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James McAvoy (43) has been a sought-after actor in recent years - for example in several "X-Men" films or in series like "His Dark Materials". But now the Briton would like to shift down a gear, as he indicated in an interview with the British Sunday newspaper "The Observer".

Why is he taking a slower approach to business after around two decades of hard work? "Because I'm old," McAvoy replies with a grin. He worked a lot as an actor and loved it, "but I don't want to live to work".

The industry is great and has given him a great life, but it is based "on the self-sacrificing nature of the performance. The film or TV industry, they just use you up".

24 hours on set
McAvoy has already put in 24-hour shifts several times. Then you ask yourself how that could even be legal. He doesn't want to end up like Bill Murray's (72) character in "Lost in Translation" - basically a busy actor estranged from his wife and children.

McAvoy recently got to a point where he had to ask himself whether he wanted to continue climbing the career ladder or just enjoy acting and take a step back. "You have to slow down a bit," he summarizes.

The actor is said to have become the father of a boy again not too long ago - which could explain why he wanted to switch gears is speculated in the published interview. McAvoy has not yet commented on this.

At the beginning of the year he at least confirmed to the "Guardian" that he had married his partner Lisa Liberati. He was previously married to his colleague Anne-Marie Duff (52), with whom he has a son.

It's just not possible to be present as a family member when you're making films every week and month of the year, says McAvoy.

It's different in the theater. As an actor, you are more available there, at least during the day, even if you are on stage maybe six days a week in the evening. Film and TV drains you, but it's also a joy for him and he loves it: "But I can't spend all my days on set."

Director Todd Phillips has revealed a first picture of Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker in the DC hit musical sequel Joker as filming begins.

With "Joker", director Todd Phillips ("Hangover") and leading actor Joaquin Phoenix gave the DC films at Warner Bros. new and much-needed impetus to break through the chaos surrounding "Justice League" and the cinematic universe renamed the DC Universe (DCU). to provide orientation for the filmmakers involved. Incidentally, the DC film still grossed over a billion US dollars and brought Phoenix an Oscar for Best Actor - and that in a comic book film adaptation (!). Not to mention that "Joker" only cost $55 million.

When will Joker 2 be in cinemas?
Who knows if the film would have existed today under Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. After all, film fans now know him as the man who dumped the almost finished Batgirl. The reason given by the company was a new strategic direction, also with regard to the DCU franchise. Everything indicates that DCU films will be re-established as bombastic cinema events in the future, to which some DC series have already fallen victim in addition to "Batgirl". And it could get a few more projects.

"Joker 2" shouldn't be one of them, because the first film led the studio to gravel. And Zaslav certainly expects the same from the sequel, which is entitled "Joker: Folie à Deux". Even "Joker", which you can stream via Amazon, took a completely different path compared to previous DC titles, more "Taxi Driver" than "Man of Steel", more "Clockwork Orange" than "Suicide Squad". But the sequel, oh yeah, the sequel completely sucks the bird here. It is said that "Joker: Folie à Deux" should be a musical.

And this crazy idea of ​​a film has now also been given a start date: In the USA the film will be released in cinemas on October 4th, 2024, in Germany then probably on October 3rd. So make a note, folks. And if you want to know what else awaits you in the DC Universe, then take a look at our video.

Matt Damon and Casey Affleck will star together in 'The Instigators'.

After working together on the 'Ocean's' trilogy, the pair will commit another heist in the new movie for Apple Original Films, which will be directed by Doug Liman, according to 'Deadline'.

Matt and Casey's brother Ben Affleck are producing through their newly formed company Artists Equity, along with Jeff Robinov and John Graham of Studio 8 and Kevin Walsh for his company The Walsh Company.

The film tells the story of two thieves who, with the help of one of their therapists, are forced to flee when a robbery goes wrong. The screenplay was penned by Chuck MacLean, with Casey, Robinov and Graham helping to develop the screenplay.

Damon and the Affleck brothers have a long-standing relationship that began with the Oscar-winning 1997 film 'Good Will Hunting'. The trio starred in the film, which was written by Ben and Matt.

The project is the latest to be produced by the pair's Artists Equity studio. Ben recently stated that he wants to focus on quality movies while criticizing Netflix for their "assembly line" approach to making movies.

From film classics like "Schtonk!" (1992) to cult comedies like "Football is our life" (2000) to emotional hospital dramas like "Charité" (2021) - acting veteran Uwe Ochsenknecht (66) has become an integral part of the German film and television landscape.

Now the 66-year-old is in the Prime Video comedy "Friedliche Weihnachts" from December 9th as the pedantic senior physician Professor Dr. dr to see Dietrich Hansen.

In the series, he stands in the way of his daughter Johanna's (Valerie Huber, 26) happy marriage to her boyfriend Anton (Timur Bartels, 27). After all, the father only accepts doctors for his child and Anton works in the record shop. At the joint Christmas party, the would-be son-in-law simply pretends to be a doctor.

In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Ochsenknecht reveals which reunion he was particularly happy about during the shoot, what fascinates him about medicine and what plans he has for this Christmas.

Mr. Ochsenknecht, can one imagine Christmas with you to be as "peaceful" as in "Peaceful Christmas"?
Ochsenknecht: When I was still celebrating with my family and small children, it was of course more turbulent, which is also a nice thing. But after the holidays you already know what you've done. It's calmed down now.

Some of the children have families of their own with whom they celebrate. I celebrate very comfortably with my wife and then we usually get together.

Does your family have a fixed Christmas ritual?
Ochsenknecht: That's more with my wife, that we dress nicely and eat. There is a gift table under the tree. We take the dogs for a walk and of course they get something too. But everything was very manageable, calm and relaxing.

Do you sing the classic Christmas carols?
Ochsenknecht: No, we don't do that. Then we have them sing, and we have nice music in the background while we eat. Then maybe a movie will be watched, friends will visit us too.

How much did you like the role of Prof. Dr. dr Hansen had fun?
Ochsenknecht: As you can see in the film, we got along really well, the whole ensemble had great chemistry. We had a lot of fun, laughed a lot. Even in places where you shouldn't have done it. But it was very pleasant work.

You can hear the Hessian dialect very nicely.
Ochsenknecht: Yes, that was a bit of a Mannheim dialect to add a bit of color to it. That was still harmless, only hinted at.

But it does bring a bit of your homeland into it.
Ochsenknecht: Yes, too. It gives the character a bit of local color. I found that very good.

In the series "Charité" you were already seen as a doctor. What fascinates you about the medical profession?
Ochsenknecht: That fascinated me even as a child. I was always the one who came up with the plaster when someone got hurt. I would also like to have studied medicine. Now acting got in my way. Then I thought: "Well, if that's what it's supposed to be, it will be." And it was a good thing. But I've always been interested in the biology of the body. For example, if you cut yourself and later you can't see anything, sometimes not even a scar. That's very fascinating. There's still so much, biochemistry ... such a body is a miracle.

Whether it's a doctor or a garbage man - you've actually been allowed to play something in every professional field...
Ochsenknecht: There are still enough that I haven't played. Of course, that always depends on the story and the script, whether something is interesting. In this respect, it can be all possible areas.

The prospective son-in-law on the show pretends to be a doctor. Do you think stand still plays a role in partnerships?
Ochsenknecht: I think there are still parents who value it. With nobles anyway, stupid as it is. This is still the "Shakespeare Syndrome". Unfortunately.

Wouldn't that happen to you with your own children?
Ochsenknecht: No, it is important that they are happy. With whoever. Happiness and health are important, everything else is none of my business.

Her colleague Esther Schweins shines in the series as a stoned wife. How does it enrich your collaboration?
Ochsenknecht: We've known each other for a long time. She also comes from Mannheim. There is a moment when she freaks out and speaks in the Mannheim dialect. The chemistry between us is also right.

We've almost never worked together. Way before she was on "RTL Saturday Night", I had a brief appearance and we got to know each other. But we never really played together. It was the first time and really nice.

Unfortunately, we just had to say goodbye to another great colleague of yours, Christiane Hörbiger passed away. They both had "Schtonk!" a great success. how ble

Anyone who hasn't seen the second season of "Alex Rider" in the stream can now look forward to the free TV premiere on ZDFneo. You can find out here when and how things will continue there.

In addition to lucrative advantages, Amazon Prime also offers its customers a wide range of film and series titles, including exclusive originals such as "Alex Rider". The coming-of-age espionage series, based on Anthony Horowitz's successful series of books for young people, started there two years ago. Season 2 followed last year. If you don't have an Amazon Prime subscription, you don't have to do without and you can now watch the series on free TV and in the ZDF media library.

"Alex Rider": Season 2 on free TV today

The refreshing British spy series is also enjoying a positive response in this country - no wonder it was extended early. While the second season has been available on Amazon Prime Video since the end of 2021, the free TV launch is now pending: Today, Wednesday, December 7, 2022, you can see all the episodes of the second season “Alex Rider”. ZDFneo. So get ready for a small series marathon, because all eight episodes will be broadcast directly in one go. It starts at 8:15 p.m., the last episode ends at 1:40 a.m. the following day. If you don't want to stay up late half the night, you can also find the new episodes free of charge in the ZDF media library from December 7th.

For the first season, the second novel "Point Blanc" was filmed, the second season is now adapting the fourth volume of the series "Eagle Strike". Alex (Otto Ferrant) and his friends are faced with a new case involving a hacker attack on the Pentagon and a game developer worth millions. But who is really pulling the strings here?

Alex Rider Season 2 Cast

Some familiar faces await us in the second season, above all, of course, Otto Farrant ("Salmon Fishing in Yemen"), who plays the eponymous main character. Alex's best friend Tom (Brenock O'Connor) will also be back, as will MI6 agents Alan Blunt (Stephen Dillane) and Mrs Jones (Vicky McClure). Newcomers include Thomas Levin as Yassen Gregorovitch, Toby Stevens as Damian Cray and Charithra Chandran as Alex's girlfriend Sabina.