‘Southern people are the sweetest’

 Reckless star Anna Wood talks about her roots,

super villain spouse. By Joseph V Amodio

The dream for any actor is to leave home a nobody and come back a star, and for Anna Wood — starring in the new CBS legal drama Reckless — the dream became a reality. The series shoots in Charleston, South Carolina. Wood grew up in Mount Airy, a sleepy North Carolina town. She now lives in Brooklyn, but you can’t take the South outta the gal — note her Twitter handle, @annawoodyall.

In Reckless, Wood plays Jamie Sawyer, a Yankee lawyer new to town, who spars with suave city attorney Roy Rayder (Cam Gigandet) in court. Meanwhile, a major police scandal threatens to rock their world. The up-and-coming actress has had small roles on TV’s Royal Pains, Deception and the sci-fi film Chronicle, which starred her husband, Dane DeHaan. Excerpts:

What’s it like being from the South of the US, starring in a new show set in the South, and all the actors are doing Southern accents except you?

It was definitely a challenge not to fall back into my Southern accent. It’s easy to do that when I go home, or when I speak to my parents on the phone.

But your character’s from Chicago.

That’s right. I was jealous of everyone getting to speak in my accent. (She chuckles.)

What’s your biggest challenge so far?

Cam and I had to learn a lot of legalese. It’s almost a new language. It was tough, committing all those huge speeches to memory every night, and making sure I understood everything coming out of my mouth.

Is Charleston as beautiful as they say?

It’s wonderful. Now I don’t know if this is totally true, but I’ve been told it’s the most historically preserved city this side of Rome.

Hmm, I wonder. Although I suppose cities like Athens or Carthage are mostly ruins.

Charleston has a historic society that’s very conscious of the amazing old buildings, keeping them in good shape. And there’s unbelievable food there. It’s almost a bad thing, how good the food is. And the Southern people  ... I’m partial, but Southern people are the sweetest.

What was it like getting the call that said you got the part — your first major role?

It’s a funny story. I wouldn’t have auditioned for this show had my flight not been cancelled. I’d just tested for another show that didn’t go my way. I was all grumpy — then my flight gets cancelled. So my managers said, “Why don’t you go in for this other show while you’re here?” I did and I’m leaving right after for my rescheduled flight when they call and say, “STOP! Turn around. You booked the job. And we’re starting now.”

You’re kidding.

I’d packed for three days — wound up being away five weeks. I had to go straight to South Carolina. They took me to a salon that day and said, “We’ve gotta do something with those eyebrows.” (She laughs.) I’m significantly lower maintenance than my character. So I had a “Princess Diaries” transformation — gave me highlights, separated my eyebrow into two. It was pretty magical.

You grew up in the same small town as Andy Griffith.

That’s right. I could walk to his old house from where my parents live.

Ever catch reruns of

He completely did. It’s the same. Just like on the show, Mount Pilot is the next town over. It was our rival school. And Mount Airy has Mayberry Days every summer, when they honour the show. It’s very sweet.

Now you’re in Brooklyn. Big change.

My husband and I dabbled in LA, but this is more our pace. I feel like I earn my sleep here. I love it. New York is the greatest city in the world.

You’re married to the Green Goblin.

 I am.

Spidey’s archrival?

I know. I like bad boys.

Since his role in

Not so much. Every once in a while — it’s not freaky, though. People are lovely. The Internet is crazy, people on Twitter are otherworldly. But in person, it’s all good. – Newsday/MCT

Kutcher’s website accused of plagiarism

Editors of actor Ashton Kutcher’s content website have been accused of plagiarising news stories. The Two and a Half Men star is a co-founder and investor of A+ (aplus.com), an aggregate website, which features viral articles, videos, photos and more from around the world.

However, in a recent article featured on online newspaper Daily Dot, site editors pointed out that several stories featured on the website are eerily similar to those previously posted on popular sites such as The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed and Cracked, reports contactmusic.com.

The online edition even posted screenshots of the original articles and the A+ stories, which were recreated without crediting. Kutcher’s fellow co-founder Evan Beard tells the Daily Dot that the company’s bosses take “these allegations seriously and are looking into them”.

As a result of the allegations, all the content posted prior to July, 2014 has now been deleted, which Beard says was “taken down as a precautionary measure”.

A+ was first launched in 2011, and later re-launched in 2013, with Kutcher promoting the site on both his Twitter and Facebook accounts in the past. — IANS

Mila Kunis to sell off Los Angeles house

Actress Mila Kunis, who is ready to marry fiance Ashton Kutcher, is selling off her house here in Los Angeles. The actress, who is pregnant with their first child, has put her Hollywood Hills mansion on the market for almost $4mn, reports eonline.com. The mansion features five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a swimming pool, hot tub and a home movie theatre.

Kunis met Kutcher on the set of TV sitcom That ‘70s Show, but started dating in 2012. They became engaged earlier this year and their baby is due in the coming weeks. — IANS