new Supreme Leader's sexuality

Lip reader spots 3 chilling words that Trump whispered into Putin's ear

The IRGC Navy described the U.S. military submarine, added to the U.S. Navy fleet in 2025, as being equipped with some of the world's latest technology.

Images of the scene will be released "in the coming hours," the IRGC Navy said, according to Mehr News Agency, a semi-official news agency sponsored by the government of Iran.

Iran's seizure of the U.S. submarine occurred at dawn on Tuesday, the IRGC Navy said (Image: Getty)

Earlier in the week, the U.S. Central Command confirmed the attack on Iranian tankers.

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"Thanks to the precision and professionalism of American service members, the M/T Kylo sank in the Gulf of Oman today and joined Iran's navy at the bottom of the sea," the U.S. CENTCOM wrote Sunday on X, adding that it "permanently disabled" M/T Downy off the coast of Iran's Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask. Footage of the strike was shared in the post.

CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper also released a statement after the attack, threatening Iranian forces over escalation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours," he warned. "We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet."

Iran had previously threatened to increase its targeting of U.S. Navy vessels and widen its naval warfare operations if the U.S. naval blockade remained and continued to target Iranian civilian ships.

Hostilities resumed last week between the U.S. and Iran after a month of relative calm as ceasefire efforts dwindled.

The fire exchanges came shortly after the war surpassed the six-month mark, despite U.S. President Donald Trump initially stating that the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, would only take "four to five weeks."

It comes after Trump reportedly tried to access the US nuclear codes - until one man stopped him with a single word.

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September 08, 2026

Iran declares capture of US submarine near the Strait of Hormuz in major escalation

Iran declares capture of US submarine near the Strait of Hormuz in major escalation Falyn Stempler Tue, September 8, 2026 at 6:...

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