The daily gossip: Kate Moss denies Johnny Depp pushed her down the stairs, Austin Butler was rushed to the hospital after filming Elvis, and more

1. Kate Moss denies Johnny Depp pushed her down the stairs

Kate Moss was brought into the seemingly never-ending Johnny Depp defamation trial to deny some rumors about their relationship. Depp's legal team called Moss, who dated the Pirates of the Caribbean star in the '90s, for brief testimony, during which she disputed claims that he once pushed her down the stairs. Instead, she testified that while they were in Jamaica, she slipped and fell down the stairs, and Depp "came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention." During testimony in a previous U.K. trial, Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard said she heard a rumor that he "pushed a former girlfriend — I believe it was Kate Moss — down the stairs," and while testifying in the U.S. trial, she again referenced this. "I just instantly think of Kate Moss and the stairs," Heard recounted — and when Moss was mentioned, Depp's lawyer was seen literally fist-pumping in the courtroom.

The Week

2. Austin Butler was rushed to the hospital after filming 'Elvis'

Elvis has left the set and entered the hospital. Austin Butler, who plays Elvis Presley in the upcoming movie Elvis, revealed to GQ he was "rushed to hospital" in March 2021 immediately after filming on the musical biopic wrapped. "The next day I woke up at four in the morning with excruciating pain," he said, adding, "My body just started shutting down the day after I finished." He was apparently diagnosed with "a virus that simulates appendicitis," leading him to spend a week in bed — though, in slightly more obnoxious terms, GQ writes that Butler "had given himself over to the role so much that his body revolted." So, we know who the Lady Gaga of the 2023 awards season is going to be, then.

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GQ

3. Florence Pugh slams rumors she's dating Will Poulter

The death of Florence Pugh and Zach Braff's relationship has been greatly exaggerated. Pugh has shut down rumors she's dating Will Poulter, her co-star in Midsommar, after fans raised eyebrows over photos of them at the beach. The 26-year-old Little Women star said she and Poulter were there with their friends, who "are always about a half a metre away from us in every picture" but were "cleverly cut out" of the ones that went viral to make it seem like there's something romantic going on. "I understand that the nature of this job is that you sometimes get your privacy completely bulldozed by paparazzi," she wrote, "but to fabricate this stuff actually does more damage than good." Pugh, who's been dating Braff for a few years, thanked everyone for "saying we look sexy" but stressed that this "doesn't mean we're doing the sexy." Sometimes celebrity gossip can be a beach.

Page Six

4. Laverne Cox gets her own Barbie

Welcome to the Barbie world, Laverne. Mattel has announced a new Barbie modeled after Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox. The actress, who became the first transgender woman of color with a leading role on a scripted show, told People she "can't believe it" and is especially excited about the fact that "trans young people can see her and maybe get to purchase her and play with her, and know that there's a Barbie made by Mattel, for the first time, in the likeness of a trans person." The actress also noted she was "very involved" in designing the doll, giving Mattel feedback including, "Can we make her look more like me? And more African American?" The announcement comes just a few days before Cox celebrates her 50th birthday, so it's safe to say her friends really have to step up their gift game now.

People

5. J.J. Abrams is making a live-action 'Speed Racer' show

Somehow, Speed Racer returned. J.J. Abrams is working on a live-action TV series based on Speed Racer, which is headed to Apple, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Abrams' company Bad Robot will executive produce, with Hiram Martinez serving as showrunner. Martinez, according to the report, is said to have an "exciting take" on the material, which originated as a manga and animated series. Lana and Lilly Wachowski, directors of The Matrix, previously brought Speed Racer to live-action in a 2008 film that was a box office bomb but has since gained cult status. News of the Speed Racer show just happened to be announced immediately after The Hollywood Reporter said Warner Bros. Discovery is "frustrated by the lack of output" from Abrams' $250 million production deal — perhaps leading him to exclaim, "Go, Speed Racer press release, go!"

The Hollywood Reporter