Mariska Hargitay set to make her Broadway debut in ‘Every Brilliant Thing’
Mariska Hargitay in ‘Every Brilliant Thing.’ (Emilio Madrid)
Mariska Hargitay is headed to the Great White Way.
The Law & Order: SVU star is set to make her Broadway debut in May. She’ll be taking over for Daniel Radcliffe in the one-person playEvery Brilliant Thing beginning May 26.
“I read Every Brilliant Thing and cried, rejoiced, laughed, cried some more, and loved it so much,” Hargitay says in a statement. “I’m always drawn to themes of healing and renewal, especially when the journey is rendered in all its complexity.”
She says making her Broadway debut with such a life-affirming play is an “extraordinary gift” and “the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.”
“For me, the triumph of this beautiful piece of work—this luminously brilliant thing—is that through a deeply personal story, we experience the universal endeavor of keeping ourselves pointed towards light, compassion and hope,” Hargitay says.
Every Brilliant Thing, which relies heavily on audience participation, follows the central character as they look back on their life through a list of all the little things that make life worth living.
Radcliffe will complete his run on May 24. The show has extended its run through June 28.
Zoe Saldaña stars as Neytiri in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’ (20th Century Studios)
Avatar: Fire and Ash has burned up the box office again.
The third film in James Cameron‘s epic sci-fi series retained its #1 spot over the Christmas holiday weekend, taking in an additional $64 million, according to Box Office Mojo. So far, the film has earned $760 million worldwide. Disney’s animated sequel Zootopia 2 returned to the #2 spot with $20 million.
Of the new films making their debuts in wide release over the holiday weekend, A24’s Marty Supreme, featuring Timothée Chalamet as an aspiring ping pong champion and con artist, did the best, taking the #3 spot with just under $15.6 million.
Another new film, Anaconda, starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black, came in at #5 with just under $14.6 million, while a third new wide release, Song Sung Blue, arrived at #8 with $7.6 million. That film, based on the true story of a real-life couple who form a Neil Diamond tribute band, is generating Oscar buzz for Kate Hudson, who co-stars opposite Hugh Jackman.
Here are the top 10 films at the box office:
1. Avatar: Fire and Ash — $64 million 2. Zooptopia 2 — $20 million 3. Marty Supreme — $15.59 million 4. The Housemaid –– $15.4 million 5. Anaconda — $14.55 million 6. David –– $12.7 million 7. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants — $11.2 million 8. Song Sung Blue — $7.6 million 9. Wicked: For Good — $5.3 million 10. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — $4.4 million
Disney is the parent company of 20th Century Studios and ABC News.
Justin Baldoni speaks onstage at the Vital Voices 12th Annual Voices of Solidarity Awards, Dec. 9, 2024, in New York. Blake Lively attends ‘Another Simple Favor’ New York Screening, April 27, 2025, in New York. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images | Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Animosity on the set of the film It Ends With Us was evident well before highly publicized lawsuits between stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni were filed, newly unsealed text messages show.
The messages, which are among the hundreds of documents the judge overseeing the civil claims ordered unsealed ahead of a hearing this week, show Lively and Baldoni venting to friends and colleagues during filming.
In a May 2023 text exchange between Lively and a journalist, Lively expresses her frustration with filming and says she “came home and cried” on one occasion. The actress also writes, “They’re just being creeps,” when referring to her co-star.
Texts between Baldoni and another actor show he was equally frustrated while making the movie. Baldoni, who also served as the film’s director, said in one message that Lively was threatening not to promote the movie if she was not allowed to take part in the edit.
In one message, he wrote, “She had the nuclear bomb. If she doesn’t promote the movie she can leak that I’m a bad person or that she felt unsafe with me and ‘all the stuff’ she has on me. Then she’s the victim.”
In a later text message, he wrote, “The risk to my family isn’t worth the creative integrity.”
Other unsealed documents include a text exchange between Lively and fellow actress Jenny Slate, who also appeared in the film.
Referring to Baldoni, Lively wrote, “I also saw something in him, was aware of a general vibe that I’m not into, and I pushed past it. Never again! Lesson learned.”
ABC News has reached out to Slate’s representative for comment.
Lively first filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends with Us and accusing both Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios of engaging in a “social manipulation” campaign to “destroy” Lively’s reputation.
The two filed dueling lawsuits against each other in New York in the weeks that followed, with Lively reiterating the claims made in her earlier complaint and further accusing Baldoni of retaliation, suing him for nearly $500 million in damages. Baldoni’s lawyer denied the allegations, stating at the time that they had “evidence which will show a pattern of bullying and threats to take over the movie” by Lively.
Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s public relations company Vision PR alleging extortion and defamation, claiming Lively had “robbed” him of control over the film and had destroyed his reputation.
Lively’s lawyers denied the allegations and called Baldoni’s suit “another chapter in the abuser playbook.”
“This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim,” they said in a statement at the time.
A federal judge in New York dismissed Baldoni’s suit in June of last year, formally ending the counterclaim in October after Baldoni did not refile an amended complaint. Attorney Byran Freedman said at the time, “Our clients chose not to amend their complaint to preserve appeal rights. In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms. Lively’s claims. We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available and look forward to our day in court.”
Lively’s suit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios is ongoing.
This week’s documents were unsealed ahead of a hearing scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 22. The trial is set to begin May 18.
A member of Lively’s legal team responded to the newly unsealed documents in a statement to ABC News, writing, “In his TedTalk to promote his brand as an advocate for women, Justin Baldoni said we must ‘listen to the women’…even if what they are saying is against you.’ See how he actually reacts in the bombshell new evidence released for the first time, which includes sworn testimony and contemporaneous messages from numerous women who actually worked with him.”
The statement continued, “The newly unsealed evidence contains never-before seen testimony, messages, and evidence from numerous eyewitnesses backing the claims in Ms. Lively’s lawsuit. The evidence includes Ms. Lively’s own testimony describing the harassment she faced, as well as new evidence from numerous women describing their own disturbing experiences.”
ABC News has reached out to Baldoni’s representatives for comment.
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham attend Vogue World: Hollywood 2025 at Paramount Studios, Oct. 26, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images)
Brooklyn Beckham is opening up on his ongoing feud with his parents, saying he is not interested in reconciling with his family, including his world-famous parents, soccer star David Beckham and singer and designer Victoria Beckham.
Brooklyn Beckham came forward with a lengthy statement on social media on Monday detailing what he sees as instances that have driven a wedge between him and his family, primarily concerning his wife, Nicola Peltz, whom he married in 2022.
“I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private,” Beckham wrote. “Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.”
He continued, “I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”
Brooklyn Beckham claimed in his message that throughout his life, his parents have “controlled narratives in the press” and “place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade.”
Beckham accused his parents of mistreatment and attempting to sabotage his relationship with Peltz, starting before the couple’s marriage.
Beckham cited several alleged examples of what he considers missteps from his family, including his mother opting out of making Peltz’s dress at the “eleventh hour,” pressuring him to sign away the rights to his name, and calling him “evil” based on a disagreement over wedding seating arrangements.
Beckham said it was after he “started standing up for myself” that he became the victim of “endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders.”
The 26-year-old also shared more alleged details about his wedding day, saying his mom “hijacked my first dance with my wife” and “danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone.”
“I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment,” Beckham said.
He also described an attempt to see his father in London, who he said would only see him at his birthday party. “When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.”
“My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family ‘love’ is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations,” he wrote.
He finished by writing that he had been “controlled” by his parents and had grown up with anxiety.
“For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared,” he wrote.
ABC News has reached out to Brooklyn, Victoria and David Beckham, as well as Nicola Peltz.
