... which is misleading, because there is no "Black Widow movie" set in stone yet. Or they'll ask Marvel captain Kevin Feige, leading to the headline ...

Empire Online

... even though an exec saying they're "creatively and emotionally ... most committing to" Black Widow but not actually putting it on their three-year schedule is the exact opposite of a commitment. It's like when your parents said "We'll see" when you asked them to buy you a drum kit.

No matter what project it is, whether it's a TV show or a movie or a stick figure flipbook of a boy hitting a can with a stick, you'll find the same bullshit. Asked about a Family Guy movie, a producer said, "There are no specific plans," but also, "if I were a gambling man, I'd say within the next five years," and joked that he was putting money on that. Thus, headlines read:

Independent

This is a pattern you'll see throughout this article -- celebrities will say vague shit off the cuff, and journalists will dig through it for a headline. In fact, it's pretty hard to find an actual article about an interview that feels honest. One of the few that I found concerned Daniel Craig, who, when asked about playing James Bond after Spectre, said, "I'd rather break this glass and slash my wrists."

The 25th James Bond film stars Daniel Craig and hits theaters next year.

OK, well then how about when Jennifer Lawrence spontaneously burst into flame when asked about playing Mystique one more time:

Refinery29

Lawrence's first quote in the article is "I love these movies." She then says that she loves the director, and loves fans, and that Dark Phoenix is her best experience yet. So what does she hate? "The paint." Getting into costume is difficult. You might notice that this isn't bashing the film. Very few people like to be doused in paint and latex for 16 hours a day. Most people don't like wearing pants for 16 hours a day. So it's not unreasonable, and it sure as hell doesn't mean that she "hates being in X-Men," as the headline proclaims.

OK, fine. So it seems like a lot of these sites are blowing minor things out of proportion. But how about the time that Batman v Superman was so boring that it caused Michael Shannon to slip into a coma?

GQ

First off, Shannon wasn't in Batman v Superman. They used a rubber model of him. He was never on set, and though he recorded a few lines, they weren't used. Also, he fell asleep while watching it on the tiny screen on an airplane, because it was an international flight and he was tuckered.

But what about actors who hate their characters? That's got to be something that happens in real life. Actors who find the characters they play to be so morally reprehensible that they have to shout it out loud. Actors like Jamie Dornan, the guy who portrayed Christian Grey, who was apparently doing something to the extent of burning copies of Fifty Shades Of Grey on set.

The Loop

Nope, he only says that Christian's "not the sort of bloke I'd get along with. All my mates are easy going and quick to laugh." And who would want to hang out with the characters they portray? Jack Nicholson doesn't sit around waiting for homicidal clowns to buy him a beer, and Dornan probably won't be chilling with any sociopathic billionaires in the near future.

When Matt Damon was interviewed about #MeToo, one line got quoted again and again. "There's a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?"

Huffington Post

Boston

Out of context, it comes off like his entire cause is to defend butt pats, proclaiming it loudly and defiantly with a sword and shield in front of the Damon family crest. But Damon was talking about an actual person who'd touched butts and an actual person who'd molested children, saying there's literally a difference (one so obvious, you might call it self-evident) -- but noted that both acts "need to be confronted and eradicated without question." He also said a bunch of other pro-#MeToo stuff, and then a really interesting bit on NDAs.

But the headline's going to be whichever part grabs the most outrage. If manufacturing disagreement and drumming up hatred is what it takes to pay the bills, then that's what they do.

But no one apparently cares enough to clarify. Also, "breathing so hard she ripped herself open" is apparently a whole genre of on-set accident:

Express

US Magazine

A ripped stomach muscle is generally not caused by yelling a bunch. Was Theron even being serious? It's reported seriously, but in the interview, everyone's laughing throughout. She gave the stomach story in another interview too, and the interviewer immediately changed the subject to her wardrobe.

And wait till you hear about poor, afflicted Gary Oldman:

Screenrant

NME

Independent

He did say that. But actual nicotine poisoning is a big deal -- as in phone poison control, because it can be fatal. And it's caused by swallowing a lot of nicotine at once, not by smoking for several weeks. Maybe Oldman only meant "I went through a whole LOT of cigars"? That's not dramatic enough. Gotta hint that the toxic cigars have brought him one step closer to the grave.

I'm not calling these celebrities filthy liars. Maybe something crazy did happen to them, or maybe they're indulging in a little hyperbole to liven up some interviews. And that's fine, as this is the film junket and not 60 Minutes. But unexplained anecdotes shouldn't end up as headlines, not without additional reporting.

So when Jonah Hill talks for 25 seconds about being hospitalized for bronchitis due to snorting Wolf Of Wall Street's fake coke, maybe 800 sites don't have to share that in a headline. Not until someone asks, "When you first said this a couple years ago, you didn't mention hospitalization and weren't so sure it was bronchitis, and also, bronchitis doesn't lead to hospitalization, unless you're like 90 years old. So what I'm asking is this, Mr. Hill: Are you secretly 90 years old?"

But Harris didn't confirm anything. He didn't offer insider info about what the writers intended, or about how he played the character. Nor did J.K. Rowling when she said a convoluted fan theory about Dumbledore being the physical embodiment of Death is "beautiful and it fits," yet headlines reported that she too had "confirmed" a huge fan theory. And nor did the Jar Jar Binks actor when headlines said he released a "Bombshell" about Jar Jar being a Sith Lord. (He said, "That's really a George Lucas question. I cannot answer that question.") At this point, it seems like literally any combination of words would have been interpreted as a confirmation.

The reality is that celebrities will almost always cheerfully nod along with a fan theory if it's interesting enough. They'll even jokingly accept balls-out absurd theories, and don't count on websites spinning their amusement into truth bombs. So no, no one on iCarly seriously confirmed their character is half-bee (but headlines say they did). Tom Holland didn't confirm that he keeps a frog in his mouth (but headlines say he did). And Steve from Stranger Things is probably not the father of Jean Ralphio from Parks And Rec, despite the headlines that screamed that the genealogy lined up.

Headlines about fan theories are next-level bullshit because they're lies about fiction. And besides, the coolest fan theories are so weird and so involved that they'll probably never be confirmed. Let's say your theory connects all the Pixar movies, and it later becomes the most famous theory of our age. Don't wait for Disney to "confirm" it. If you like the theory, believe it, and to hell with anyone who says you're wrong. To return to Star Wars again, Mark Hamill said of a fan theory, "I'd say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer ... You should not be ashamed of it."

Vanity Fair's headline about that interview with Hamill:

Vanity Fair

CONFIRMED! THANKS, MARK!

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