Thandiwe Newton appears to have no bad feelings about fellow actress Salma Hayek replacing her in the upcoming film Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Several conflicting reports have claimed that the 49-year-old was fired following a heated argument with Channing Tatum over Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars last month. Another source via Page Six claimed Thandiwe had been battling emotional and family problems, which was why she had allegedly been acting “strange” and was ultimately ousted, saying “it became clear she couldn’t play the role.”
Whatever the case may be, Thandiwe seems to have remained in good spirits after taking to her Instagram Story on Monday to throw some love and support behind Salma, who filled in for the actress following her abrupt departure. Thandiwe gushed about Salma’s performance in the movie Beatriz at Dinner when she added the caption, “For me, no finer performance, no finer film, about the real questions we need to be asking. I love you Salma Hayek.”
After the Mission: Impossible 2 star left the production for Magic Mike’s third installment while filming commenced in London, it was revealed she had also split with her husband Ol Parker after 24 years of marriage. The pair tied the knot back in 1998 and share three kids together, Ripley, Nico, and Booker. “There is a lot going on in her personal life; she and her husband have separated,” an insider explained. “She seemed so stressed, she even brought her two pet rabbits to her hotel for emotional support.”
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Warner Bros was quick to issue a statement on behalf of the actress, saying she had bowed out from the motion picture to deal with matters at home, penning, “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.”
RELATED: Thandiwe Newton Reportedly Headed To Rehab Following Dramatic ‘Magic Mike’ Exit
It’s believed that Thandiwe has already moved on with a new man named Elijah Dias, a 25-year-old aspiring musician better known as Lonr, who she was spotted kissing out in Malibu, California, last week. The two strolled through the streets hand-in-hand before realizing a string of photographers had been following them. They appeared calm as they continued to kiss, clearly unbothered by people knowing about their relationship.
In a statement to The Post, Lonr said, “From the relatively short time I’ve been fortunate to spend with her, I know Thandiwe and Oliver care deeply about the welfare of their children.That’s all I care about right now.”
It remains unclear whether Thandiwe plans to move out to Los Angeles or return to London in the foreseeable future, but one thing that seems for sure is that she was unfit to continue working under the circumstances concerning her marital problems.