The daily gossip: Melanie Lynskey compares losing touch with Kate Winslet to a breakup, Beef creator and stars address David Choe's 'disturbing' rape comments, and more

1. Melanie Lynskey compares losing touch with Kate Winslet to a breakup

So much for "I'll never let go." On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Melanie Lynskey opened up about the pain of losing touch with co-stars after bonding with them during filming, particularly Kate Winslet, whom she worked with on 1994's Heavenly Creatures. "When I lost touch with Kate, it was more heartbreaking than some breakups that I've had," she said. "It was so painful." According to Lynskey, there was no Banshees of Inisherin-style falling out between them, though. It's just that Winslet "became a gigantic, international movie star and she didn't have a lot of time." So they drifted apart, so much so that Lynskey said she hasn't so much as seen Winslet since a movie premiere nearly 15 years ago. Perhaps a phone call from Winslet may be in order, but if not, Lynskey could always look into whether that memory erasing procedure from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is real yet.

Happy Sad Confused

2. 'Beef' creator and stars address David Choe’s 'disturbing' rape comments

One of the stars of Beef has been getting grilled for some disturbing comments, and the show's producers just broke their silence on the controversy. After David Choe had a role in the recent Netflix series, a 2014 podcast clip resurfaced where he calls himself a "successful rapist" and describes sexually assaulting a massage therapist. He apologized in 2017, saying he made the story up for "shock value" but actually "did not commit those actions" and has "ZERO history of sexual assault." In a statement to Vanity Fair and Variety, Beef creator Lee Sung Jin and producers and stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong said the "horrific" story Choe "fabricated nine years ago is undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing," adding they don't "condone" it and "understand why this has been so upsetting and triggering." They argued, though, that he has "put in the work to get the mental health support he needed over the last decade to better himself and learn from his mistakes."

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Vanity Fair Variety

3. Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow deny feuding on 'Iron Man 2'

The only Iron Man 2 drama was on the screen, according to its stars. On The Goop Podcast, Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow denied an old rumor that they didn't get along during production of Iron Man 2. In 2010, for instance, the Daily Mail claimed the actors "clashed on the set" of the Marvel film. "Is that a rumor?" a baffled Johansson asked, telling Paltrow, "You were so nice to me! You could have been awful." Paltrow, meanwhile, recalled just being "so happy to have another woman around." Speaking of Marvel, Johansson confirmed on the podcast she's completely done playing Black Widow, though she was convinced that Paltrow will be brought back as Pepper Potts at some point. But in signature Paltrow fashion, the actress appeared slightly unsure of which Marvel films she has already appeared in, at one point saying, "I think I'm in The Avengers?" Never change, or look at your own IMDb profile, Gwyneth.

Goop

4. Taylor Swift has a girls' night out after Joe Alwyn split

By the way, she's going out tonight. Taylor Swift had a girls' night in New York City on Thursday, as she was spotted walking with her good friends Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively, and the Haim sisters, Alana, Danielle and Este, according to People. This comes less than two weeks after the news that Swift and Joe Alwyn broke up after six years together. Since then, the singer has been out and about quite a bit and has seemingly been spotted by the paparazzi more often than when she was with Alwyn. She previously got dinner with Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Wednesday, and before that, she was seen in New York City with Jack Antonoff. This has sparked speculation that she's intentionally putting herself out there more to assure fans she's doing okay, and the outfit she wore Thursday, a black minidress with sunglasses, even had some Swifties thinking she's teasing 1989 (Taylor's Version). They don't call her a mastermind for nothing.

People

5. Bella Ramsey, Jason Alexander quit Twitter after losing verified status

You've seen the last of Bella Ramsey, at least on Twitter. The Last of Us star quit Twitter on Friday after CEO Elon Musk removed blue checks from all legacy verified accounts, requiring stars to pay $8 a month to keep them. "My account will still be active for now but I will not be on here!" Ramsey tweeted without specifying why she's leaving. "Thank you my gay army and all the rest." Seinfeld star Jason Alexander also left, telling followers that because "Twitter has removed my verification," he "will no longer be posting on this app." Meanwhile, Stephen King assured fans he isn't subscribed to Twitter Blue even though he still has his blue check, and if you click it, it says he's "subscribed to Twitter Blue." This is because Musk personally purchased a subscription for King, as well as LeBron James and William Shatner. You know a product launch is going well when celebrities are rushing to clarify they didn't buy it.

Twitter