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Denzel Washington brought some authenticity to his "Gladiator II" character's sexuality ... 'cause he says he straight-up kissed a dude in a scene -- but, fans won't get to see it.

The actor sat down for an interview with Gayety -- an LGBTQ+-focused media company -- and, they asked him about his character's revelation that he'd been in same-sex couplings before ... leaving them to wonder how gay the Roman Empire truly was.

DW says they didn't just reference his character's past in the flick ... they actually showed him lip-to-lip with another man in a scene -- a full-on smooch in the Ancient Rome film.

Denzel Washington typically portrays a cool and confident character in his films ... yet he was anything but that when he met King Charles at the London premiere of "Gladiator II."

The Oscar-winning actor stepped onto the red carpet at the Wednesday night opening of the action-adventure movie with his costars, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and director Sir Ridley Scott.

Denzel and the others formed a line so Charles could greet them one by one at Leicester Square Odeon -- but when British royalty approached Hollywood royalty things got a little awkward.

The Toy Scout, Joel Magee, is advising people against tossing out the "Wicked" toys incorrectly labeled with a porn link ... explaining owners could majorly cash in on the X-rated error.

The toy expert tells TMZ ... he's never seen a mistake like this on a toy before, especially involving a company as famous and as big as Mattel. In fact, he's baffled the proof team didn't catch such a glaring error, calling it a "heavy" misstep.

However, the mistake actually makes the toy even more valuable now ... with Joel encouraging owners to ignore Mattel's instructions on how to dispose of the NSFW packaging.

George Lemore, who starred in the 1995 film "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh," doesn't think anyone should pick up the villain's famous hook in the aftermath of Tony Todd's death.

We caught up with the actor a week after his former costar died of natural causes at the age of 69, prompting George to advocate to the powers that be to leave the 'Candyman' franchise alone.

As George put it ... the horror series, which dropped its first film back in 1992, should be left as a classic and shouldn't be rebooted again ... declaring it's comparable to other greats in the popular genre.

The "Gladiator II" cast will soon enter the Box Office Colosseum ... but, for now, they're simply enjoying the run-up to the wide release of the film -- attending the premiere in London.

Denzel Washington led the way for the 'G2' stars ... King Kong ain't got a thing on his outfit -- looking handsome in a plain black suit.

Pedro Pascal showed off a little more skin ... wearing his black shirt open to the middle of his chest, his sister Lux standing alongside him.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are proving they're perfectly in-sync ... busting out into song during their recent appearance on "TODAY."

Check it out ... the stars of the upcoming "Wicked" film sit down with Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb to discuss their bond after making the musical movie -- and give a taste of their pitch-perfect sound together.

When asked by Hoda if there's any song they can't help but sing when around one another, the on-screen besties confess "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan is a favorite ... jumping into a live rendition of the song.

Kevin DiCicco, who is known for creating the canine character Air Bud in the movie of the same name, is no longer facing homelessness thanks to an outpouring of donations ... leaving him inspired for a comeback.

He tells TMZ ... an old pal launched a GoFundMe after learning of his situation, and it's skyrocketed to over $11K in donations after we highlighted his story. Kevin says he is overcome with shock and gratitude over the generosity.

However, he is feeling most relieved that he's no longer bound for the streets ... as he's set to receive the funds sometime next week.

"Back to the Future" fans and Universal Pictures have been asking for a new time-traveling chapter for nearly 35 years, but it ain't happenin' ... like, EVER, the franchise co-creator and writer tells TMZ.

Bob Gale tells TMZ ... 'BTTF' fans and Universal Pictures can stop wondering -- and definitely stop asking -- 'cause there will NEVER be a fourth film. And just as important, there will NEVER be a reboot or a spinoff.

We caught up with writer and franchise co-creator after director Robert Zemeckis recently said he dug the idea of turning "Back to the Future: The Musical" into a film, much the same way "Hamilton" was done.

Denzel Washington's got one legendary acting résumé -- and it looks like he's gearing up to cap off his career with a series of epic roles, including an iconic Marvel flick.

The Oscar winner shared he’s not sure how many more roles he’ll take on, especially as he’s being super selective as he approaches 70 -- but dished that director Ryan Coogler's writing him a part in the third 'Black Panther' movie.

Denzel dropped the news on Australia’s "Today" ... casually listing off a few roles he's planning to play before he officially throws in the towel -- "Othello" ... an untitled Netflix film about the historical Carthaginian general Hannibal, directed by Antoine Fuqua ... "King Lear" ... and a Steve McQueen film. It's unclear in what order these 4 films will be produced -- but the real mic-drop moment is his 'Black Panther' tease tucked right in there.

Worlds are colliding for Jonathan Bailey ... he's starring in the new "Wicked" movie with Ariana Grande, but fans won't let him forget his toe-sucking scene in a hit TV series.

Here's the deal ... Jonathan was at Monday's "Wicked" premiere in Mexico City when some folks in the crowd got his attention ... with a printed-out photo of his infamous "Fellow Travelers" scene where he sucks costar Matt Bomer's toes.

Footage from the funny exchange shows Jonathan walking past a group of fans before stopping in his tracks when he notices someone holding up the toe-sucking print. His eyes light up and he happily autographs the photo, then poses for a pic.

Kathy Bates is getting real about why she skipped breast reconstruction surgery after her cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy, and her reasoning is simple -- less is more.

The actress explained on the "MeSsy" podcast with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler that her breasts were so heavy -- in fact, 10 lbs when they were removed during her double mastectomy in 2012 – that getting rid of them felt like a huge relief.

Kathy admitted her decision raised a few eyebrows, but she made it clear that after dealing with big breasts her whole life, she actually enjoys the weight off her chest.

The Muppets' famed home in Hollywood will have new owners soon ... John Mayer and McG are set to buy The Jim Henson Company Lot -- after the Church of Scientology had reportedly been eyeing the property, TMZ has confirmed.

Mayer's rep confirmed the singer and the director are "under contract to buy Henson Studios" ... which was once A&M Studios, and Charlie Chaplin Studios before that -- making it an important piece of Hollywood history.

John and McG are shelling out a whopping $60 million to nab the deed to the Tinseltown tourist spot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Kristin Chenoweth is standing by her prayers for Diddy ... even though the rapper is currently in federal detention, awaiting trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

We caught up with the Broadway legend in New York City and asked her if she is still keeping Diddy in her thoughts ... given the gravity of the charges brought against him in September.

Per Kristin, she's "still praying" for Diddy ... but acknowledged the case against the Bad Boy Records founder is "really bad."

Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger just welcomed their third baby -- and the pair took to IG to share the happy news.

There was no baby pics in their Monday post -- just a sweet, simple shot of their son’s name, Ford Fitzgerald Schwarzenegger Pratt, and his Friday birth date.

Their caption kept it simple -- "Mama and baby are doing well, and Ford’s siblings are thrilled by his arrival. We feel so blessed and grateful. Love, Katherine and Chris."

Action star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is coming clean about some recent reports of his behavior on set ... admitting to his method of taking care of emergency business when nature calls -- but denying he's costing production millions of dollars in downtime.

In a new interview with GQ, DJ responds to a rumor going around Hollywood prompted by an article earlier this year, alleging he was so late so often on the set of an upcoming movie that he cost the production exorbitant sums of money -- and also, that he urinates in bottles on set.

The Wrap reported in April Johnson was so regularly tardy during production of "Red One" -- an upcoming Christmas flick in which he plays Santa Claus' bodyguard -- sometimes by as much as 8 hours, that it added to a $250 million production cost and irritated his castmates. The report also alleges he pees in bottles to save time.

Tom Cruise is upping the ante for his next 'Mission: Impossible' movie ... pulling off another jaw-dropping stunt for the spy thriller franchise.

Check it out ... the new trailer for "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" dropped Monday, with Cruise back in action as super-spy Ethan Hunt. This, of course, meant the stunt-loving actor underwent a number of grueling action sequences ... including one where he clung onto a plane as it did aerial spins.

While we're sure there were several safety protocols in place during the stunt, the final product is certainly impressive ... given the fact it looks as though Cruise could've fallen to his death if it had gone even slightly awry.