Barbie director Greta Gerwig has responded to the torrent of hate that rightwingers in the US have directed at the film, saying it’s “an invitation for everybody to be part of the party”. Speaking to the New York Times, Gerwig was asked if she had anticipated the degree of woke-bashing that rightwing critics have engaged in since the film came out, with some calling it a “man-hating” movie. Gerwig said: “Certainly, there’s a lot of passion. My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men.” She added: “I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Barbie’s feminist themes have sparked rage from influencers like Ben Shapiro, who made a bizarre Youtube video last week in which he burned Barbie dolls. Ginger Luckey Gaetz, wife of Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, said the movie “neglects to address any notion of faith or family, and tries to normalise the idea that men and women can’t collaborate positively”. Gerwig also responded to criticism that Mattel, which owns the Barbie doll range and executive produced the movie, interfered in the production creatively, in a scene where a character described the dolls as “sexist and fascist”. She said: “It wasn’t like I ever got the full seal of approval from [Mattel], like, ‘We love it!’ I got a tentative, ‘Well, OK. I see that you are going to do this, so go ahead and we’ll see how it goes.’ “But that’s all you need, and I had faith once it was in there and they saw it that they would embrace it, not fight it. Maybe at the end of the day, my will to have it in was stronger than any other will to take it out.” The backlash has been strong, but the support has been stronger, with Barbie already breaking the record for the highest-ever opening weekend for a female director at $356m. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Actors Sydney Sweeney and Lili Reinhart dispelled rumours of an alleged feud between the pair with a selfie after their seemingly frosty red-carpet interaction went viral. The speculation began after the pair were both spotted at the Armani Beauty dinner during the Venice International Film Festival in an interaction that some people thought looked icy. In a viral TikTok that has been viewed almost 16 million times, Reinhart could be seen posing for photos on the red carpet with a group of fellow actors, when The White Lotus actor Sweeney approached the group and hugged them. Among the group were fellow performers Lukas Gage, Camilla Mendes and Maude Apatow. According to the poster of the TikTok video, “Lili’s face instantly changed” and other actors in the group looked in Lili’s direction after Sweeney hugged them. One person commented: “Something is upppppp.” Another wrote: “I need to know the beef right now.” “Wait because actually what’s going on here,” asked another. @aestheticc11113 ??? #lilireinhart #sydneysweeney #riverdale #euphoria #redcarpet #drama #fyp #foryou #viral #trending #aesthetic While many in the comments were clamouring for information, Sweeney and Reinhart quickly put the issue to bed by posting a selfie of the two of them together in their Instagram stories. Riverdale actress Reinhart captioned a selfie of them, taken on a Venice boat, “We’ll be over here if you need us”. Sweeney reposted the picture on her own Instagram story, ensuring the feud rumours were quashed on both sides as the pair appeared to be hanging out as friends. In a post on X/Twitter, Reinhart also wrote: "Stop making villains out of women every chance you get." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Danny DeVito just found out that people are hailing him the 'King of short Kings' and he's ecstatic – despite not knowing what it actually means. Devito is currently starring in the Roundabout Theater Company production I Need That, written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. He plays a man named Sam, alongside his real-life daughter Lucy who plays Amelia. He recently sat down with GQ's Gabriella Paiella about the show and his impressive 45-year career. But, attention soon turned to the fact that social media users have given him a very unique recognition outside of his impressive resume. When DeVito was told about his short King status online, the 78-year-old responded: "I like it! I haven't heard the term, but it gives me joy. It lifts me up. Thank you." In 2019, the phrase became popular among social media users to positively describe an attractive man under 5’9”. It comes after an article last year recommended people reproduce with short men to help save the planet. “When you mate with shorter people, you’re potentially saving the planet by shrinking the needs of subsequent generations," Mara Altman writes for The Times. "Lowering the height minimum for prospective partners on your dating profile is a step toward a greener planet." Altman says shorter people are also more viable for successful lineage because they save resources. "As resources become scarcer because of the earth’s growing population and global warming, they may also be best suited for long-term survival," Altman wrote. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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