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Metro
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Survivors of strangulation are being let down when they turn on their TVs
The first time I saw someone being strangled on TV was in EastEnders. I was 16 in 2005, when gangster Johnny Allen (Billy Murray) held Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) against the wall by her throat, yelling threats into her face before she revealed she was pregnant. The scene did not really stick out to me back then, nor did I find it shocking or moving. But therein lies the problem. To me, it seemed like Sharon walked away with no shock afterwards, confusion, trauma, or flashbacks. It was something that just happened – a small piece in a bigger storyline. Two decades later, the same thing happened when Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) strangled Sharon until Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) stopped him before it was too late. But the thing is, strangulation is rarely broken down and seen for what it actually is. I'm the Communications Manager of the Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) and I want you to really picture it. The person you trust most in the world has their hands around your throat, restricting your breathing and is looking directly into your eyes as they do this. Fear is running through you, and you believe with every fibre of your being that you will die. These are your last moments. Only they are not. You survive. But this moment is lodged into your memory forever. This is what it means to be a victim-survivor of strangulation. So why can't popular culture reflect this accurately? The best we can seem to muster is that it's a harmless sexual act, which is not only alarmingly inaccurate but also minimises the health risks. Films such as Lady Chatterley's Lover, Obsession, and 365 Days all feature strangulation as a normal part of sexual experiences. But watching these scenes, you would never know how easily the act of strangulation can cause harm. Then there's strangulation as a purely violent act, as seen in the TV series, Mr Bigstuff, where Danny Dyer's character is strangling someone using a hammer handle. But what sits between these extremes is much more complex, widespread, and dangerous. Strangulation often occurs as part of domestic abuse or sexual violence, often perpetrated by someone you know or maybe even love and trust. It is the ultimate control you can exert on another human being. By applying pressure to the neck – a vulnerable area – and restricting someone's breath, you are showing you have final say over whether they live or die. That's why I want to see more scenes in popular culture of strangulation that take it seriously in domestic abuse contexts. Because the stats are truly sobering. Research has shown that a person can lose consciousness in around seven to 10 seconds of being strangled, damaging blood vessels in the neck, leading to blood clots forming, which may result in a stroke. In fact, evidence suggests it's the second most common cause of stroke in young women. IFAS analysed data from Domestic Homicide Reviews, which showed that prior controlling behaviours were present in two third of cases where the victim was fatally strangled. Over half of those who were fatally strangled had experienced non-fatal strangulation prior to their death. On top of that, of the 2,000 women aged 14 years and above who were killed in the UK since 2014, strangulation was used in 550 killings; 372 of those women killed were strangled by an intimate partner. One in 4 women will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives ONS research revealed that, in 2023, the police recorded a domestic abuse offence approximately every 40 seconds Yet Crime Survey for England & Wales data for the year ending March 2023 found only 18.9% of women who experienced partner abuse in the last 12 months reported the abuse to the police According to Refuge, 84% of victims in domestic abuse cases are female, with 93% of defendants being male Safe Lives reports that disabled women are twice as likely to experience domestic abuse as non-disabled women, and typically experience domestic abuse for a longer period of time before accessing support Refuge has also found that, on average, it takes seven attempts before a woman is able to leave for good. Shockingly, there were a total of 23,817 offences of strangulation and suffocation recorded in England and Wales in the first year of strangulation and suffocation becoming a stand-alone offence. Given how widespread strangulation is, media reporting on these cases is seriously lacking. To tackle this, organisations like End Violence Against Women (EVAW) – a UK-based organisation that campaigns to end all forms of violence against women – offers guidelines on how to report on this subject matter, which emphasise the importance of prioritising the voice of the victim or survivor. Their voices can help educate the public about the risks around strangulation and provide much needed context to the one-dimensional strangulation scenes we are often exposed to in film and TV. Overall, British soaps have done well to increase understanding of violence against women and girls. This is especially so around coercive control, like during Mo and Trevor's domestic abuse storyline in 2001. Through physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, Trevor terrorised Mo. This was in the form of coercive control by not letting her see family and friends, rape, and violent acts of aggression like pulling her hair or making her eat Christmas dinner off the floor. For British audiences at the time, it helped people to recognise signs of abuse in their own relationship and access support. In fact, one domestic abuse organisation stated that it was 'ground-breaking' and the most significant TV portrayal of violence in the home in 30 years. Since then, domestic abuse has thankfully been covered much more widely in TV and film, like coercive control in the film Alice, Darling, honour-based violence in ITV's Honour, and stalking in Netflix's Baby Reindeer. But more needs to be done to ensure strangulation is depicted realistically. Watching scenes play out on the big screen, I wonder how many of these producers, directors, or even actors have actually spoken to anyone who has experienced strangulation. More Trending The irony is that many of the scenes of late showing strangulation would likely have required intimacy coordinators on sets – and rightly so – to protect the actors' wellbeing through creating a safe, consensual, and respectful environment. But what about the audience watching strangulation scenes? Don't we need to be protected from misinformation, misrepresentation, and minimisation of what strangulation actually is and the harm it causes? TV and film have the power to help raise awareness of the risks around strangulation and move conversations forward. View More » But this starts with speaking to those who have lived experience. Only through these dialogues can we create complex, nuanced, and moving depictions of strangulation. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. 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Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Michele Morrone shares Another Simple Favor co-star Blake Lively's 'most embarrassing moment on set' and it's hilarious!
Tensions may have been allegedly running high on the sets of Another Simple Favor — the barrage of awkward moments from the press tour is proof enough even if no one confirms it. But that doesn't have to mean it was ALL bad! In a recent 'friendship test' conducted by Glamour Mag, featuring the primary cast of the chic slow burn thriller, one of the questions posed to Blake was about her 'most embarassing memory' from the sets of the film. Confused about what to narrate, co-star Anna Kendrick (and apparently nemesis, if reports are to be belived). chimed in with how she actually has several instances to narrate. But 365 Days heartthrob Michele Morrone took the lead on this one, relaying how he managed to put Blake in quite the awkward spot, courtesy of the (fake!) horrifying childhood anecdote he shared with her. A post shared by Glamour (@glamourmag) "When I actually told Blake my dad died, eaten by a lion. And she actually believed", Michele commenced confidently. But Blake immediately jumped in, attempting to lightly take control of the narrative: "Let's hold. Let's reverse the story for a second", she said. Michele continued anyway: "You know, I lost my father when I was very young. She was like, 'Oh my God, I'm so sorry! How did he die?' "; Blake, finally getting on board, fact-checked him: "No you told the story. You went to the zoo. He's youngest of three older sisters." with Michele adding, "And he just fall into the cage of the lions. And he died. And she's laughing as well. I was like (keeps a straight, serious face)"...'Oh my God, I'm so sorry, like...' ". Now while Blake agreed that part of her was mortified about the possibility of this odd ball story being true, she made it known she still had her guards up about being taken for a ride. She added, "But I was also like, 'are you f***ing with me?'. And he was like, 'It's okay, everyone laughs, I understand' ". Anna, in splits by this time, exclaimed, "So mean!". As Michele added, "She fel(t) so embarrassed and was like...", Blake cut him, hilariously clarifying, "Oh, because I was embarrassed to fall for it but I was also embarrassed to laugh at your father who had been mauled by a lion in front of your child's eyes". Michele agreed that the whole thing was a "bad joke", but it was still "so funny". Blake, taking the leg pulling like a champ, added, "Yeah that's the moment I was like, 'I love this man forever' ". Another Simple Favor is currently streaming on OTT.
New Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
OTT review 'Another Simple Favor': All style, little substance
When a sequel for Paul Feig's A Simple Favor was first announced, the biggest excitement surrounding the return to the mommy-world of Emily (Blake Lively) and Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) was, unsurprisingly, stitched to the sartorial choices of the leads. And this time around Emily's mid-century style quotient meets Stephanie's accidental espionage in the picturesque island of Capri, Italy. Visually, the film is a total treat. However, in an attempt to make it more than just another sequel, Feig dives headfirst into a sea of plot twists and murders, and Stephanie does so much sleuthing that even Hercule Poirot and Benoit Blanc might roll their eyes. Let's just say this time around, the cast and crew who left Connecticut for Italy, were joined by this little thing called subtlety. With the Simple Favor films, the audience has no option but to willingly suspend their disbelief. So when Emily, aka Hope McLanden, walks out of prison after serving just five years, you don't bother making sense of the legal loopholes. Emily invites Stephanie to her second wedding—this time to mafia-macho-old-money-hottie Dante Versano (Michele Morrone, playing a surprising softie compared to his 365 Days alter ego). Much like the first film, Feig takes his time introducing the central conflict. While the snail-paced world building might have been less bothersome initially, thanks to the visual extravaganza that is Capri, our patience wears thin. With two murders, a heavy use of drugs, a suspiciously large inheritance, an estranged sibling, and more chaos brought into the picture, even Emily's abnormally large hats and clunky heels aren't enough to distract us from the delayed conflict resolution. Fortunately, there's a positive twist to all this. Blake and Anna return with strong performances, breathing even more life into Emily and Stephanie, respectively. Take, for instance, the scene where Stephanie is injected with a truth serum. Her awkward candidness completely takes over the proceedings, and Anna delivers a compelling performance. Blake gets the chance to go beyond Emily's icy perfection, peeling back layers to reveal something darker and far more sinister. Her diabolism and deep-seated psychological issues come as a chilling surprise. Dialogues are another highlight of the film, which has a convincing supporting cast. The witty quips not only make us laugh but also help us momentarily forget the film's many flaws. While Feig seems confident about spinning more sequels out of this world, maybe it's time he does himself a simple favour and moves on to fresher, meatier ideas. Because at this point, the franchise isn't twisting; it's just going in circles in high heels.
Metro
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Sam Thompson falls to ground with bloody eye after being 'punched' by Pete Wicks
Things got pretty out of hand rather quickly as Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks filmed a social media skit video. The podcast-hosting duo are forever sharing their antics online, whether it be hilarious dance routines or their version of TikTok trends. However, their latest didn't exactly go to plan. As a result, Sam was left with a bloody eye after falling to the ground… when Pete punched him. We should make it clear that the punch was not intentional, and Pete clearly felt bad instantly—but it made for amazing content. Earlier this week, Sam, 32, posted a video to his 2.7million Instagram followers of himself and best pal Pete, 37, recreating a scene from the erotic movie 365 Days. No, not that kind of recreation, don't worry. Instead, Sam went to grab Pete's neck from behind in a move where the male lead pulled his female love interest in for a snog. Putting their own spin on things, Pete went to punch Sam's phone out of the way, clearly not into the whole thing. 'Blood was spilled in the making of this 😂', Sam captioned the video, which has had over three million views. Disaster struck, though, when Pete, who was smoking a cigarette at the time, misjudged his aim and got Sam in the face instead. This weekend, Sam shared a behind-the-scenes of their latest sketch, writing in the caption: 'You wanted the behind the scenes so here you go! He did run after me and was very sorry 🥹😂' In the new video, fans see the boys in action from afar, and when Pete goes to punch Sam's phone out of the way, the device flies back and catches his eye. The Made in Chelsea star fell down straight away, hands clutching his face in pain. Strictly's Pete rushed to check he was OK, declaring: 'He's actually bleeding!' 'Oh my f***king God,' said Sam. 'How bad is it? Is it really cut?', Sam asked the person filming, showing the blood oozing from above his eyelid. 'Am I gonna have to get that stitched up?', he added, telling Pete: 'You just battered my f***king eye!' Thankfully, the long-time pals were able to laugh the incident off, with Sam's millions of followers also seeing the funny side of it. 'Pete's reaction is like when you accidentally hurt your sibling and don't want to get caught', commented @imizzygrant. 'Omg 🫢🫢🫢 you two 😂', wrote Pete's Strictly pro partner Jowita Przystał. 'He does his own stunts people 😂', joked Vicky Pattison. 'Sorry Sam but 😂😂😂😂', laughed Melvin Odoom. While Sam ended up being fine, we probably can't say the same for his phone screen… or his ego. The reality star has been in the press for weeks now following his split from Zara McDermott, 28. While the former Love Islander is now dating Louis Tomlinson, 33, having been spotted kissing the One Direction star while out and about in the US, Sam is also thought to be moving on. More Trending This week, it was claimed that the I'm A Celebrity winner has been exchanging flirty messages with series nine Love Island contestant Samie Elishi, 25. A source told The Sun: 'Sam found the split and its public fallout very hard, but Samie has put a smile back on his face. 'She is a stunning girl, and he's told a few pals about her. He seems excited.' They added: 'Obviously it's early days, but clearly he has a thing for Love Islanders!' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
South China Morning Post
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Michele Morrone, the hunky leading man of 365 Days and Another Simple Favor fame, on his friendship with Blake Lively, staying grounded in Hollywood, and the importance of being a good dad
Everything is romantic in the eyes of Michele Morrone, the hunky Italian leading man who's out to prove he can give Colin Farrell and Leonardo DiCaprio a run for their money. 'I'm obsessed with my life and obsessed with my passions,' the 34-year-old breakout star from erotic thriller 365 Days tells me over the phone one morning, dialling in from Milan to discuss his life as an actor, a father and everything in between. Self-assured and confident, as you would surely expect from one of Hollywood's most handsome faces, Morrone's name is also one of the most recognisable right now. Fresh off starring alongside Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick in Another Simple Favor, the sequel to Paul Feig's 2018 smash hit A Simple Favor, the actor is set to take on another blockbuster role in Feig's upcoming film The Housemaid, which casts him alongside A-listers Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney Michele Morrone photographed for Style by Mike Ruiz. Dsquared²: suit, shirt, tie, shoes; Intimissimi Uomo: socks Advertisement 'From my point of view, it's a waste to use only one life to do only one thing that you love,' Morrone says of his somewhat unconventional career path so far, from navigating humble beginnings in Puglia to finding fame through films like Subservience with Megan Fox and appearances on the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars. That's not to mention his side hustles dabbling in music and fashion. 'It's not that I'm going to wait until this life to finish my acting career and then in the next life be a singer, and then again in the next be a painter. I want to do it all together because I'm drunk on life – my passions are like a drug for me.' Riding that high, so to speak, not only transformed Morrone into an international heartthrob nearly overnight with 365 Days, but also took his career to new heights by bringing him face-to-face with pre-eminent filmmaking figures like Feig, whom the actor calls 'one of the most incredible gentlemen I've ever met'. If you ask Morrone whether he could even conceive of all this success back then, as a young hopeful from southern Italy, he would again speak with a sense of romanticism and whimsy – kismet, he calls it, borne out of uncompromising dedication and commitment to a path he feels was laid out for him all this time. 'For me it was more like a trip, like I'm going somewhere,' the actor muses. 'Like, I'm going to Hollywood. And there was something in my mind telling me that it was never a question mark for me. I don't know how much time I am going to take but I'm going there.' Emporio Armani: overcoat. The ring is Michele Morrone's own And go there he has in the span of just a few short years. Since 365 Days was released back in 2020, Morrone filmed two sequels before being tapped by Feig for Another Simple Favor, something the actor describes as a great honour and one which has become one of his most high-profile projects to date. Though legal drama surrounding Lively and her former It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni , has since engulfed his famous castmate and distracted from much of Another Simple Favor's promotion, Morrone refrains from commenting on the controversy and instead gushes about Lively, whom he now calls a best friend. 'We talk almost every day on the phone. We exchange advice. She's like a sister to me – one of the most beautiful women, people, I ever met in my life. I became such good friends with Ryan [Reynolds] as well.' 'You always have the hope that you're going to get along with the person you're working with, especially when you have to play her man,' Morrone continues, when asked about acting alongside Lively and playing her romantic lead. 'You're always hoping to find someone who understands, and me and Blake we had such a great bond straight away. We became good friends from day one so it was very easy for me.'
