‘I’ve had letters from klansmen’: Jennifer Beals on Flashdance, The L Word and fighting to get diverse stories told

The actor, who broke through in 1983 playing a welder who dreamed of being a dancer, reflects on a life of activism, why gen Z give her hope and joining the Star Wars universe

Kiefer Sutherland: ‘I said: I can do a really good Donald Sutherland for half the money’

Answering readers’ questions, the actor and musician talks about how he tried stealing a job off his father, his favourite item from Greggs and his Mickey Mouse tattoo

‘Just go for it. Have a shot. I did – I started with nothing’: at home with Vicky McClure

Line of Duty has made her primetime royalty and one of the UK’s most watched actors. Now Vicky McClure is paying it forward to a new generation of working-class talent

Danny Dyer to leave EastEnders after nine years, BBC confirms

Queen Vic landlord will leave Walford after signing a reported six-figure deal with Sky

Jamie Dornan: ‘spoilt-for-choice’ TV viewers risk discarding shows too soon

Star of BBC One thriller The Tourist says danger of television’s golden age is viewers not giving shows a chance

Kate Winslet: ‘I feel way cooler as a fortysomething actress than I ever imagined’

The star of one of 2021’s biggest TV hits, Mare of Easttown, talks about weepy reunions with Leonardo DiCaprio, bingeing Ted Lasso and middle-aged women taking over our screens

Need a warped, tortured or evil character for a Hollywood film? Cast a British actor

UK stars Olivia Colman, Idris Elba and Benedict Cumberbatch are all in demand with US directors. We look at why

Javier Bardem: ‘When I won the Oscar, I felt great, but it didn’t make any sense’

Famed for portraying bad guys in Skyfall and No Country for Old Men, the Spaniard opens up about his marriage to Penélope Cruz, his formidable mum, and his hopes for his kids

Sip, sip, hooray! Film, music, art and more about drinking

Whether your tipple is Mad Men, Roger Scruton or a game set in Satan’s afterparty, our critics toast the best culture about booze

Maggie Gyllenhaal: from ‘difficult’ roles to lauded Hollywood director

With a string of plaudits for portraying complex characters, the actor is now focusing her ‘quiet fire’ behind the cameras with a stunning debut film

Edie Falco: ‘Alcohol was the answer to all my problems – and the cause of them’

One of TV’s most admired actors, she is now playing Hillary Clinton on screen. She discusses overcoming addiction, her adoration for Sopranos co-star James Gandolfini and the pure joy of adopting two children

‘I have an outsider’s perspective’: why Will Sharpe is the A-List’s new favourite director

The actor-director won a Bafta for his performance in Giri/Haji. Hailed as a star in the making by Olivia Colman​, he discusses the true stories that inspired his ​new projects

Joanne Froggatt: ‘Mick Jagger is a big Downton fan’

The actor, 41, tells Michael Hogan about double entendres and the Duchess of Cambridge, her awe of musicians and why friends call her Jo-Fro

Sheila Atim: ‘Six wings, chips and a drink. That’s my guilty pleasure’

The actor, 30, tells Michael Hogan about learning tenacity, gaining an MBE, meeting Tom Hanks and her pole-dancing addiction

Stephen Graham on his dramatic year: prison officer, care home … and now a kitchen nightmare

The in-demand actor’s latest role? Playing a stroppy chef on the busiest night of the year in the single-take drama Boiling Point