Entertainment

For Ana de Armas, “Ballerina” is a full-circle moment. She reconnected with Keanu Reeves ten years after appearing alongside the “John Wick” franchise star in her first English-language movie, “Knock Knock.” The 37-year-old actor down with AP entertainment journalist Ryan Pearson to talk about trusting her gut in and outside of Hollywood, her history with Reeves and her top five action movie stars.

Top 2025 Tony Awards nominees sat down with AP entertainment journalist John Carucci to talk about the emotional journey to the ceremony, the Broadway musicals and plays that got them there, co-stars, and their place in history. Hear from Darren Criss, Megan Hilty, Mia Farrow, Nicole Scherzinger, Audra McDonald, Bob Odenkirk, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and James Monroe Iglehart.

Sir Ringo Starr sat down with AP entertainment journalist Liam McEwan to reflect on a milestone year: celebrating his 85th birthday next July 7, 35 years of the All-Starr Band and a recent Grammy win (“I’d like a couple more if you don’t mind,” he says). He shared stories from his early days as a hopeful dreamer, the musical evolution of The Beatles, and his mindset when behind a drum kit (“I’m in a blackout!”). Starr also opened up about his journey practicing transcendental meditation, photography and the deep bond he still shares with his bandmates.

After the success of their Sundance hit “Talk to Me,” people in Hollywood told Michael and Danny Philippou that retaining creative freedom on their second film would be a challenge. But the brothers said that wasn’t their experience with A24 when making “Bring Her Back,” which hits theaters Friday. The pair spoke with AP’s Krysta Fauria about making the transition from YouTube to Hollywood and screening films for the crew while shooting their latest horror movie.

Justin Hartley says his journey in Hollywood has been a “slow burn” — and he wouldn’t want it any other way. The 48-year-old actor sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about the success of “Tracker,” learning from starring on “This is Us,” and why more comedic roles could be in his future.

Grammy-winning country star Maren Morris says “DREAMSICLE” is her “most raw” album yet. She sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton in New York to talk about the creation of her fourth project, revealing she’s bisexual, life after her divorce from Ryan Hurd, and experiencing so much heartache that she doesn’t remember recording some of the vocals on the album.

Bono is bringing his “tall tales of a short rock star” to the French Riviera. The U2 frontman premiered his Apple TV+ documentary “Bono: Stories of Surrender” at the Cannes Film Festival. Bono sat down with AP film writer Jake Coyle to discuss the Andrew Dominik-directed black-and-white film, how his self-analysis has changed over time, his daughter’s advice for visiting Cannes, the new pope — and global politics.

Zedd returned to the Coachella stage for the fifth time last month, delivering a high-energy set packed with fan favorite hits, stunning visuals, and surprise appearances by John Mayer and Incubus. Backstage, the Grammy-winning DJ and producer spoke with AP entertainment journalist Liam McEwan about why he never gets tired of playing “Clarity,” his passion for storytelling through music, and his dreams of scoring a feature film or video game from the ground up.

Members of ENHYPEN weren’t sure what to expect when they hit the Coachella stage last month. They were glad to win over festival-goers who weren’t yet part of their ENGENE fandom. The K-pop stars sat down after their week 2 performance with Associated Press entertainment journalist Liam McEwan. Jake, Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Ni-Ki, Sunghoon, and Sunoo reflected on their growth over five years, connecting cultures through the power of music — and how performing at Coachella became a defining moment for the group.

Kali Uchis wrote the album that she knew her future self would need to listen to. “Sincerely,” began as a collection of letters to herself, friends and loved ones but took on a deeper meaning as the Colombian American songwriter gave birth to her first child and dealt with her mother’s death. She sat down with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz in Los Angeles to talk about her writing process, staying true to her sound as an artist and how her mother and newborn baby inspired her lyrics.

Nicolas Cage sells his soul for a house in “The Surfer.” The 61-year-old actor stars in Lorcan Finnegan’s film probing tribalism, revenge and familial trauma. Cage and Finnegan spoke with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria about the film’s surrealism, why violence is “one of the backbones of cinema” and how Humphrey Bogart inspired a scene where Cage shoves a rat in someone’s face.

Abel Tesfaye has always known he wanted to pursue a career in cinema. He sees his meteoric rise to fame under the moniker The Weeknd as “a little detour” to make that happen. Nearly two years after he made his acting debut with HBO’s “The Idol,” the 35-year-old pop star says his experimental musical film “Hurry Up Tomorrow” “brought the joy back into filmmaking.” Tesfaye sat down alongside co-star Jenna Ortega and director Trey Edward Shults to speak with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria about losing his voice in 2022, leaving The Weeknd behind — and learning from “The Idol.” “Hurry Up Tomorrow” hits theaters May 16.

“Andor” has returned to Disney+. The “Star Wars” series created by Tony Gilroy and starring Diego Luna tells the story of a growing revolutionary resentment against the Galactic Empire and the birth of the Rebel Alliance, leading up to the events of 2016’s “Rogue One.” The AP’s Andrew Dalton sat down with Gilroy, Luna and co-star Adria Arjona to talk about surprising turns in the story, creative freedom and the many layers of rebellion. The second season began this week with the first three episodes.

Ben Affleck says that while California has taken the movie industry “for granted,” he’s still trying to film in Los Angeles as much as possible. Affleck spoke with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria at the premiere of “The Accountant 2" about production shifting away from Hollywood, Kevin Smith’s 1999 film “Dogma” — and his depiction of an autistic assassin in his new action thriller.

Ryan Coogler pushes his go-to lead actor to the next level in “Sinners.” Michael B. Jordan isn’t just starring in Coogler’s genre-bending big screen spectacle with blues music, vampires and Southern lore — he’s playing identical twins. The director and star, joined by co-star Hailee Steinfeld, spoke with AP film writer Lindsey Bahr about creating a unique theatrical experience, Jordan’s “mood swings” playing Smoke and Stack, shooting on film, and how the project brought Steinfeld closer to her family’s history.

Katy Perry says her new sci-fi-inspired world tour is “Disneyland on wheels.” The pop star kicks off her tour Wednesday in Mexico City after a whirlwind few months including releasing an album, campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris and making a brief trip to space. She sat down with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria at her Southern California rehearsal space to talk about the importance of live music, what fans can expect in the show’s sets and costumes — and her personal growth through the practice of transcendental meditation.

Filmmaker Alex Garland teamed up with former Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza to make a new kind of war film. “Warfare” is based on a real incident in Iraq in 2006 in which a surveillance mission went wrong. Garland and Mendoza reconstructed the day from the memories of those who were there, including Mendoza himself. The two filmmakers and the film’s stars — including Charles Melton, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter and Joseph Quinn — spoke with AP’s Krysta Fauria about taking on such a polarizing topic in film and bonding in the process of making it.

Before she kicks off her upcoming world tour, Katy Perry is reaching for the stars. The pop icon will join Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King and three other women on an all-female spaceflight Monday. Perry sat down with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria to talk about yearning to fly, studying Carl Sagan and string theory and inspiring young women with the crew’s 10-minute spaceflight from West Texas.

“The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal found his personal circumstances scarily similar to that of his character Joel Miller as he filmed the second season: “I was injured and exhausted and kind of in a low place,” the 50-year-old star says. He sat down alongside co-star Bella Ramsey to talk with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz about the hit video game-inspired post-apocalyptic series, Ramsey’s delight at being “battered and bruised” from action scenes, the surprising difficulty of taking breaks — and protecting co-stars from online hate.

Will Smith channeled post-Oscars-slap introspection into his first album in two decades, “Based on a True Story,” out Friday. The 56-year-old Hollywood star sat down with AP entertainment journalist Jonathan Landrum Jr. in Los Angeles to talk about the 14-track album and his upcoming tour. He addresses learning from Denzel Washington and Doechii, spirituality, his unique approach to fatherhood, overcoming “brute-iful” life experiences, that 10-year ban from the Academy Awards — and why he’s embarking on “the greatest creative run of my entire career.”

Theo James has wanted to work with writer and director Osgood Perkins — and to make a horror movie — for a long time. With “The Monkey,” he’s killing two birds with one stone. The pair spoke with AP entertainment reporter Krysta Fauria about finally working together, wanting people to see their movies and initially trying to make “The Monkey” with a studio.

“Nosferatu” writer-director Robert Eggers and stars Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe sat down with Associated Press entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria to talk about what makes their adaptation of the classic vampire film unique — and how Eggers builds sprawling cinematic worlds.

Adria Arjona’s big year included roles in Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” opposite Glen Powell, “The Absence of Eden” alongside Zoe Saldaña — and Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut “Blink Twice.” She’s now celebrating the release of “Los Frikis,” which she also executive produced, and returns next year to the acclaimed Star Wars series “Andor.” After being named one of AP’s Breakthrough Entertainers of 2024, the 32-year-old star sat down with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz to talk about her journey into film and TV, her mother’s on-set support, and boosting Latin American stories in Hollywood.

How many roads must a man walk down to play Bob Dylan? Quite a few, at least, if you’re Timothée Chalamet. Off and on for some six years, the 28-year-old star has been obsessively working toward his performance in “A Complete Unknown.” Chalamet spoke with AP film writer Jake Coyle about his favorite Dylan songs, traveling to Hibbing, Minn. as part of his research, and what artists like Frank Ocean share in common with the iconic folk rocker.

Aaron Pierre is closing out his big year on a literal high note. After playing Malcolm X in the “Genius: MLK/X” series and starring in the Netflix action hit “Rebel Ridge,” he showcases his vocal talents in “Mufasa: The Lion King.” The the 30-year-old English actor, named an AP Breakthrough Entertainer of 2024, sat down with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to talk about his upbringing in South London, FaceTiming with his mom and “throwing the baseball” with Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“Queer” star Daniel Craig says the secret to filming intimate scenes with co-star Drew Starkey was to keep things light. In an interview with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria, the pair discussed working with an intimacy coordinator, Luca Guadagnino’s directing style — and the legacy of Beat Generation writer and “Queer” author William S. Burroughs.

Country music comes naturally to Ringo Starr. The former Beatle has dabbled in the music ever since singing the country hit “Act Naturally” with the Beatles in 1965, and he’s now about to release a whole country album. Starr says in an interview with The Associated Press’ Andrew Dalton that he’s put a bit of country in most everything he’s done, so the album wasn’t too big a stretch. Starr says the project began when he bumped into his friend, classic country aficionado T-Bone Burnett, and asked him to write a song. Burnett came back with nine. The resulting album, “Look Up,” comes out in January.

Erykah Badu has been a music disruptor, culture shifter and style maven ever since she stepping into the limelight with her 1997 debut album, “Baduizm.” The four-time Grammy winner, who was recently honored with the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Icon award, sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about her fashion influence, working on new music, her appearance in “The Piano Lesson” —and finally learning to stop and smell the flowers.

Paul Mescal plays the titular gladiator Lucius and Denzel Washington is aspiring emperor Macrinus in Ridley Scott’s Roman epic “Gladiator II.” The two stars sat down with AP entertainment journalist Sian Watson in London to talk about robes, bulking up, their 86-year-old director — and working with friends and family.

Thirty years after the Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump,” Tom Hanks and Robin Wright have joined once again with director Robert Zemeckis for the family drama “Here.” It’s Hanks’ fifth film with Zemeckis and Wright’s fourth. They sat down with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to discuss their previous collaborations: “Gump” (both, 1994), “Cast Away” (Hanks, 2000), “The Polar Express” (Hanks, 2004), “Beowulf” (Wright, 2007), “A Christmas Carol” (Wright, 2009) and “Pinocchio” (Hanks, 2022).