Gervais on Griffin and Maher’s comedic missteps

Brandon Flynn—broadway.com

English funnyman Ricky Gervais is no stranger to controversy—as much for his blunt Golden Globes hosting as for his animal-rights activism. He recently shared his thoughts on embattled comedienne Kathy Griffin and host Bill Maher’s public missteps.

On the bashing Griffin is receiving for holding up a blood-tinged Donald Trump mask for a photo shoot in May, Gervais told entertainment site Vulture: “That was ridiculous. Yes, what she did was bad art, but it was still art. There were people treating it like it was a real head. I’m screaming, ‘It wasn’t a f**king president’s head!’ It was a visual statement. Her crime was that it was a little crass and thoughtless, but who cares? That’s up to her.”

On Maher, who used a racial slur in “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Gervais said, “I don’t know why he said it. [But] I know he’s not a racist. He’s been fighting bigotry for years. It was misjudged in the split-second and not at all justified. He let himself down.”

Teen star on playing Batman

Actor David Mazouz was a fragile-looking kid when “Gotham” started three years ago. As Bruce Wayne, the now 16-year-old actor tackled the duality of the character in the show’s recent season finale, where Bruce is now a covert crimefighter, patroling Gotham City’s streets in a dark coat and ski mask.

“That was one of the best moments of my life,” he told comicbook.com. “When our executive producer, John Stephens, told me about that moment, I was in shock…What I was thinking the next week or so was, ‘Please don’t change it!’ And they (the writers) didn’t. They made it even better than what he [told me].”

Which part does he find particularly challenging in preparation for the new season? “The tough part [is] finding a good Batman voice,” he quipped.

David Mazouz

‘13 Reasons Why’ actor’s success story

“13 Reasons Why” actor Brandon Flynn recently shared a story on Instagram told to him by his father, an Uber driver.

“A student in the backseat had mentioned how, at his orientation, [a faculty member] spoke about an actor in ‘13 Reasons Why’ who attended the school he would be starting as a freshman in,” Flynn wrote as caption to his old graduation picture. “[The student] mentioned the dedication, talent and the drive the actor had in high school. Of course, my dad let [him] know that the kid he was speaking of was his son,” said Flynn, who studied at New World School of the Arts in high school.

The 23-year-old actor, who plays troubled jock Justin in the hit drama series, added, “[It] melts my heart that the school that offered me so much at such a young age—technique, a vibrant education, a self-awareness and an abundance of love—is now able to say my name as an example of success. So proud to have gone to New World…To the new student, if you read this, best of luck.”—OLIVER PULUMBARIT