Awards season is in full swing and with the SAG awards taking place this evening, Hollywood stars are descending from far and wide on the LA red carpet to celebrate the past year in television and film.

One of the most nominated films at the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild award ceremony is Barbie, with the cult classic receiving nods for Best Actress (Margot Robbie), Best Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Cast and Best Stunt Ensemble.

And with the star-studded Barbie cast expected to be front and centre this evening, news of Barbie Easter eggs, special meanings behind scenes and America Ferrera's viral speech have of course resurfaced.

The most talked-about Barbie news this evening however is of course related to its casting, with two A-listers recently reported to have originally been cast in the film.

Yes, while the record breaking film had a knockout ensemble of Emerald Fennell, Nicola Coughlan, Dua Lipa, Ncuti Gatwa, America Ferrera and Helen Mirren to name a few, there were several other A-listers who were originally cast. And from Amy Schumer and Timothée Chalamet to Saoirse Ronan and Anne Hathaway, we're talking major Hollywood names.

The most recent A-listers in question? Olivia Colman and Ben Affleck.

Helen Mirren, the film's narrator, broke the news of Olivia Colman's cameo in a recent interview with Variety, explaining that there were originally supposed to be two narrators, with Colman's scene ultimately being scrapped.

“It was a very funny scene with Olivia Colman sort of playing drunk and us clashing about who is the real grande dame of British actresses,” Mirren explained. “She comes in and tries to take over the role of the narrator and I had to fight her off.”

Ben Affleck's almost cameo however was revealed by Michael Cera, who played Ken's best friend Alan in the film.

Opening up about his fight scene on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Cera revealed that he wasn't originally supposed to act that scene, adding: “It was supposed to be Ben Affleck. Am I allowed to say that?”

“Ben wanted to do it”, Cera explained, but reportedly had to pull out due to scheduling conflicting with his 2023 film, Air. 

We will continue to update this story.

This weekend sees the 2024 BAFTAs, with the 77th British Academy Film Awards set to celebrate the past year in film. 

Among the most nominated films of this year's BAFTAs are Oppenheimer and Poor Things with 13 and 11 nominations respectively, and Killers of the Flower Moon and The Zone of Interest with nine nominations each. Also in the running are Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers and Maestro, with seven nominations a-piece, All of Us Strangers with six nominations, and Barbie and Saltburn with five nods each.

The ceremony, hosted this year by David Tennant, annually sees a host of A-listers and royalty descend on the red carpet, with Kate and William, the Prince and Princess of Wales, having attended multiple time in the past, including last year.

Prince William's presence at the 2023 ceremony was hardly surprising, given that he has been the President of BAFTA since 2010. But on closer inspection, the Prince and Princess of Wales haven't attended every year, actually missing the two award ceremonies previously. 

So, why did Prince William and Princess Kate miss the BAFTAs in 2021 and 2022?

The reasons behind their absences are actually very simple, with the Prince and Princess forced to pull out of their 2021 attendance following the death of Prince Philip, and declining the invitation in 2022 due to diary constraints.

The royal couple attended the festivities last year for the first time since 2020 - a particularly important event, as it marked the first BAFTAs since the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The BAFTAs paid a touching tribute to the late monarch, with Dame Helen Mirren reciting a speech in her memory where she thanked The Queen for all she had done for the film and TV industry.

“She was unquestionably the nation’s leading lady but as mysterious as a silent film star," read the tribute. “Who else could meet the world’s most famous singers, actors and performers and turn them into her supporting cast.

“Throughout her 70-year reign, she met cinema’s greatest icons and witnessed the evolution of Hollywood’s golden age to the birth of the blockbuster - Her Majesty was front row for it all."

The tribute continued: "Cinema at its best does what Her Majesty did effortlessly: bring us together and unite us in a story. Your Majesty, you were our nation’s leading star. On behalf of Bafta, thank you for all that you have done for our film and television industry”.

"Congratulations to all of this year's wonderful and worthy Bafta winners!" the Prince and Princess of Wales posted to Instagram, following the ceremony. "A special evening celebrating the best of cinema and the next generation of British talent both in front of and behind the camera."

Follow this year's BAFTA coverage in full @MarieClaireUK.

Dame Helen Mirren is an icon in many ways, and now adding to the mix is a love guru.

The 76-year-old actor has been married to husband Taylor Hackford for almost 25 years, ever since they wed in 1997, although they were together for 10 years prior to tying the knot.

The Queen actor has shared her tips for a long lasting relationship, and part of it is "unconditional praise", and keeping your own identity.

Speaking to PEOPLE, the movie legend said: "You know, I believe in unconditional praise from one's loved ones. I don't want any criticism. And I give him unconditional praise likewise — more or less. We allow each other to do our own thing, and get on with it."

"A really important part of love is to maintain your own sense of identity. In a way, that's the most important thing of all, to not subsume yourself into someone else, far from it. Be honestly and authentically who you are."

"It's work. And it's very important to allow the person you love to be who they are — even if [sometimes] you don't like it very much."

Despite Helen and Taylor being together for many years, she believes the coronavirus pandemic brought them even closer together.

She explained: "I've worked every year since I was 20. COVID was the first time in the whole of my life I've not worked for six months.

"[Many people] were suffering through that terrible, terrible time, but what was valuable for me was that I got to spend time with my husband and sit across the table from him every night for six months — which I've never done before — and not worry about or even think about work."

Helen has admitted she is "constantly" learning new things about her husband, and reaching new depths in her relationship.

She shared: "You're constantly discovering, learning about the person you love, who suddenly, completely surprises you. You find depths of courage or patience or generosity or that you just didn't know were there."

Dame Helen Mirren boasts an impressive career, and numerous accolades, and despite being the only actor to receive the Triple Crown of Acting in the UK and US, there was one specific goal she was determined to reach.

The 76-year-old actor has made appearances in the the Fast & Furious franchise, including The Fate of the Furious, Hobbs & Shaw, as well as F9, in which she portrayed Jason Statham's mother, Magdalene 'Queenie' Shaw.

But the award-winning movie icon has admitted she had to "beg" to be cast in the role back in 2017, which she has returned to for the latest instalment, because she wanted to be in a "big big movie" and to drive a fast car. Oh, Helen you thrill seeker you!

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about her role in the popular action film , she said: "I didn't ask — I begged!

"I think I was at some function, and he was there, and I got introduced to him. And I was shameless: 'Oh God, I'd just love to be in one of your movies! Please let me be in it.' And then Vin, with that beautiful, deep voice of his, said: 'I'll see what I can do.' And he did it for me.

"He found this great little role for me, which was perfect.

"I'd just never done anything like that before — one of those big, big movies. And, in my vanity, I just loved driving and really wanted to do my own driving in a fast car."

Helen - who has appeared in The Queen, Red, and Calendar Girls to name a few - can't stop gushing about the movie franchise, as she previously admitted she loved working with Vin Diesel, who portrays street car racer Dominic Toretto - and felt she was in "safe hands".

Speaking previously to Entertainment Weekly, Helen said: "You're in very safe and loving hands when you're in a Fast & Furious. It was just great to be in a very small space with Vin Diesel for quite a long time. I just loved every minute.

"It was great, hearing that beautiful, soft brown velvet voice really, really close, because we were squished together. Oh, I just so love his voice. He's got the best voice ever."

"I just adored him immediately, and he's always been so kind and lovely to me. So it was there right from the beginning, and it is very weird. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever on any level, but that's the weird thing about chemistry, isn't it? There's never an explanation for it. It's just one of those things that happens."