Thandie Newton recently did a very wide-ranging interview for "Vulture" where she discusses a variety of topics about her impressive career which has seen its share of challenges. I had no clue that she was attached to 2000's CHARLIE'S ANGELS film which went on to star Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu but during the interview, she reveals the reason she dropped out of the project and unfortunately it's the classic example of Hollywood wanting performers of color to play to racial stereotypes and wanting to use beautiful women to objectify them.
In the interview, Newton details when Amy Pascal, the co-chairman of the film's producer Sony Pictures, used black stereotypes when discussing how to make her character more "believable":
"She [Pascal] was like, 'Maybe there could be a scene where you're in a bar and she gets up on a table and starts shaking her booty.' She's basically reeling off these stereotypes of how to be more convincing as a black character."
Amy Pascal commented on Newton's story and she said she was "horrified to hear" Newton's comments and went on to say "While I take her words seriously, I have no recollection of the events she describes, nor do any of her representatives who were present at that casting session." So Pascal didn't outright deny it but pulled the I don't recall excuse which has become the new way to give the non-apology type of apology.
The CHARLIE'S ANGELS madness doesn't end there. She says that CHARLIE'S ANGELS director Joseph McGinty Nichol, known as McG, described the opening shot of the movie to her by saying: "I can't wait for this. The first shot is going to be… You're going to think it's like yellow lines down a road, and you pull back and you realize it's the stitching because the denim is so tight on your ass it's going to look like tarmac." Newton revealed she knew after these two encounters this was not a road she wanted to go down on and she dropped out of the project. She was ultimately replaced by Lucy Liu. As for McG, he has yet to comment on Newton's claims
The Westworld star was then asked about screenwriter and director Paul Haggis, who directed the actress in CRASH and has since been embroiled in a sexual assault case. Newton expressed her surprise that "smart" people end up being associated with Scientology, a movement that Haggis was once a part of, and this is how the discussion shifted to Tom Cruise, who is arguably the most recognizable presence in Scientology. Newton worked with Cruise in 2000's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 and the actress reveals that film presented its own share of challenges.
In the interview, Newton was asked why she never did another MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie and Newton revealed that she was never asked to return and then she went into a pretty lengthy response about her experience working on the first sequel of this very long-lasting franchise:
Oh, I was never asked. I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual. He tries super hard to be a nice person. But the pressure. He takes on a lot. And I think he has a sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done. There was one time, we were doing this night scene, there were so many extras and pyrotechnics and you name it, and it was a scene with him and me on a balcony. And I don't think it was a very well-written scene. I get angry with him. We're frustrated with each other. And we're looking out over Spain. It wasn't going well. And John Woo, bless him, wasn't there. He was downstairs looking at everything on a monitor. And John had made a decision at the beginning of the movie, unbeknownst certainly to me, that he didn't speak English. Which I think was very helpful to him, but was extremely unhelpful to the rest of us."
Cruise is well-known for his intense dedication to his projects and he might as well be getting stunt pay since he insists on performing pretty death-defying stunts in his latest action efforts. While speaking on her experience on the MISSION sequel further, Newton talked about the unflattering side of that dedication and intensity. She was clear that, while filming a scene, Cruse was trying to be helpful but his intense reaction made her feel insecure:
"So this scene was happening, and Tom was not happy with what I was doing because I had the shittiest lines. and he gets so frustrated with having to try and explain that he goes, 'Let me just, let's just go do it. Let's just rehearse on-camera.' So we rehearsed and they recorded it, and then he goes, 'I'll be you. You be me' So we filmed the entire scene with me being him, because, believe me, I knew the lines by then, and him playing me. And it was the most unhelpful…I can't think of anything less revealing. It just pushed me further into a place of terror and insecurity. It was a real shame. And bless him. And I really do mean him, because he was trying his damnedest."
Despite how the experience made her feel, it seemed to be something she took in stride and it ultimately pushed her to get it right when Cruise wanted Newton to come back and reshoot the scene again. She also revealed that Cruise's then-wife, Nicole Kidman, helped her get the role in the film:
"Tom called and I thought, Oh, this is it. The apology. No, he was just like, 'We're going to reshoot this next week.' I'm like, 'Way brilliant.' And the next time we shot it, I went in there and I just basically manifested all the, because I realized what he wanted. He just wanted this alpha bitch. And I did as best I could. It's not the best way to get the best work out of someone. He wasn't horrible. It was just, he was really stressed. I had the most extraordinary time, and you know who got me that role? Nicole Kidman. I've never actually outright asked her, but when your husband is like, 'Who would you mind me pretending to shag for the next six months?' You know what I mean? It's kind of nice if you can pick together. Nicole was a huge advocate of me."
Thandie Newton has certainly had some interesting experiences in the industry but I'm sure they have only made her stronger as a person and actress. In the year since all of this, Newton has gone on to win a Primetime Emmy Award for her role on Westworld as well as two Critics Choice Awards to go along with Golden Globe Award, Saturn Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.