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For John Boyega, the best thing about acting is getting to play characters who are fundamentally different from who he is in real life ... and he only wants roles that fit the bill.

John joined us on "TMZ Live" and told us why he's not a fan of restricting who actors can and cannot play based on heritage, identity, sexual orientation, etc.

The way John sees it, actors are people who play other people ... and the profession was never supposed to be about portraying a character that is super similar to the actual actor.

While there's been some backlash recently about James Franco being cast to play Fidel Castro and Ana de Armas portraying Marilyn Monroe ... John says haters are getting it all wrong, and actors shouldn't let audiences define who they are.

John says he makes it a priority to find casting directors and producers who want him to transform into a role ... and he says his upcoming movie, "Breaking," is a prime example.

JB is returning to the big screen after taking a break from acting during the pandemic ... and explains why it's important for those in his profession to avoid burnout, and tells us why a hiatus is not as glamorous as it sounds.

President Biden's move to let millions of Americans off the hook for student loan debt is certainly drawing some controversy -- but a key cabinet member says it's more positive than not.

U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona joined us on "TMZ Live" right on the heels of his boss's big announcement -- and broke down exactly what it means for all Americans.

As the Prez said -- and as Secretary Cardona reiterates here -- anyone who's taken out a federal loan and makes less than $125,000/year is eligible for at least $10,000 of forgiveness. If you've taken out a federal Pell Grant, you could receive an additional $10k discount.

Dr. Cardona tells us that equates to 43 million Americans who can get relief ... and about half of those can have their student debt wiped out entirely. That way they can get on with their lives and finally be out of a huge hole that might've otherwise hindered their economic goals.

There are surely many who are celebrating this news ... and, yes, there are countless people who have been stifled because of crippling, seemingly never-ending student loan debt.

However, critics are asking, "What about all those folks who've paid off their debt already, or who didn't take on any debt to begin with?" There's also the premise of students with high-paying degrees, who'll make a fortune later, being able to exploit this new system now.

Prez Biden addressed that Wednesday, and essentially it seems to boil down to, tough luck. His Secretary of Education elaborates a bit, though, telling us he understands the concern ... but that this move is going to help more people in need than those who really aren't.

Mike Perry has an offer for Jake Paul (absent almost any s**t talk) ... if you want to prove you're a "real boxer," let's fight!!

30-year-old Perry -- fresh off a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) win against Bellator star Michael "Venom" Page -- isn't exactly looking for R&R ... he wants to step foot in a ring with the 25-year-old "Problem Child."

"Jake Paul, I know you hear me, I know you see me," Perry told Babcock when he joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (air weeknights on FS1) on Wednesday.

"If you want to be solidified as a real athlete, as a real fighter, and not someone who just fights tomato cans and basketball players -- you want to be a real boxer, then 'Platinum' Perry is the opponent for you, buddy."

And, Mike says he isn't looking to spark a war of words ... because he's content with life right now.

"We can add the animosity, but I'm in a good place in life and I'm not tripping on you bro, you can run from me if you want. That's cool. I'm not gonna chase you, but I'm right here when you're ready."

At the end of the day, Perry tells us he's okay if the fight with Jake -- who has publicly said he wants to fight in October -- doesn't happen.

"I'm not gonna chase it too hard, man. I know he heard me. Everybody knows he heard me. If he wants to ignore it, that's on him."

American actor RJ Mitte was just 16 years old when he was first cast as Walter White Jr. -- the son of Walter and Skyler White who loves video games, girls and hanging out with friends -- in AMC's classic drug-making drama series "Breaking Bad."

RJ shared the screen with Bryan Cranston as the caring yet calculated drug king, Walter White, Aaron Paul as the sensitive and sympathetic addict turned business partner, Jesse Pinkman, Anna Gunn as the worried and high-strung mother and carwash operator, Skyler White, and Dean Norris as the heroic and top-ranking officer, Hank Schrader.

Sylvester Stallone tells TMZ his Rottweiler Dwight was not the reason Jennifer Flavin filed to end their 25-year marriage ... he says they have just taken different paths and he still has love for her.

TMZ reported sources directly connected to the couple told us Sly wanted to get a Rottweiler for protection for the family but Jennifer didn't want the canine, and that triggered an argument that unearthed other issues that led to Flavin's filing.

Sly says it's not true ... they did have issues over how to care for the dog, given that they travel coast-to-coast with homes in L.A. and Palm Beach, and he is often away shooting film projects, but he adds, "We did not end the relationship on such a trivial argument."

The "Rocky" star says, "We just went in different directions," adding, "I have the highest respect for Jennifer. I will always love her. She's an amazing woman. She's the nicest human being I've ever met."

As for the tattoo on his arm -- covering up a tat of Jennifer with a tat of the Rottweiler -- Sly tells us he's had the Jennifer tattoo for 14 years and wanted to freshen it up, but it got messed up and the dog was just a fix with no ill intention. He adds he still has a big tattoo of Jennifer on his back.

As we reported, Jennifer filed for divorce last Friday ... even accusing Sly of mishandling marital assets, something we're told he denies. She also wants an order to keep him out of their Palm Beach home.

Sylvester Stallone's wife, Jennifer Flavin, only filed divorce docs Friday ... but there's now proof the couple's been struggling for weeks, as evidenced by what was missing from her finger.

Flavin was in L.A. back on August 8, grabbing dinner at celeb hot spot Craig's and without her wedding ring ... something that may not have been obvious at the time, but makes for a compelling photo now.

TMZ broke the story, Jennifer claimed in her divorce docs Sly's been moving marital assets and money around ... something he adamantly denies.

Interestingly enough, Sylvester recently covered up his tattoo of a portrait of Jennifer with a Rottweiler dog. It's unclear when exactly Sly got the tattoo, but knowing what we know now, it was likely before Jennifer was seen sans ring.

What's interesting ... August 8th -- the day Jennifer was seen at Craig's -- was also the day when Sly dedicated his second post on Instagram to the pooch, saying, "”DWIGHT” Definitely a true friend! KeepPunching And Keep barking!"

Vanessa Bryant has won her lawsuit against Los Angeles County ... after a jury of ten decided she has suffered and will continue to suffer severe emotional distress as a result of the death scene photos captured on the cell phones of 8 L.A. County Sheriff's deputies -- photos she fears will someday surface publicly. That fear was the basis of her lawsuit.

The jury awarded Vanessa $16 million. Chris Chester -- who lost his daughter and wife in the helicopter crash -- was awarded $15 million.

Chester's attorney, Jerry Jackson, tells TMZ ... "Grateful to a jury and judge that gave us a fair trial."

Vanessa broke down sobbing when the verdict was read. The jury was polled and Vanessa looked at them one by one in approval.

The verdicts were against both the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. and the L.A. County Fire Dept.

The deputies not only took the photos but shared them with friends, family and even strangers at a bar. The photos were even shared at a party with fire officials.

Lawyers for the County had argued the photos have never surfaced and they have been deleted from the cell phones in question ... so there was no cause for alarm that they might leak.

During closing arguments, the lawyer for Chester asked for up to $32.5 million. Bryant's attorney did not ask for a specific amount ... rather asking the jury to award what's right.

The trial lasted two weeks and was at times so laden with graphic descriptions, Vanessa cried and periodically left the courtroom.

Kobe and Gigi Bryant, along with Sarah and Payton Chester, were killed along with 5 others in the January 26, 2020 crash.

Two women claim George Foreman sexually abused them when he was in his 20s and they were minors, this according to two new lawsuits, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, which were filed in L.A. on Wednesday, the plaintiffs -- described as Denise S. and Gwen H. in the suits -- say they initially met Foreman through their fathers in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

Denise says in her suit she first encountered Foreman when she was around 8 years old, after her father had worked with the boxer ... and claims the pugilist began "grooming her at an early age by taking her out for ice cream and allowing her to sit on his lap as [he] drove his car."

She said in the suit when she was 13 years old, Foreman -- who she alleges was around 24 at the time -- became sexually inappropriate with her, and eventually engaged in sexual intercourse with her when she was 15.

Gwen, in her suit, said she met Foreman when she was around 9 years old through her father, who she said was Foreman's "long-time advisor." She claims roughly six years after the meeting, when Foreman was 23, he courted her and then "would molest and sexually abuse" her until she was 16.

Both women say in their suits a friend of Foreman's confronted the former heavyweight champ about the allegations "on at least one occasion," and they claim he "did not deny the allegations."

The two women are suing for unspecified damages. It should be noted they describe Foreman in the docs as "DOE 1."

73-year-old Foreman denied accusations of sexual abuse last month -- saying in a statement to TMZ Sports that two women were making up false claims in an effort to extract millions of dollars from him.

"Over the past six months," Foreman said at the time, "two women have been trying to extort millions of dollars each from me and my family. They are falsely claiming that I sexually abused them over 45 years ago in the 1970s."

"I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations. The pride I take in my reputation means as much to me as my sports accomplishments, and I will not be intimidated by baseless threats and lies."

He added, "I am, and always will be, guided by my faith and trust in God. I will work with my lawyers to fully and truthfully expose my accusers' scheme and defend myself in court. I don't pick fights, but I don't run away from them either."

Sylvester Stallone's wife, Jennifer Flavin, filed for divorce after a huge argument over whether Sly could get a new dog, TMZ has learned.

Sources directly connected to the couple tell TMZ, the "Rocky" star wanted to get a Rottweiler for protection -- protection for their family -- but Jennifer did not want another dog. We're told the 2 were at loggerheads over the pooch, and they each fiercely stuck to their positions.

Our sources say they had an extremely heated argument that brought up other issues, although we're told none of those issues appeared to be marriage-enders.

Sly ended up getting the dog named Dwight ... also the name of his character on his new show "Tulsa King." Sly posted videos and photos of him with Dwight this month on Instagram, with the caption ... "So incredibly happy with my newly acquired four legged friend ”DWIGHT“ my characters name from the Series, keep punching and keep barking !!! Thank you very much to Trainer and breeder Dave Smith and his wonderful wife !!!"

Three days later, he posted this pic with the caption ... "”DWIGHT” Definitely a true friend! KeepPunching And Keep barking!"

Sly has been in Oklahoma shooting his show, and we're told he was shocked -- SHOCKED -- when he learned Jennifer filed for divorce. We're told Sly felt they could work out their differences.

This explains the tattoo on Sly's arm ... he put a Rottweiler on his arm over the tattoo he had of Jennifer. The photo surfaced Monday on DailyMail, but that was AFTER Jennifer filed divorce docs -- that happened last Friday.

Our sources say there was no evidence a war was brewing. In fact, the family was together July 30 to celebrate Frank Stallone's birthday, and sources tell us they all seemed happy.

As we reported, Jennifer claimed in her divorce docs Sly was improperly either spending or moving martial money around. Our sources say Sly flatly denies that.

It's problematic on many levels. We've learned they have been shooting a 10-episode reality show about Sly, Jennifer and their daughters ... they've already shot 9 episodes so the fate of that is unclear.

Michelle Branch's criminal case has been called off by prosecutors ... this coming less than 2 weeks after she got arrested for alleged domestic assault against her estranged husband, Patrick Carney.

The disposition, obtained by TMZ, shows the case was dismissed at the request of the state, although the specifics as to why are still unclear.

As we reported, police were called to her and Patrick's home August 11 around 2 AM for a possible domestic disturbance -- cops say Michelle admitted she slapped Patrick "one or two times."

She was taken into custody, where her bail was set at $1,000 ... she was released early because she's breastfeeding the couple's 6-month-old.

Nick Cannon is the gift that keeps on giving -- and in his case, that gift is children, because the guy is having himself another baby ... #10!!!

The TV host broke the news Wednesday with his latest partner -- this time, it's ex-girlfriend (and already established baby mama) Brittany Bell who's carrying his new kid. They did a maternity shoot together, and BB's quite far along -- in the third trimester, it seems.

Brittany is barechested for some parts of the video -- with Nick right beside her, and at times, behind her -- and he even cradles her belly at certain points. There's more footage that shows them wearing matching outfits and hanging out at home with their kids.

Nick writes, "Time Stopped and This Happened," going on to tag Brittany and adding the hashtags #Sunshin and #SonRISE. He seems to be telegraphing ... they're having a boy.

He's been spotted with Brittany of late -- who seemed to be trying to hide a baby bump -- so perhaps this isn't all that surprising. They've obviously remained close ... very close.

Like we said, Brittany has already given birth to two of their kids -- Powerful and Golden -- and now, they're due for a third. This is Nick's tenth child, and he's got another on the way.

Remember, another partner of his -- Abby De La Rosa -- is currently expecting and due in October. That's baby #9 ... he just had baby #8 with Bre Tiesi last month. We know -- it's hard to keep track at this point ... but the big takeaway here is that NC is in double digits.

Taylor Swift flipped through an old poetry book and decided to hijack the vibe and design for her own offering nearly a decade later -- at least according to a new lawsuit.

A woman named Teresa La Dart has filed suit against TS, claiming she and her company lifted crucial elements of her own published work -- a 2010 book called "Lover" that includes poems, anecdotes and photos -- for TayTay's 2019 book of the same name.

Of course, Taylor has her "Lover" album ... but this lady is going after her for the accompanying book she released as a companion piece to the hit record.

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, La Dart insists the similarities between what she put out almost 10 years ago and what Taylor released are too close to ignore. She says her book was widely available and insinuates Taylor and co. saw it and then essentially created carbon copy -- trying to pass it off as original.

As for what exactly she thinks is so alike between her book and Taylor's ... there's a few things actually. Aside from sharing a title, La Dart claims the general concept of what Taylor did -- a "recollection of past years memorialized in a combination of written and pictorial components," according to La Dart -- is exactly what her book is, to a T.

La Dart also claims the style of the photos featured on the cover/foreword are very similar ... pointing specifically to the pastel pinks and blues in the color schemes of both books.

Sylvester Stallone and his wife are calling it quits, she's filed for divorce after 25 years of marriage ... and is accusing the actor of moving assets from marital funds.

Jennifer Flavin filed docs Friday in Florida ... unclear exactly why she decided to pull the plug on their marriage, but some fans started to sense trouble thanks to a recent tattoo coverup -- the "Rocky" star removed an image of Jennifer's face from his arm.

Flavin wants exclusive domain over their house in Palm Beach while divorce proceedings wind their way through the courts.

She also made clear ... she believes Sly is hiding marital assets. In the divorce docs, obtained by TMZ, she says, "Upon information and belief, the Husband has engaged in the intentional dissipation, depletion and/or waste of marital assets which has had an adverse economic impact on the marital estate. Pursuant to Section 61.075, Florida Statues, equity dictates that the Wife be compensated and made whole by receiving an unequal distribution of the marital assets in her favor. Moreover, the Husband should be enjoined from, selling, transferring, assigning, encumbering, or dissipating any assets during the pendency of proceedings."

Jennifer wants to restore her last name -- Flavin. She also wants a judge to put the brakes on Sly moving assets from the marital pot. Closer Weekly first reported the split.

Stallone used to have a portrait of Flavin on his bicep, but recently got it covered by an image of his late dog, and "Rocky" costar Butkus.

When asked about the reasoning behind covering the ink of Jennifer, Stallone's rep told Daily Mail, "Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer; however, the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable."

What's more ... Jennifer took to Instagram to post a photo with the three daughters she and Sylvester share, with the caption, "These girls are my priority <3 nothing else matters. The 4 of us forever."

Jennifer and Sylvester got married in 1997.

We reached out to Sly's rep ... so far, no word back.

Any rabid animal -- like this fox -- is nothing to mess with ... but the woman it attacked is no slouch either, as this surveillance video shows her putting up one hell of a fight and likely saving her life.

The wild incident went down in July in Ithaca, NY ... you can see the fox doesn't even hesitate as it sneaks up on her as she's chatting on the phone in her yard, and starts chomping on her leg nonstop.

She gives the animal a powerful kick, launching it into the air, but it doesn't give up ... eventually clamping its jaws down on her hand and doesn't let go while she tries to shake it off. A neighbor eventually shows up and scares it away.

Her hand seemingly got the worst of it, as these gnarly pics after the attack show. She must've gotten some extremely painful rabies shots, too.

According to her husband, who uploaded the video, the fox attempted to do the same to someone else nearby, but it was killed ... the body was taken to the vet lab at Cornell University, where they discovered rabies was in its system.

Megan Thee Stallion's following up her "Traumazine" album release by playing some legal hardball -- forcing J. Prince and Carl Crawford to sit for depositions in the lawsuit over her contract.

Megan filed docs Tuesday notifying the court her lawyers will be grilling 1501 Entertainment honcho Crawford, as well as Prince ... the Rap-A-Lot Records founder, who Megan claims has been advising Crawford on business dealings.

The date and place are already set ... J. Prince goes first on October 24, and Crawford follows the next day -- both depos will be taken at an office building in Houston, and they will be recorded on video.

It's a major power move for Megan, who, as we've reported ... is suing her label, 1501 Entertainment, because she believes she satisfied the terms of her contract with her last 2 albums -- "Something for Thee Hotties" and last week's release, "Traumazine."

Megan says Crawford and co. aren't viewing those projects as albums, simply to keep her tied to 1501 -- but she says she's done with the label. She wants out, and she wants a judge to force Crawford to cough up royalties and other money she says 1501 owes her.

She says that number is at least $1 million, but wants a proper accounting to determine the actual damages.

Tensions boiled over on Tuesday morning ... when Megan, Prince and Crawford all volleyed accusations that ranged from the 2 men mishandling her business to Megan conspiring with Roc Nation to get out of her contract.

Getting an industry powerhouse like Prince to sit for a deposition is no easy task, and Megan's hope could be this forces Crawford to settle the lawsuit beforehand.

While Migos continues dodging break-up rumors, Offset's going to war with the group's record label ... filing a lawsuit over his solo career.

Offset filed docs, which TMZ Hip Hop obtained, and in them he accuses Quality Control Records of ignoring a deal they made back in January 2021.

According to the suit, filed Tuesday, Offset says he negotiated his solo deal, and "paid handsomely" for his artist rights ... but now that he's dropped a new solo project, he says QC isn't honoring the deal.

He just released the Baby Keem-produced solo single, "54321" … which he says QC incorrectly tried to claim as its own, an action he calls "hostile."

Offset also plans on releasing another song entitled "Code" with Moneybagg Yo this Friday, presumably just on Motown Records, the label he signed with for his solo career.

Migos sparked break-up rumors earlier this year when Quavo and Takeoff began releasing music under the moniker "Unc & Phew." Quavo was willing to talk about everything -- except the alleged split.

Offset's Migos deal with QC remains in place -- but when it comes to his solo work, he wants the court to declare QC does NOT own anything he's made since January 15, 2021, or in the future.