Actress Thandie Newton denies reports that Channing Tatum fired her from his movie “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” following a loud argument over Will Smith’s Oscars slap.
Smith, 53, slapped Chris Rock in front of millions on live TV after the 57-year-old comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss on March 27.
A source on the “Magic Mike” set in West London told The Sun that the screaming match between Newton, 49, and Tatum, 41, escalated to such “astonishing” and “unimaginably vicious” levels that Tatum stormed off the set and drove off in a car.
Tatum reportedly sent word back to the set that he would not continue working with Newton.
“Channing Tatum is the producer and number one on set,” the source said. “Thandie Newton is the number two star. But 11 days into shooting and it’s all over.”
Steven Soderbergh, director of the HBO Max movie, tried to bring peace to the set, but Tatum was adamant that he wanted Newton gone, the source told the British tabloid.
“He was trying to calm things down but he’s a very quiet man… They fell out over the debacle at the Oscars. I was on set. I watched her and watched him. They were in and out of the house where we were filming having this confrontation.
“It was a tense exchange of words, but suddenly it escalated. Channing got into this car and he disappeared,” the source said, adding that Newton acted like a “diva” on the set before the argument.
However, Newton’s rep said she wasn’t fired from the movie — she quit to deal with personal matters.
“Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Magic Mike’s Last Dance to deal with family matters,” the statement to Variety read.
“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” is the third installment of the Magic Mike male stripper film franchise. The first 2 films grossed nearly $300 million worldwide the NY Post reports.
