Free Republic

Alex Kingston: Fighting spirit Alex Kingston is one of America's best-paid TV actors, with a luxurious LA lifestyle to match. So why did the ER star leave it all behind to appear in a mud-splattered British drama about Boudica? By James Rampton 30 September 2003 By nature, The Independent is a self-effacing newspaper. It displays an entirely proper sense of British reserve and modesty. It is not at all keen on blowing its own trumpet. However, it is more than happy for someone else to do so on its behalf - especially if that someone happens to be Hollywood star...

There are some lines of William Cowper inscribed on the plinth of the bronze statue of Boadicea near Westminster Bridge in central London: "Regions Caesar never knew/Thy posterity shall sway." The words have never been truer. Hollywood has four films in development about the British warrior queen. One of them, Warrior, is being produced by Mel Gibson, partly with money from the proceeds of his film The Passion of The Christ (a rare example of fundamentalist Christian money backing a project with a pagan heroine). Along with a DreamWorks project called Queen Fury, Paramount's Warrior Queen and another called My...

Mel Gibson's forthcoming film about Britain's warrior queen Boudicca is guaranteed to cause fury amongst feminists and historians, experts predict. Folklorists believe Gibson - whose controversial The Passion Of The Christ movie sparked uproar among Jewish groups this year - faces widespread criticism in his efforts to bring Boudicca to the big screen, because she remains an enigma to historians. Scholars are also convinced feminists will attack Gibson if he fails to portray Boudicca as the icon they have turned her into. Folklorist Dr Juliette Wood, "Take any figure where there's been emotional investment and you're going to annoy someone....

With the success of "The Passion Of The Christ," Mel Gibson can pretty much make whatever movie he wants, and he is once again looking back in time – to produce an epic about Boudicca, who led Britain against Roman conquerors. The Scotsman newspaper reports that the film will be like "Bravehart - with a bra." Boudicca rose from peasant girl to military leader, and united the Celtic tribes of Britain. The film will be directed by Gavin O’Connor, who told the Hollywood trade paper Variety: "What drew me is that she was driven by personal revenge. Her goals were...

Flush from the success of The Passion Of The Christ, Mel Gibson is looking back in time once again – to produce an epic about Boudicca, who led Britain against Roman conquerors. Dubbed “Braveheart with a bra”, the film will chronicle Boudicca’s rise from peasant girl to a military leader who united the Celtic tribes of Britain. Gibson’s production company, Icon, appears keen to cash in on further historical tales, after The Passion netted hundreds of millions of pounds at the box office. The film will be directed by Gavin O’Connor who told the Hollywood trade paper Variety: “What drew...

<p>A flight attendant accused of having sex in an aircraft toilet with actor Ralph Fiennes was in hiding last night after being grounded without pay.</p> <p>Other crew members claimed Lisa Robertson had a seven-mile-high fling in business class with The English Patient star.</p>