• Terence Stamp is not likely to return to the Star Wars fold and star in episode two. Talking to GMTV, the 60s icon currently enjoying something of a career revival said: "Actors prefer to work with actors. When I arrived on set for Episode 1, George Lucas said: 'I've given Natalie [Portman] the day off'. So he pointed to a piece of paper on a post and said 'pretend that's her'. They couldn't afford me again".
• The Screen Actors Guild Of America staged a protest at a McDonald's outlet in Studio City yesterday as part of its current strike against advertisers. While Liz Hurley is not thought to have attended, actors involved included Charlton Heston and Frasier star David Hyde Pierce. "I'm here because the union asked me to come out and support my fellow actors," said Heston. "It's important to do that, particularly for these kids who are making so little money. I think we're going to win this."
• MI:2 star Thandie Newton has challenged Hollywood's reluctance to cast actors from ethnic backgrounds. The 27-year-old actress - daughter of a Zimbabwean Shona princess and a British father - said: "Casting directors have to take risks, and soon they'll find out they're not risks at all. But there is still a stigma attached and it's all to do with consumerism and money and whether people want to see someone who's not blonde." Newton's comments follow a recent attack on "racist" Hollywood by Bulworth star Halle Berry.
