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News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
This film star ruled the 80s, but you won't recognise him now
He was one of cinema's most iconic bullies – relentlessly terrorising Marty McFly – but these days the Back to the Future star looks more like your cool uncle than an 80s villain. The now 66-year-old actor Thomas F Wilson, who famously played the unforgettable Biff Tannen, was recently spotted out and about grabbing lunch with a friend. Thomas was seen wearing a dark navy blue T-shirt, dark grey cargo shorts, some blue sneakers and a black crossbody bag. But fans could be forgiven for walking right past him, because the clean-cut brunette Hollywood once knew has been replaced with a long white haired, laid-back family man. Talk about time travel, huh? Wilson was in his mid-20s when Back to the Future hit cinemas in 1985, launching him to instant global fame. His role as Biff, the growling schoolyard menace, quickly became one of the most memorable bullies in movie history, thanks to his snarling delivery of lines like, 'I'm gonna kick your ass!' It's a line Wilson revealed he actually hated at a Back to the Future reunion in Dallas, Texas earlier this year. 'I don't even like to say ass. I say A double scribble,' Wilson said. 'I never played a bully before. I didn't wanna play a bully. 'I've been pushed around by bullies my whole life … I was pushed around by everyone everywhere.' While Back to the Future remains Wilson's most iconic role, his career didn't stall after the DeLorean drove off. He also appeared in cult films like April Fool's Day, Action Jackson, High Strung and Camp Nowhere. And chances are you've heard him without even realising – he's voiced several characters in SpongeBob SquarePants, including the Tattletale Strangler, Flats the Flounder and Reg the Bouncer. In recent years, Wilson has quietly stepped away from the showbiz hustle. These days, he's more focused on stand-up comedy, painting (he's even done work for Disney theme parks), and dropping surprisingly wholesome YouTube videos. 'I make films when I can. I also make paintings, songs and stories. I went pro at arts and crafts,' his YouTube channel bio reads. Wilson, who has been married to his wife Caroline since 1985 – the same year Back to the Future premiered – has four children, who have largely been kept out of the limelight. The original film recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and Wilson reunited with the cast to reflect on the wild ride. 'They played the movie and the place went crazy,' he said of the original screening. 'Since that night, I have never seen a Hollywood screening go like this. The ovation lasted like five minutes.'
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Aubrey Plaza breaks silence on ‘awfulness' of husband Jeff Baena's death
Aubrey Plaza has opened up about her grief following her husband Jeff Baena's death on a new podcast episode. The actor broke down the 'daily struggle' to Amy Poehler's Good Hang listeners on Tuesday, reported Page Six. 'Right in this very present moment, I feel happy to be with you,' the 41-year-old, whose partner died by suicide in January at age 47, explained to her former Parks and Recreation co-star. 'Overall, I'm here and I'm functioning.' Plaza noted that she was 'very grateful to be moving through the world' and felt 'OK'. She went on to compare her mourning experience to the Gorge movie, which features two snipers guarding a gorge without knowing what's inside. 'That's what my grief feels like or what grief could be like,' the White Lotus star said. 'At all times, there's, like, a giant ocean of just awfulness that's just right there and I can see it.' She continued, 'Sometimes I just want to dive into it and be in it. And sometimes I look at it and sometimes I just try to get away from it, but it's always there'. Later in the episode, Poehler asked how Plaza 'deeply laugh[s]' and 'stay[s] on the cliff and not in the gorge'. The comedian replied, 'A group of my women friends … we have, like, a text chain and we do Zooms and trips and those girls make me laugh really, really hard'. 'We've all known each other for so long. That's the best thing that makes me laugh. My funny friends.' The Emmy nominee and Baena began dating in 2011 and got married while quarantining amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The duo spontaneously tied the knot in tie-dye pyjamas to celebrate their 10th anniversary. The Golden Globe nominee and Baena separated in 'September 2024 when [Plaza] moved to New York,' according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner's March report. Plaza, along with the screenwriter's family members, issued a joint statement following Baena's tragic passing. 'This is an unimaginable tragedy,' they wrote. 'We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.' Plaza made her first public appearance at the 'SNL 50' anniversary special the following month, paying tribute to her late partner with a tie-dye shirt.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Will Trump's 'security guarantees' end Putin's war?
News report: It's been an absolutely dramatic day here at the White House in Washington to see that many world leaders, probably unprecedented for a long time anyway. News report: Mr Zelenskyy was joined by the European Commission president, the head of NATO, along with the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Finland. Donald Trump, US President: We're going to work with Ukraine. We're going to work with everybody and we're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay long term. This is very long term. We're not talking about a two year peace and then we end up in this mess again. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President: We need to stop this war to stop Russia. And we need support American and European partners. That we are strong people and we supported President Trump. To stop this war, to make a diplomatic way of finishing this war. Sam Hawley: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been to the White House before in what became an infamous encounter with Donald Trump. This time, he took an entourage of European leaders as backup as the US president pushes for a quick end to the war in Ukraine. At the heart of the talks, security guarantees from the US and a possible meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. Today, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, John Herbst, on why it could actually be a step forward towards peace. I'm Sam Hawley on Gadigal land in Sydney. This is ABC News Daily. Sam Hawley: John, the last time Zelenskyy sat down with Donald Trump, of course, at the White House, it didn't go so well. This time, he went with a whole heap of European leaders and it was safe to say a smoother affair, wasn't it? John Herbst: Oh, without a doubt, because circumstances are completely different. And you know what? Late February, I think that was the last day of February, President Trump was pursuing a policy which, at least for several weeks, was not based upon the realistic recognition of what Putin was trying to do. And he kind of assumed that the glad words he was hearing from Putin over the phone reflected a desire to make peace as opposed to a desire to keep Trump on the sidelines as Putin tried to take over Ukraine. And if you go back and look, starting in the middle of March, so two and a half weeks after that unfortunate meeting, the Russians began their first refusals to various Trump ceasefire proposals, which Ukraine accepted. And we began to see Trump express frustration with the Russians, starting in May, and that frustration grew since May. Sam Hawley: Well, during this meeting, just to note that Zelenskyy had abandoned his military outfit, of course, which he's worn in solidarity with the soldiers in Ukraine. Reporter: You look fabulous in that suit. Donald Trump, US President: I said the same thing. Reporter: Yeah, you look good. Donald Trump, US President: I said the same thing. Reporter: Yeah, it's good on you. John Herbst: If you look at his outfit, it is a suit, but it looks very similar to the attire before. Sam Hawley: It's still black. John Herbst: So I'd consider that to be an interesting compromise. Sam Hawley: Yeah, but Trump would have liked that, wouldn't he? That he was wearing a suit this time. He likes the optics. John Herbst: But look, look, that was always a tertiary, if even a tertiary issue. Sam Hawley: Yeah, of course. John Herbst: It reflected Trump's desire to put pressure on Zelenskyy and nothing more. Sam Hawley: All right, well, apparently this is a really interesting part of this meeting. Trump got up and he went out and he called Vladimir Putin to discuss, in part, a meeting with Zelenskyy and Putin and then another meeting, a trilateral meeting, where Trump would also be President Zelenskyy was actually asked about this during a press conference afterwards. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President: We will see that the result of bilateral and then it can be the trilateral. So I said always so Ukraine will never stop on the way to peace. Sam Hawley: What do you think of that? Those meetings, are they actually a viable thing? Will they happen? John Herbst: Well, they are a sensible next step or next steps. But I agree with you, it's not clear that Putin will actually do this. He's been avoiding or evading Zelenskyy literally once he decided six or 12 months in Zelenskyy's term as president, that Zelenskyy was not going to submit to Putin's desires in Ukraine. Sam Hawley: So you think it's unlikely that Putin will show up? John Herbst: Well, I'm not going to say unlikely. I would say it's not certain that he will show up. That's a safe thing to say. You know, I put the odds at something less than 50 percent, but not at two percent. Sam Hawley: All right, well, a must, of course, for Zelenskyy going into this meeting and the European leaders was security guarantees that America would come to Ukraine's defence if Russia agreed to a peace deal, but later attacked Ukraine again. John Herbst: Well, point of fact, I would say that was easily the most important thing we've seen over the past 24 hours. And it was it was actually, you might say, anticipated by Trump's statement on the plane to Alaska that, you know, security guarantees may be something that's necessary. First time we've heard anything like that from President Trump. And then, you know, a more forward leaning position today. Donald Trump, US President: There'll be a lot of there'll be a lot of help when it comes to security. There's going to be a lot of help. It's going to be good. They are first line of defence because they're there, they're Europe, But we're going to help them out also. We'll be involved. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President:: It is important that the United States makes a clear signal that they will be among the countries that will help to coordinate and also will participate in security guarantees for Ukraine. I believe this is a big step forward. John Herbst: So that to me is a great positive. But of course, the Russians had regularly rejected the notion that European troops would appear in Ukraine. They rejected that again today. You know, that was a clear, important element that was and remains a clear, important element in security for Ukraine. Sam Hawley: In fact, the head of NATO, Mark Rutte, he told Fox News after the meeting that troops on the ground weren't even discussed. Reporter: Troops on the ground. Is that a possibility? Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General: We have not discussed that at all today. So that will be part of the discussions which will now start. We will try to bring them to a next stage of understanding over the coming days and weeks, of course. I'm not sure that we can solve all the details. Sam Hawley: Is that surprising? John Herbst: That is surprising. I'm not certain what to make of it, but it's conceivable they could have talked about about this without actually getting into that detail. Sam Hawley: And the so-called coalition of the willing, that includes the UK and France and others, they're suggesting that they could deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a security guarantee. That really angers Putin, doesn't it? The idea of Western foreign troops on the ground in Ukraine. John Herbst: That's correct, because Putin's aim remains to take effective political control of the country, which means either changing the government or seizing 70 percent or 80 percent of the country, including all the cities alone, the Dnipro River, including the Black Sea coast and leaving a rump Ukraine in the West. Sam Hawley: So what is the security guarantee for Ukraine if it doesn't involve troops? What would we be looking at? John Herbst: Well, that's that's hard to imagine. I mean, there are things that could be done, making sure that that the air is controlled by Western forces with Ukraine were able to shoot at Russian troops on the ground if they go beyond certain points, but that nothing can substitute ultimately for having some force on the ground. Sam Hawley: Well, of course, Putin has long been opposed to Ukraine joining NATO. I mean, they've been discussing Article five, you know, NATO's treaty, Article five. What does that all mean? Just explain that. John Herbst: Well, I mean, Article five is the portion of the NATO charter, which says if one country is attacked, all countries will play a role in its defence. So an Article five is the reason why everyone wants to join NATO. So if you provide if you truly provide Article five type guarantees to Ukraine, that is a huge deterrence to further Russian aggression. And that is the ne plus ultra of security guarantees. That's why I say this is that's clearly the most important elements that's emerged over the past day or so. Sam Hawley: Well, on the ground in Ukraine, John, it seems locals and officials are pretty sceptical about these talks. What have you been hearing? What have people been telling you, people you know in Ukraine? John Herbst: I know that many Ukrainians were deeply concerned after the summit in Anchorage. I believe that they are encouraged by what happened between Zelenskyy and Trump with all the other European leaders. But encouraged is not the same as saying confident, because we've seen before President Trump move from one direction to another and sometimes relatively quickly. So the question is, are the good things that were spoken today an indication of where the process and President Trump will be a week or two weeks from now? So that that remains a question. Sam Hawley: But what does it say that just before the meeting began, Russia was attacking major Ukrainian cities, killing at least 10 people, including a child? John Herbst: Well, it means that their effort to bomb Ukraine into submission continues. And I think that's the reason to be concerned about President Trump allowing Putin to cross his deadline without consequences. Sam Hawley: All right. What about those people, John, living in the regions that Putin wants to hold in Ukraine? What happens to them if he succeeds in this? John Herbst: There's no question that that's a disaster for them. And that's why Trump's goal, in my opinion, is to achieve a durable peace. And I think that's a good enough outcome. But it includes the tragic element that you are consigning Ukrainians to live under dreadful Russian oppression. That's why I would not call it a just peace, but a durable peace. You know, international relations can be pretty rough. Sometimes people accept a durable peace as opposed to a just peace, because that's the best that they can achieve. Sam Hawley: So do you think this peace can actually be achieved? Zelenskyy wants a ceasefire. So negotiations before a peace deal. Putin doesn't want that. He wants to skip a ceasefire and just come up with the plan where Ukraine gives up land to Russia. And Zelenskyy has always said he's not going to do that. So where's the peace deal here? John Herbst: Well, Zelenskyy has often, I won't say always, but often going back to even before Trump took office, after he won the election, he has often demonstrated a willingness to make territorial concessions on a de facto basis in exchange for security guarantees. And this has always been kind of not the specific security guarantees, but security measures plus territorial compromise has always been the Trump approach, always meaning for the last eight or nine months going back before our elections. So everything we're hearing today has actually been discussed in some fashion in the past. But the key, in my opinion, has been even Trump's goal of a durable peace is in doubt because Putin doesn't want a durable peace. Putin wants control of Ukraine. So that means we ultimately have to put serious pressure on the Kremlin to demonstrate they're not going to get ultimate control of Ukraine. Sam Hawley: All right, well, John, we know Donald Trump wants to end the war. He likely does, of course, want to see the end to all the bloodshed, but he also wants a Nobel Peace Prize, right? Do you think he can achieve this aim to end this war? John Herbst: If he uses all the powers at his control, he can achieve a durable peace by making life miserable for an aggressive Kremlin. In other words, if he begins to put the serious pressure on Putin he's talked about, you know, major, major advanced weapons heading to Ukraine, paid for by someone else, not us, tougher economic sanctions on Russia and its trading partners, Putin would be in serious trouble. Now, these things would not bring the result we need in two months or four months. Putin has wagered successfully so far on outlasting all the Western leaders who've opposed his war on Ukraine going back 11 years. So Trump would have to demonstrate a willingness to persevere, certainly for seven or eight months, maybe for well over a year. But the cost to us of doing that is tiny. The cost to the Russians is enormous. Sam Hawley: All right. And what about the people of Ukraine, John? You know them. Do you think they should have some hope now? John Herbst: I think that they should not give up hope. I think that if Trump truly wants a durable peace, and I think he does, and if he truly wants a Nobel Peace Prize, and I think he does, he will have to move in this direction. It's coming much more slowly than I would like, but it may well come. Now, notice I'm even here a little bit tentative, but I think ultimately the different factors at play will move him in that direction. Sam Hawley: John Herbst is a former US ambassador to Ukraine and senior director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. This episode was produced by Sydney Pead. Audio production by Sam Dunn. Our supervising producer is David Coady. I'm Sam Hawley. Thanks for listening.
