Names and faces
■ Felicity Huffman’s co-stars in a new Netflix movie say they found her remorseful about her role in a college admissions scandal. Actress Angela Bassett said Huffman appears ready to take whatever steps are necessary in her case. Patricia Arquette said she believes Huffman feels terrible about her participation in the case. Huffman didn’t meet reporters to promote the film Otherhood.
She pleaded guilty in May to paying $15,000 to a college admissions consultant to have a proctor correct her daughter’s answers on the SAT. “Nobody is perfect in this world,” Arquette said. “And I do think she’s genuinely sorry.” In the movie,
Otherhood, producer Cathy Schulman noted that there are ties binding Huffman’s character to the real-life actress. She said Huffman plays a flawed character, a mother who believes that her own actions can make anything possible for her child. “The Felicity that I know and love and worked with is a person who has had a hard year experiencing a flaw,” Schulman said. “And we wish you the best. And we don’t feel that it overshadows our film in any way, shape or form because mothering is complicated, and we do what we need to do.” The movie premieres on Netflix on Aug. 2. For video see arkansasonline.com/721huffman/
■ U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke with Sweden’s prime minister Saturday about jailed rapper A$AP Rocky and “offered to personally vouch for his bail.” Trump tweeted that during “a very good call” with Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, he also “assured him that A$AP was not a flight risk.” The platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated artist has been in custody since early this month over an alleged fight. “Our teams will be talking further, and we agreed to speak again in the next 48 hours!” Trump wrote Saturday after speaking with Lofven. The prime minister’s press secretary, Toni Eriksson, confirmed hours later that Lofven and Trump had a conversation that “was friendly and respectful and lasted about 20 minutes.” Lofven had issued a statement earlier Saturday saying he would be glad to speak with Trump about A$AP Rocky’s detention but gave the same warning about his government’s unwillingness to interfere. “I understand that President Trump has a personal interest in the case,” the prime minister said before they spoke. “He has expressed the desire for a conversation with me, which is certainly positive.” Rocky, who’s real name is Rakim May, has been behind bars while Swedish police investigate a fight in Stockholm that occurred before the rapper appeared at a music festival. Videos published on social media appear to show a person being violently thrown onto the ground by Rocky. A defense lawyer has said it was self-defense.