Flore Boitel

Jacques Demy's 1970 musical Donkey Skin reimagines Charles Perrault's fairy tale through the story of a princess played by Catherine Deneuve who disguises herself in a donkey skin to escape her father's unwanted advances. The analysis focuses on the scene in which she bakes a cake for a lovesick prince and secretly places her ring inside it. The sequence turns an ordinary domestic task into a musical expression of the princess's divided identity and growing agency, allowing her to shape her own path toward recognition and reunion with the prince.

Carey Mulligan has said that her role as Winnie Gekko in 2010’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps did not provide the character depth she wanted, despite the film’s prominent director, cast and studio backing. The experience taught her to pursue roles she feels an urgent personal connection to, a principle reflected in her determination to win the part of Sissy Sullivan in Steve McQueen’s Shame. Rather than wanting to erase Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps from her career, Mulligan views it as an important lesson about the limits of prestige when a role fails to engage her creatively.

Danny Glover spent decades trying to make a major film about Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, which he regarded as one of cinema’s great untold stories. After reading C. L. R. James’s The Black Jacobins in the 1970s, Glover developed the project with Joslyn Barnes, assembled a proposed cast and secured nearly $18 million in Venezuelan support under Hugo Chávez. Financial and political obstacles nevertheless prevented the film from entering full production. Glover’s commitment led him to co-found Louverture Films, and although he has never formally declared the project dead, the unrealized biopic remains the defining filmmaking “what if” of his career.

At age 22, Philip Seymour Hoffman played Edgar in Austin Pendleton’s production of King Lear at New Jersey’s Whole Theatre. During a fight scene, his trousers tore from his waist to his buttocks, exposing him to the audience, who began laughing. Hoffman later recalled the incident fondly, saying his earnestness and youth made it funny in retrospect and demonstrating his ability to turn an embarrassing career moment into a memorable story.

Kristen Stewart recalled becoming starstruck after unexpectedly seeing Neve Campbell, the star of the original Scream films, in a restaurant. Although Stewart initially hesitated because she understood how uncomfortable celebrity approaches can feel, a friend encouraged her to introduce herself, and Campbell invited them to chat. The encounter illustrated Stewart’s view that genuine admiration can produce an unexpectedly physical reaction, even for actors who have spent years in the spotlight.

Yard Act discuss their forthcoming album, You're Gonna Need A Little Music, which was recorded between Leeds and Los Angeles. Frontman James Smith and bassist Ryan Needham say the record combines LA’s optimism with the groundedness of Leeds, while the band remains committed to its northern base rather than relocating to London or the United States. They criticize the London-centric music industry, increasing dependence on virality and the erosion of grassroots music communities, while defending regional voices and independent infrastructure. Smith also explains that the new album prioritizes mood and emotional impact over direct social or personal commentary, despite the mixed reactions their stylistic experimentation has received.