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Joaquin Phoenix has an ally on the Hollywood battlefield -- the historical advisor from his film, "Napoleon" is leaping to his defense following some biting criticism from Brian Cox.

Lorris Chevalier tells TMZ ... Joaquin did the best with what he was given on-set -- even though he himself wanted to take "Napoleon" in a different, unique, direction ... but he faced stiff opposition.

Despite his ideas being shut down, Lorris says Joaquin really threw himself into the role ... hitting up spots like Napoleon's private castle, the Malmaison and several other Napoleonic sites around Paris for some hands-on character research.

Louis Gossett Jr. died from a lung condition ... according to his death certificate.

TMZ obtained a copy of the document ... which cites chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as the main cause of death. It also notes heart failure and atrial fibrillation as contributing conditions. It says he'd been battling COPD for years.

The death cert also notes Gossett's body was set to be cremated -- and it also lists his occupation as an actor who was working in entertainment.

Giancarlo Esposito's financial situation was so bad before landing his "Breaking Bad" role, he says he contemplated plotting his own murder.

The actor made that shocking revelation while he was on Sirius XM's "Jim & Sam Show" ... where he talked about a period in his life when he was not the successful Hollywood actor and producer he is today.

GE recalled struggling with his mental health and finances in 2008, and admitted he wondered if his kids could collect insurance money if he hired someone to take him out.

One of the nation's most famous hotels featured in the Stanley Kubrick film, "The Shining," went up in flames Thursday night – but luckily firefighters put out the blaze before it could spread and destroy the Oregon landmark.

Timberline Lodge -- better known as the Overlook Hotel from the 1980 horror classic starring Jack Nicholson -- was once again shot by camera crews, but this time TV news outlets filmed a small inferno that erupted in the attic of the 55,000 square foot building.

Last evening, fire crews responded to the hotel and ski resort about 60 miles from Portland after employees called in the emergency and directed guests to congregate in safe places.

Warwick Davis -- famous from the 'Harry Potter' movies -- just announced the death of his wife ... and he's heartbroken over it.

The actor broke the sad news this week, saying his spouse Samantha had recently passed away -- although, he didn't get specific on the cause, or under what circumstances.

He says, "My wife and soulmate, best friend. Devoted mother, My favorite human. My most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career, has passed. The most open, warm person I have ever known. Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs."

Frank Sinatra's daughter is weighing in on Martin Scorsese's plans to turn the singer's life into a film -- and from the sounds of it ... she's more than fine with the project.

ICYMI ... Martin is planning to make a biopic about Ol' Blue Eyes -- with Leonardo DiCaprio potentially playing the famed crooner. According to reports, Tina Sinatra, Frank's daughter who controls her father's estate, hasn't yet given her blessing for the upcoming movie.

However, Tina talked to us ... and when we asked her directly about her thoughts on Scorsese's plans -- ones he's circled for many years now -- she sounded positive.

Sydney Sweeney's former acting coach is jumping to her defense after her talent and looks were slammed by a Hollywood producer.

Scott Sedita from Scott Sedita Acting Studios tells TMZ ... Sydney is a well-trained actress, whose career started when she was just a teenager. While he agrees Sydney doesn't have "supermodel" good looks, Scott does say she's beautiful for a myriad of other reasons.

As he put it to us, "Sydney is beautiful because she has inner depth, intellect, compassion, style and facial features -- eyes, smile, cheekbones -- that the camera angles pick up on. The camera loves her 'look' as well as the audience. Audiences love her because she’s relatable and approachable."

Jessica Chastain's claim about a popular baby name isn't holdin' water -- while she says lots of fans are naming kids after her "Interstellar" character ... Babynames.com says that's not the case.

The online database for baby names tells TMZ ... the name "Murph" -- Chastain's character's name from the hit 2014 movie -- isn't the big hit she thinks it is.

Babynames.com used the Social Security Office data, and it says "Murph" didn't make the top 1,000 names ... for men or women in any year.

Sydney Sweeney's camp hasn't wasted time clapping back at the attack on her looks and acting chops by a Hollywood producer ... even though the woman herself is walking it back.

A rep for the "Euphoria" actress called out Carol Baum for her recent remarks that classified SS as "not pretty" and not a good actress, saying, "How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman."

The rep adds, "If that’s what she’s learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that’s shameful. To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms Baum’s character.”

Chris Pratt looked like a legit action hero while filming a scene for his new movie -- and he's doing all his own stunts, it seems ... chasing a fictional bad guy into the Pacific Ocean.

The actor was spotted this week in costume and in character as an LAPD officer, shooting scenes up in Malibu -- which included one set piece that required him to chase a dude down into the sea, fully clothed mind you.

Chris was on the move in another clip too ... where he was seen holding out his gun and telling someone to get down. BTW, this movie he's filming is called 'Mercy,' and it's a sci-fi thriller where he plays a detective accused of a crime and needing to prove his innocence.

Sydney Sweeney ain't as hot as we all think ... that's Hollywood producer Carol Baum's take, anyway, and she's teeing off on the actress' looks and acting ability.

Carol ripped into Sydney during a discussion before a screening of her 1988 film, "Dead Ringers" -- and kinda outta nowhere, she took issue with Sydney's recent romantic comedy, "Anyone But You" ... slamming it as unwatchable.

Carol -- whose credits include "Father of the Bride" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- said she'd asked her students at USC to explain the craze surrounding Sydney.

Bill Maher went in hard for Woody Allen, saying flatly he doesn't believe the sexual abuse allegations and thinks actors who won't work with him are "pu**ies."

Bill was chatting it up with Katie Couric on his 'Club Random' podcast when Allen's name came up. Maher said, "I respect the artist and the man," and then he bore in on the long-standing allegations that Allen sexually abused Dylan, his adopted daughter when she was 7.

Bill believes the story was engineered by Mia Farrow to gain an advantage in their bitter divorce, saying Farrow was motivated by vindictiveness.

Johnny Depp hasn't retired from acting, despite the fact he's currently giving all his attention to directing right now ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Johnny tell TMZ ... the Oscar nominee isn't done with performing in front of the camera, but his current passion has been directing the biopic "Modi," as he's been very happy being back in the director's chair.

The forthcoming drama about the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani stars Riccardo Scamarcio, Sally Phillips and Al Pacino ... and the film has already gotten great buzz. It's his first time directing a feature film since 1997's "The Brave" ... which he also co-starred in with Marlon Brando.

The new trailer for "Joker: Folie à Deux" is stirring up some buzz among moviegoers and some filmmakers, who think some scenes very closely echo the musical "La La Land."

Austin Gorg, the art director of Damien Chazelle’s 2016 hit, "La La Land," hasn't really noticed the comparisons himself ... but he tells TMZ any similarities are no big deal 'cause filmmaking often involves borrowing a bit of inspiration from other people's work.

Austin reckons the Todd Phillips-directed 'Joker 2' drawing comparisons to Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's flick is likely just a case of both films tapping into well-worn cinematic tropes explored by many movies -- as he points out, "La La Land" was essentially a love letter to classic films, even using sets from old-school musicals.

Prop tanks from the 2014 war film "Fury" are about to hit the auction block, and they're expected to fetch tens of thousands.

Tracks & Trade -- an auction platform for unique historical military vehicles -- has listed the 2 tanks featured in the movie starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf, which were used in place of actual WWII vehicles during filming to prevent potential damage to the authentic ones.

One of the tanks listed is called the "Sherman," while the other is named the "Tiger" -- the latter which had limited gear change opportunities.

Sydney Sweeney and fellow actress Hadley Robinson had a euphoric night out in Key West ... as the duo belted out some karaoke gold.

The "Anyone But You" costars hit up The Backyard Bar in Key West, FL Saturday night ... and what they may have lacked in vocals, they definitely made up for in flair!

Hadley kicked things off with a spirited rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" ... followed by a group performance of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline."