‘Johnny Depp is like a big brother to me': Co Armagh actor struck up friendship with star before making Al Pacino cry
Ryan McParland has told of the 'surreal but incredible' experience of working with Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.
The Co Armagh actor, who won rave reviews for his recent turn in the Channel 4 sitcom Pushers, stars in the Depp-directed movie Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness, showing in cinemas now.
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Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Rebecca Loos faces brutal Beckham grilling on Celebrity SAS as she faces 'mistakes'
Rebecca Loos, one of the famous faces braving this year's Celebrity SAS opens up about 'that' David Beckham scandal and how being branded a 'liar' has forced her to develop a thick skin Rebecca Loos faces a grilling on Celebrity SAS about her affair with David Beckham - and she dubbed him a 'coward' for the way he brushed what happened under the carpet on his Netflix documentary. Loos was Beckham's personal assistant in 2003 and claims broke the following year about them having a four month fling. Beckham said reports of the affair were 'ludicrous' at the time but never mounted a legal challenge to the story or any subsequent interviews. Loos went on to appear on reality shows like The Farm and Celebrity Love Island before stepping out of the limelight and is now a yoga teacher in Norway. On her TV comeback on Channel 4 this week, Rebecca said: 'I just wanted to show people who I am and just be myself, which has always been my thing. And I just went in it with a very open mind and take it as it comes. 'I was quite nervous as to how the others would perceive me. I was nervous and apprehensive as to how the show would be edited, because that's always something you have no control of. However, I must say the production team on this show have been absolutely amazing from day one, they have been truthful, they have stuck to their word. 'It felt unjust that my life was pretty hell and his(Becks) life kept going and kept blossoming. I've been accused of being a liar. I've had a lifetime of opinions around me, I've definitely developed thick skin. I think the public opinion now has softened, at least from what I'm gathering since the documentary came out with the Beckhams a couple of years ago. I think it is now because thanks to social media, there is a whole different following out there, which it's a double-edged sword. "You've got the online trolls but I don't think that many people, at least the younger generation, know me that well. I've never really been very interested in what people think of me to be honest. It doesn't bother me. I don't think about it. I don't know what the perception is of me. I don't really care. I'm just myself, and some like it and some don't. And that's just how life is.' Like all the recruits, Rebecca faced a grilling in the show's Mirror Room. Jason Fox and Chris Oliver questioned her motives for being on the show before asking how she felt about her affair with Beckham now she's had the time to reflect on it. On his Netflix 2023 doc Beckham didn't name Rebecca and failed to take any accountability. He just said: 'I don't know how we got through it in all honesty,' on a tricky time when he lived in Madrid. On being asked about Beckham on the Channel 4 show and what she feels about how things have played out, she added: 'I was quite guarded at the beginning. I was trying to be guarded because it's not something I want to talk about the whole time. But at the same time I also wanted to be honest with them, so they were really good at getting through to me. "They're obviously professionals at this. I don't shy away from what I've been through, and I don't shy away from the decisions that I've made. They have shaped me into who I am, and I've really learnt a lot from the mistakes that I've made in my life and the things that I've done. And I really do think that being truthful is the only way to go in life. I'll stand by that forever. "It takes a lot of courage to tell the truth and to own up to mistakes that you have made, mistakes and times in your life you're not proud of. And it's very easy to just brush them under the carpet and move on. That's like the coward's way, I think, of living.' Asked if the SAS experience changes her, she said: "I very much like how they instil in you that even though you want to give up, you don't. And it's easier to take the easy way out, but you've got to fight and push through, and push hard. They gave me a bit of SAS grit. They really inspired me. When I came out of the show, I had made some changes in my life, which I think is definitely thanks to SAS. 'I quit alcohol. That was the first thing I did. I wasn't a big drinker, but I was a social drinker and I noticed that it wasn't good for me and my hormones and what I was going through, and it was having quite a negative effect on me, mentally. So I just decided to cut that out and I started lifting heavy weights. I wanted to get strong. I know it's really good for my bones, it's very good for women. "I was in perimenopause last year. And I've also started taking HRT. I've just started doing things to make sure that I live a healthy and strong life, that I age feeling strong, that I'm able to put a weight on my back and run up a mountain if I have to. So yeah, it was a bit of a kick in the arse to test myself a little bit again. I think in the years prior to SAS, I went through a lot as a mother as well because I had a youngest son who was struggling a lot.' Surviving on the SAS course has made Rebecca come to terms with aging and accepting that now she's a mother she's more risk averse: 'I used to be a risk-taker when I was younger, an absolute risk-taker. I used to love it. I used to thrive on it. Whereas now, no way. Motherhood has softened me. Aging, growing, maturing, we change. I won't speak for all the women, but at least I have become slightly softer, more careful. "And that's probably due to the fact that I hardly have any hormones left in my body. I'm in a different phase. It was a bit of a wake-up call to that. But realising and accepting that is very empowering and it's very positive and it's not a negative thing at all. I like being very aware of what I'm going through and who I am.' Rebecca's life today is a far cry from the media frenzy that exploded around her during the Beckham scandal in 2004. Now living a quiet, picture-perfect life for the last 14 years in Norway with her husband of 13 years, Norwegian doctor Sven Christjar Skaiaa, who she met whilst filming the reality programme, 71 Graden Noord, she is also mother to two sons, Magnus, 16, and Liam,13. The family is based in the remote area of Buskerud county, which is a three-hour trip to the nearest airport. Working as a yoga teacher and massage therapist, she revealed previously that she quit the UK for a "very different" life, to raise her "little Vikings", She has said of her life in Norway. 'It's not like England here, it's much less judgmental. I used to get people coming up to me in Waitrose, right in my face, taking pictures of me with their mobiles' Rebecca has also revealed how open she is with her sons about her past, including the attention thrust upon her over her alleged affair with Beckham, something he has always denied. She said in 2023: 'They know. And so I said - and I feel that it's very unfair because of the way I'm being treated now and the bullying I'm getting and the trolling. And I want to say something. And I'm going to do an interview, so there might be some media and how do you feel about that. 'And so my youngest son said, oh, good. He's a bit like me. He's like, good for you, Mummy. Yes, I would say something to him. And my eldest son, he said, well, I don't really know anything about Beckham. It's not like it's Messi, Mummy. I mean, had it been Messi…'
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Sunday Brunch's Tim Lovejoy says 'stop the show' as he calls out co-star
Sunday Brunch presenter Tim Lovejoy quickly scolded his co-host Simon Rimmer after a comment he made on the show. Sunday Brunch presenter Simon Rimmer found himself embarrassed during the latest episode of the Channel 4 programme. Throughout the show, Tim Lovejoy paused the broadcast to tackle an incident from the previous week's edition. He remarked: "There's something we need to address. Last week, Milton Keynes' very own Nectar Woode was with us in the studio. Let's remind ourselves of what happened." Channel 4 audiences were subsequently presented with footage of the performer chatting to Tim and Simon regarding her hometown. As Tim enquired where visitors seeking a holiday destination in Milton Keynes ought to venture, Simon was spotted giggling, though he refuted laughing and claimed he was coughing, reports the Express. Once the programme returned to the current day, Tim reprimanded his co-presenter for mocking the concept of vacationing in Milton Keynes. He stated: "Since then, destination Milton Keynes has reached out and offered an olive branch to Mr Rimmer. "I think we owe it to the people of Milton Keynes to share the wonders that the great city- is it a city?" Simon responded: "No, I don't think it is. It doesn't have a cathedral; it's a town." Tim subsequently aired a compilation of footage captured from Milton Keynes, highlighting its cafés, children's attractions, retail centres, and accommodation. Once the video concluded, Simon declared: "If that hotel can send me details, then I'll be there. I'll book a week, I've not booked my summer holidays yet!" Following the segment, Simon began preparing his dish of the day, though Tim was swift to stop him. He joked: "Can I just stop the show here, because Milton Keynes has been in touch! Milton Keynes is a city, Simon! They hate you, they contacted saying,' We hate Simon'. They're a city!". Surprised, Simon responded: "Where is Milton Keynes' Cathedral then? Well, I'm shocked, I'm shocked. I'm absolutely shocked." Tim added:"You got told."
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Johnny Depp's secret new life in rural Sussex with sprawling mansion
Johnny Depp has reportedly ditched Hollywood for a sprawling Sussex mansion - hidden behind Gothic gates, and locals say he's been spotted "shopping quietly" and "enjoying country walks" Johnny Depp has traded the chaos of Hollywood for the quiet life of a secluded country mansion in East Sussex. The Caribbean actor appears determined to find peace in the rolling hills of rural England. Locals have spotted the 62-year-old Hollywood star strolling the high street in nearby Wadhurst and have also been seen wandering the grounds of his impressive and historic home. The ten-bedroom manor dates back to the 1850s and is hidden behind towering trees, ornate gates, and Gothic statues. The estate includes sunken gardens, water features, orchards, an open-air amphitheatre, and two staff cottages. According to a report, the star has often been spotted enjoying breakfast on a terrace overlooking the Sussex countryside. 'Mr Depp knows this area well and he loves it here,' a local source said. "It's a beautiful home and very peaceful.' His connection to the area reportedly began with visits to his late friend, guitarist Jeff Beck, who offered support during Depp's darkest days, even inviting him on stage when others turned their backs. Depp stayed at Beck's 16th-century farmhouse during the pandemic and remains close to Beck's widow, Sandra. Unlike the Cotswolds - favoured by stars like Hugh Grant, Stella McCartney, and Ellen DeGeneres - East Sussex offers anonymity. 'Johnny's choice of a very quiet corner of Sussex rather than the goldfish bowl that the Cotswolds has become for big stars tells you all you need to know about his mindset: he wants peace and quiet,' one showbiz insider told The Daily Mail. 'And he has no interest in being judged by the kind of people who walked away from him.' Depp's career was nearly destroyed after losing a UK libel case in 2020, being labeled a "wife beater," and then dropped from major roles, including Fantastic Beasts and Pirates of the Caribbean. Although he won a U.S. defamation case against Heard in 2022, the damage to his reputation was severe. 'I was shunned, dumped, booted, deep-sixed, cancelled, however you want to define it,' Depp said in a recent interview. 'Would I rather have not gone through that? Of course. But I learned more than I ever dreamed I could.' Now he's making a slow return as he was recently chauffeured from Sussex to the London premiere of Modigliani: Three Days On The Wing Of Madness—his first time directing since 1997. The film, set in WWI-era Paris, stars Riccardo Scamarcio and Al Pacino. His current residence is owned by multimillionaire Prudence Watts, 74, known locally for her garden centre and quiet philanthropy. The home, regarded as one of the finest in the area, reportedly rents for between £30,000 and £40,000 a month. It is owned by Prudence Watts, whose late husband, Kevan Watts, was a banker known for helping turn Merrill Lynch into a major global financial firm. Despite the tight security around the property, Depp's presence has caused little disruption in the area. 'He seems like a really nice, down-to-earth bloke,' said one local 'Being in East Sussex will do him some good.' Another person added: 'None of us are perfect—not even Johnny Depp. If I see him again, I'm going to ask for a selfie. I'm sure he won't mind.'
