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Hayden Panettiere is opening up for the first time about a secret addiction to opioids and alcohol ... saying it took a huge toll on her life and career.

The "Nashville" star, in an interview on "Good Morning America," says she struggled with substance abuse, as well as a battle with postpartum depression after having her 7-year-old daughter, Kaya, saying, "I was on top of the world and I ruined it."

Hayden says at one point, her addiction to alcohol got so bad that she was hospitalized, suffering from jaundice, and the docs warned her liver was going to give out. Now, she says, trauma therapy and inpatient treatment over the last year has brought her to a place of peace ... but it's taken a lot of work.

As a childhood star, she says someone on her team gave her "happy pills" before she appeared on red carpets, "They were to make me peppy during interviews. I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction."

She says as the addiction got worse, she did have one place of sobriety, "My saving grace is that I couldn't be messy while on set and working ... But, things kept getting out of control [off set]. And, as I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn't live without."

Brad Pitt has pissed off a lot of people, so he says, because he fails to recognize them ... but Brad says he believes he suffers from a medical condition called face blindness.

Brad has talked about this struggle in the past ... he just can't recognize people by looking at their faces -- even family members.

The condition is called prosopagnosia ... in lay terms, face blindness. About 2 and a half percent of the population suffers from it in varying degrees. Some researchers have theorized the condition is brought on by underdevelopment in the womb.

Brad has said over the years he's taken a lot of heat by people who felt he was aloof and self-absorbed ... because he didn't care enough about other people to remember them. Brad tells GQ, "Nobody believes me!"

The 58-year-old actor says he's never gone for an official diagnosis, but he's confident he has the condition.

As for how people with the affliction deal ... they use other markers to ID friends, family and associates ... it could be the way they walk, their voice, etc.

Brad told Esquire back in 2013, "So many people hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them."

Brad was brutally honest about lots of things in the interview, including the heartache he felt after the collapse of his marriage to Angelina Jolie and the bitter divorce that followed. He said, "I think all our hearts are broken ... I always felt very alone in my life, alone growing up as a kid, alone even out here, and it's really not till recently that I have had a greater embrace of my friends and family."

Brad is clean and sober, having spent 18 months in AA. He's also cut out cigarettes.

James Cameron has a message for folks who might complain about a long runtime for his new 'Avatar' movie -- pipe down and stop fussing ... unless you gotta wiz.

The esteemed director did a wide-ranging interview with Empire -- where he says, among other things, that he might not actually direct 'Avatar 4' or '5' ... but instead opt to pass the baton to other filmmakers, as he apparently has other stuff he wants to get to.

Cool, cool, cool ... but another even more interesting quote also surfaced in this sit-down -- namely, JC apparently getting preemptively irked about future viewers who might bitch about a likely 3-hour plus movie ... for which he has some words, and even a solution.

Cameron says in part, "I don't want anybody whining about length when they sit and binge-watch [television] for eight hours ... I can almost write this part of the review. 'The agonizingly long three-hour movie...' It's like, give me a f***ing break. I've watched my kids sit and do five one-hour episodes in a row."

He also adds this ... "Here's the big social paradigm shift that has to happen: it's okay to get up and go pee." This part doesn't actually make much sense, unless he's advocating for people to be willing to miss parts of his movie rather than just pee their pants.

Of course, we can't pause films in theaters ... so that seems to be what he's getting at. Now, one way to deal with this organically is to work in a hard intermission, like in the old days.

Even though his other really long movie, 'Titanic,' didn't have an intermission built into the theater screenings when it played in the '90s -- the VHS versions did indeed split the movie into 2 parts. Might not be too lousy of an idea if James is anticipating bladders bursting.

Tom Cruise wasn't born on the Fourth of July, but came close -- and on his special day, a filmmaking partner is honoring him by basically saying ... never change, you nutty bastard.

The actor turned 60 Sunday, and to ring in the milestone ... director Christopher McQuarrie posted a wild photo to celebrate TC and the death-defying stunts that he still carries out himself to this day ... including on the forthcoming 'Mission: Impossible' movie(s).

As you can see, there's Tommy dangling from the wing of an old-timey biplane ... without anyone in the cockpit, it seems. Just Tom hanging on solo, without much assistance.

McQuarrie didn't add much context to this pic -- other than wishing Tom a happy 60th -- but it's pretty obvious this is from either "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" or 'Part Two' ... both of which CMQ is helming with Tom in the driver's seat.

One description of this stunt -- which was reported on last year, as eyewitnesses saw Tom practicing in the U.K. -- explains he'll apparently slip out of the cockpit, make his way to the wing of the plane, hang there as the plane nosedives, and then do a barrel roll to boot.

Unclear if this will be featured in 'M:I 7' '8' ... but in any case, Chris seems to have thought its worthy to throw up as an homage to Tom -- who continues to live like a daredevil.

In fact, this plane thing is just a taste of what he'll do in the new flick -- as we learned from the teaser trailer last month, Tom is also going to jump off a cliff while on a motorcycle ... only to be saved by a parachute. Indeed, his reputation only gets cemented with each flick.

Lots of reasons to be happy if you're Tom Cruise today -- not only is it his born day, but his latest blockbuster, "Top Gun: Maverick," hit a huge benchmark that he's never achieved ... the film has grossed over a billion dollars worldwide at the box office. And, it's still rolling.

As for what the guy's up to today, he was actually spotted at the British Grand Prix ... where he did a stop-and-chat with Sky Sports' Martin Brundle and cheered on Lewis Hamilton.

Even on his bday, he's got time for an impromptu interview and is pleasant about it. Just one more reason we love Tom ... one of the last true iconic movie stars of this generation.

Michael Pena might be getting flashbacks watching this ... a cop throwing hands with an unarmed civilian, and losing his own gear to get on equal footing.

Check out this wild fight between a police officer and a regular schmoe from the streets ... where they both decide to square up and duke out whatever issue they're having. It's pretty nuts -- the cop actually takes off his vest (but still keeps his gun) to throw down properly.

They exchange minor blows for a good while, with the cop seeming to have the upper hand -- he's way bigger for starters -- and the dude in green coming back for more each round.

In the end, they appear to leave their differences right there on the pavement ... seemingly without further incident. Of course, many have pointed out that this doesn't look to have happened in the States -- where a civilian would surely be busted for scrapping with a cop.

Of course, the other observation here ... this is very much like a scene from the 2012 movie "End of Watch," in which both Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal star ... where they play wayward cops. At one point in the flick -- Pena's character, Mike Zavala, brawls with a perp.

Richard Gere has a buyer for his impressive New York estate ... and while he ended up selling for under the original asking price, he's still walking away with a fortune.

The "Pretty Woman" star's 50 acres of property sold on Wednesday -- the buyer shelled out $24.15 million for the entire space out in Pound Ridge, about an hour north of NYC in Westchester County.

The compound includes 5 structures, a pool and some stables -- the area has rolling hills that are perfect for horseback riding, making those stables look like a necessity. The main residence alone is a whopping 11,600 square feet.

The compound also comes with its own private beach, an island you can reach by rowboat ... and there's even a soccer field, too. The surrounding area is incredibly lush -- over 4,300 acres of protected land circle the estate.

Richard listed the property back in October for $28 mil, and records show he bought the space 35 years ago for a measly $1.5M -- talk about a profit!!!

Rumors have spread on social media that Austin Butler and Ezra Miller got into a physical altercation overseas ... but TMZ has learned that's nowhere near the truth.

Sources close to Austin tell TMZ the incident never happened, and Austin never even stepped foot in a pub during his time in Japan as the initial claims suggested.

Not to mention, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department tells TMZ they have no record of the incident.

Austin has been in Tokyo recently to promote his new "Elvis" movie as part of his press tour.

The rumor stated Ezra has been "terrorizing Tokyo" ... walking up to Austin in a bar and yelling at him, causing Austin to punch the 'Flash' star.

A big-time "oops" for Howard Stern -- or one of his staffers -- has Marvel fans buzzing, because he accidentally let it slip he's shooting a movie ... but he doesn't sound too hyped about it.

Howard spilled the tea during a break on his SiriusXM show, apparently not realizing his microphone was still hot, he chatted with his producer Gary Dell'Abate about possible guests for the show ... and noted they won't be able to talk much in the summer.

Co-host Robin Quivers asked if that meant he was working this summer, and Howard replied, "Well, I'm gonna do 'Doctor Doom.'" He admits he's less than thrilled, though, saying ... "But believe me, I'm f***ing miserable about it."

Howard says he's already hit up MCU-vet Robert Downey Jr. for some acting tips -- he even asks Gary to put him in touch with "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau for more help.

Julia Garner -- who has been tapped to play Madonna in her upcoming biopic -- shows she's got the Material Girl vibe ... showing up at a drag show, and even getting in on the action!

Drag Queen Ginger Douglas tells TMZ ... Julia was having a blast at Mickey's in WeHo during a performance of "Showgirls," put on by "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Morgan McMichaels.

Julia, her hubby Mark Foster from Foster The People and the rest of her pals sat front row ... Morgan even pulled her up on stage, congratulating her for her Madge flick ... and the crowd went wild.

Julia stayed for the whole show -- feeling the performances and even tipping the drag queens. She stayed after the show to take pics with members of the audience and some of the performers.

The reboot of the iconic 90s film, "House Party," has lots of folks waiting with bated breath, but fans won't get to watch it anytime soon ... so says the star of the film, Jacob Latimore.

Jacob sat down with Raq on the 'It's Tricky' podcast and talked all about the upcoming film, which is being produced by LeBron James.

Jacob says, the film won't be coming out this summer. He told Raq there were some executive changes at the studio, pushing the release date back to sometime next year. Jacob says it's for the best.

If you know the movie, you know the impact the film had on pop culture. Jacob says, Kid 'N Play will give their blessings to the new cast by appearing in cameo roles.

If Johnny Depp's trip to Paris has him looking like the King of France, it's because he's about to be ... and his excitement about it is written all over his face.

Johnny was still rocking that ear-to-ear smile he's had ever since emerging victorious over his ex-wife Amber Heard in their defamation case ... as he left his hotel in Paris and headed for a private jet flight.

JD was in France last weekend ... reportedly preparing for his role as Louis XV in a film called, "Jeanne du Barry."

He was clean-shaven and greeted just about everyone with smiles and handshakes ... as he made his way from the hotel to his private jet.

As for his ex, Amber Heard, she was spotted shopping at TJ Maxx last week.

Bruce Willis' openness about a medical condition making it difficult if not impossible for him to communicate is already having a profound effect ... folks are learning about the disorder.

The actor was recently diagnosed with aphasia -- a language disorder impacting the ability to comprehend words and/or speak -- and a recent survey shows more Americans are now aware of the term, and many say they first heard about aphasia with the news about Bruce.

The National Aphasia Association tells us ... it just conducted a survey in the wake of Bruce's announcement -- they usually wait 4 years between surveys but changed it up in the wake of media coverage around Bruce -- and numbers showed increased awareness across the country, which they found "astounding."

Some of the findings:

- 68% of people have heard the term "aphasia" ... a huge jump from 2020, when only 14% had heard of the condition

- 40% of people are "aphasia aware," meaning they've heard the term and can identify it as a language disorder ... a significant increase over 2020, when only 7% were "aphasia aware"

- Significantly fewer people think having difficulties with speech indicates being intellectually deficient, with the number dropping from 42% in 2020 to 21% currently.

We're told roughly 1 in 5 respondents mentioned Bruce's name when responding to a question about the last place they remember reading or hearing about aphasia.

Say what you want, but Blac Chyna can't seem to stop chasing the bag ... cause she'll be in an upcoming movie and her new role is actually hilarious!

We've learned Chyna landed the role in the flick ... "Secret Society 2." She'll be playing a publicist named Vicki, who specializes in crisis management -- something BC knows a thing or 2 about!

In the movie, Chyna's character, Vicki, plays a badass publicist who goes to extreme lengths for her clients ... especially when it comes to Celess and Si Si, two rising stars in young Hollywood with secrets that can ruin their careers. Right when they are on the brink of making it big, things take a deadly turn.

And, she has co-stars -- Reyna Love, Erica Pinkett, Vivica A. Fox, and Jeremy Meeks. BTW ... 3 of Chyna's songs will be featured in the film.

Chyna's performance is already in the can ... it was shot months before her recent trial against the Kardashians ... a trial which she lost.

Miasha Coleman, the executive producer, tells us ... "Blac Chyna is definitely no stranger to headlines and publicity, so naturally she nailed her part as a publicist! We are also excited to showcase her music in 'Secret Society 2.' They fit the vibe of the movie perfectly."

Kudos to the producers -- casting BC as a crisis PR type given the multitude of crises in which she's been embroiled. As they say ... good actors draw upon their own experiences.

The upcoming movie on the Gabby Petito murder looks super intense ... judging by the scenes being filmed right now, including a heated argument between Gabby and Brian Laundrie.

Lifetime's "The Gabby Petito Story" is shooting scenes just outside Salt Lake City, Utah. This scene, shot Thursday, shows Gabby and Brian's characters squaring off in a screaming match at a campground before Brian storms off in the infamous white van.

It's clearly an emotional scene, with Brian hurling expletives over Gabby being on her phone ... and the actor playing Brian looks like a dead ringer for Gabby's fiancé and murderer.

The timing is eerie ... as we reported, Brian's notebook was just made public ... and he confesses to murdering Gabby and reveals his handwritten excuse as to why he killed her.

In his 8-page confession, Brian admits to taking Gabby's life ... but claims he killed her out of compassion ... after she allegedly suffered an injury while they were on a hike in Wyoming.

As for the Lifetime movie, production will continue in Utah ... and it's set to premiere later this year.

Bill Bellamy says he's being forced to make an impossible choice after the deaths of his father and father-in-law -- due to an "unauthorized" memorial service planned by his sister.

The comedian and actor's going through an incredibly painful period ... with his father-in-law dying May 17, and then his own dad passing on June 8.

That would be gut-wrenching enough, but TMZ has learned things got even worse. While Bill was out of the country ... we're told his sister, Karen, made plans to lay their father, William, to rest today, June 24 -- the same weekend Bill and his wife had already planned his father-in-law's service in a different state.

According to documents filed in New Jersey, Bill actually attempted to get a restraining order which would force Karen to change the date, but he was denied -- there really is no legal standing for a judge to get involved in this sort of family dispute.

The obvious rift with his sister has left Bill in an unenviable position. He tells TMZ ... "In the span of less than a month I lost both my father William Bellamy Senior and my father-in-law Bernard Baker Junior. These two wonderful men that have impacted my life and my family's lives in ways that are beyond words."

He continues, "My effort to stop an unauthorized memorial service for my father, which was planned without my knowledge, was not successful. I am devastated my family has to choose to miss one service for another, no one should ever have to be in this position. My father-in-law's memorial service was confirmed back in May when he passed.

There are no words to express how disappointed I am to not be a part of laying my father to rest but I look forward to celebrating my father's life and legacy with my wife, his grandchildren and our close friends in our own time.

It's all coming to life ... Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling's Barbie and Ken characters came face-to-face on set -- the first time fans have gotten a glimpse of the two together.

Both clearly were dressed in wardrobe from Barbie's cowgirl collection Tuesday in L.A. Gosling sported a black ensemble, complete with a white cowboy hat -- and Robbie wore Barbie's signature pink with a white hat.

It's the first time we've seen both characters together on set -- but not the first time we've seen them in costume.

Fans went nuts when pics of both Gosling and Robbie were first dropped, showing them in the iconic roles.

While Margot and Ryan are seemingly the movie's leads ... there are also reports other stars will be featured as Barbie and Ken in Greta Gerwig's movie. Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa are the alleged additional Kens and Issa Rae and Hari Nef are the alleged other Barbies.