<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12476190" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="natalie-wood" source="Orion">Natalie Wood</keyword>'s sister, Lana Wood, released a memoir this month, diving into the actress' 1981 death.</li><li>In an interview with Insider, Lana offered additional thoughts on some of the memoir's revelations.</li></ul>Lana Wood has now spent more time without her beloved older sister than she ever got with her. It will be 40 years this month since Hollywood icon Natalie Wood's body was found floating in the ocean off Santa Catalina Island on Thanksgiving weekend, 1981. The then-43-year-old had been yachting with her husband Robert [RJ] Wagner, her "Brainstorm'' co-star and friend <keyword id="12512425" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christopher-walken" source="Orion">Christopher Walken</keyword>, and the vessel's captain Dennis Davern when she disappeared off the back of the boat.But despite four decades of time passed, speculation surrounding Natalie's tragic drowning never seems to fade. The case — which was reopened in 2011 and deemed suspicious in 2018 — remains one of Hollywood's most persistent mysteries. Now, Natalie's younger sister, Lana, is diving back into the infamous unsolved case — and the trenches of her own personal heartbreak — in a new memoir, "Little Sister: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood."An actress herself who played a "Bond girl" opposite Sean Connery in "Diamonds are Forever," Lana told Insider the book is meant to set the record straight on Natalie's life and death. In a phone interview earlier this month, Lana, 75 discussed the challenges and rewards of writing the new memoir, while offering additional thoughts on some of the book's new revelations.The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.When did you decide to write this new book and why? What prompted your desire to tell this story, now?There had been so much said about Natalie, some things blatantly untrue and mean; a lot of fabrications, a lot of supposition. There was just a lot out there that was driving me nuts, and suddenly it dawned on me that, instead of just saying "oh that's nonsense," I needed to have Natalie's back. Nobody was watching out for Natalie. Nobody was portraying her accurately. Nobody was just writing down the facts of the night she died. They were saying "well, maybe this happened," or "maybe this happened." No, it didn't. Go by the facts. I wanted to include what the detectives found, what they said on their report, what the new coroner found, what he says on his report; what an eyewitness says, what an ear-witness says, and my knowledge of Natalie.It's very sweet — well, actually, it wasn't very sweet — it was nice that Natasha (Natalie's eldest daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner) wanted to do a special about Natalie (the 2020 HBO documentary "Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind"), but all Natasha knows is what RJ (<keyword id="12554937" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="robert-wagner" source="Orion">Robert Wagner</keyword>) has told her. Think about it: She was very young when Natalie died, so all these memories...these are stories that were all told to her by someone. She was not a witness to anything, and she didn't have long chats with her mom when she was a little kid, so that upset me.I thought now is the time. I'm getting older. If I have a chance to help Natalie at all, I have to do it now.Editor's note: Representatives for Natasha Gregson Wagner and Courtney Wagner did not respond to Insider's request for comment.Was it difficult or emotional at times to rehash what I'm sure, are some tough memories? It was terrible. It was absolutely ripping my heart out. I would have to stop and walk out of the room, go outside. A lot of times I would just stop and not do anymore for that entire day or two days. It was terrible. It's heart-wrenching.For decades, the story you tell about <a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-woods-kirk-douglas-alleged-assault-hurt-her-sister-says-2021-11">Natalie's encounter with actor Kirk Douglas</a> was a persistent Hollywood rumor. What prompted you to include that story now and confirm what was for years, an open secret. Did you have any apprehensions about writing about it or including it?No, I don't, because there again, this is for Natalie. And that episode really hurt her for her entire life. Things like that don't go away.When <keyword id="12476189" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kirk-douglas" source="Orion">Kirk Douglas</keyword> first died I was contacted by a lot of press. They wanted me to say something or to confirm the story, and I refused because I think that would have been a very cold thing to do. So out of respect for his family, I would not say anything.But this is my chance to let everybody know what happened to Natalie and what hurt her and what caused some of her reactions. You aren't just born a certain way. She went through quite a lot.Editor's note: Kirk Douglas died last year at the age of 103. In a statement through his publicists to the Associated Press, his son actor Michael Douglas said, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59170667">"May they both rest in peace."</a>In the book, you talk about seeing inaccurate or incomplete variations of the Kirk Douglas story in print over the years, but having promised Natalie to keep it to yourself. Was it difficult knowing the truth and seeing others speculate about it while watching Kirk Douglas have a long life and career?No, you know it wasn't. It wasn't difficult. I'd see a picture or a photograph, or I'd see part of a story and I was just very dismissive of him. I certainly won't watch any movies or anything at all like that. But it was never to get back at him, it was about Natalie. <div type="image" title="Kirk Douglas and Natalie Wood" height="800" width="1600" msid="87916799" hostid="261"></div>Your <a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-woods-kirk-douglas-alleged-assault-hurt-her-sister-says-2021-11">mother's response to the Kirk Douglas incident</a> is not necessarily how one might expect a mother to react in such a situation, yet it's clear in the book that you have a deep love for her. During the writing process was it difficult at all to reconcile some of the more challenging memories of your mother with your obvious love for her?No, it was not difficult. There again, it was the truth and it's something that I had to write about. And I'm not oblivious to how my mom was. I'm not oblivious to how anybody is, myself included. No one is perfect. Was my mother overly concerned with Natalie and stardom? Absolutely. But that's the way it was. It didn't hurt me then. I just accepted things at face value because that's the way it was. Moving on to Robert Wagner, you detail <a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-woods-sister-blames-husband-robert-wagner-for-her-death-2021-11">the way RJ treated you in the aftermath of Natalie's death</a> from allegedly "blacklisting" you from the <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> industry, to refusing to provide you details about Natalie's final night. Did his odd behavior toward you influence your eventual belief that he was responsible for your sister's death?I've always thought so. I chose not to say anything because there again, I was so worried about the kids and where they were and what they were thinking and how they were coping, and yet I had no contact whatsoever. So, I just felt it was selfish, I felt it was best to keep my mouth shut, and perhaps I could see them, perhaps I could talk to them. It was hope, that was all. Does that mean you don't think there's any hope left to perhaps rekindle those relationships with Natalie's daughters?I don't think so. If there is, that's beyond wonderful. If there isn't, that's the way it's been for quite some time now. And there again, you know, that's fine. I accept how they feel. I don't feel that way. But RJ was the only parent they had left. They had nobody. If I was overly vehement and pointing a finger back then, I was doing nothing but hurting the kids. Nothing. And it was my feeble hope that perhaps, it was true that it was an accident. But I was kidding myself.Until the detectives came up with what they had found, until I was privileged to read the coroner's report, and read the old police report and find things like RJ was spoken with after the accident for exactly six minutes — the detectives had to put in the time they began talking to him and then they had to put in the time it ended, and when it was Christopher Walken's turn: six minutes. Things like that have been absolutely haunting me forever.But I'm very torn. I don't hate RJ. I've known him all my life. I've known him since I was nine years old. So I don't hate him. And I'm sorry that he feels the way he does. But there's nothing I can do about that.<div type="image" title="Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner pose for a picture." height="2048" width="4096" msid="87916800" hostid="261"></div>In the book, you say several times that RJ, Dennis Davern (the yacht's captain), and Christopher Walken would have had hours to get their story straight before being questioned by authorities. You've made it clear where you stand on RJ, but I'm wondering if you place any responsibility for what happened to Natalie on Christopher Walken or believe he <a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-woods-sister-christopher-walken-spoke-to-detectives-reopened-case-2021-11">has a duty to help more?</a>No. Christopher Walken did speak to the current detectives. He did tell them everything that he witnessed and that he knows. However, he made them promise that they would never reveal anything that he has said. Therefore, they didn't and they didn't even tell me. All they told me was that they did speak to him and they said he told them everything that he knows. Editor's note: Representatives for Christopher Walken did not respond to Insider's request for comment.How are you feeling now that your memoir is out there in the world and stories about Natalie — both her life and death — are back in the <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword>?I'm glad because I don't want Natalie forgotten and I don't want people hanging onto ridiculous tales. It drives me nuts when there are things out there that are so blatantly not anything Natalie would do, or was. It makes me crazy. And I'm hoping desperately since I laid everything out — not "I think," not "perhaps, maybe," — I laid everything out so that they will see that RJ is responsible for her death. That's it. He is responsible.And for them to stop blaming and guessing. And to remember her, not simply as a movie star but as a person, who had a full life. She loved those kids more than anything on earth. All those ridiculous things about suicide? I don't know what the point was. It's just ridiculous. She jumped over a railing? Yeah, I don't think so. She fell down and caused 26 bruises and scrapes? I don't think so. It's just ridiculous. So I'm hoping people will see that I don't have any kind of ulterior motive. My motive is not to hang RJ. My motive is not to have him arrested, because it will never happen. He has refused speaking to the detectives. He's never spoken to them. So nothing's going to happen. According to them, the district attorney has said there's no smoking gun. And the head of the homicide department, when he held the press conference where he named RJ a person of interest, he completed his speech by saying all they know for certain is that there were two people arguing at the back of the boat, and then there was one. Those are their words, not mine. Editor's Note: A representative for Wagner did not respond to Insider's request for comment regarding Lana's accusations. The 91-year-old has previously denied wrongdoing in Natalie's death.A detective for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told Insider that Natalie's death is still considered suspicious, given the remaining unanswered questions."Her husband at the time, Robert Wagner, is the last known person to be with Ms. Woods [sic] prior to her death, and Investigators would like to interview him," Detective Ralph Hernandez said in a statement. "The goal of the investigation is to confirm the truth of how she ended up in the water, thus providing the manner of her death."The case will remain open until it is solved, he said.As the years have gone on and RJ's refused to speak with detectives, have you settled into an acceptance that her case may never truly be resolved? I don't know that it will. I love surprises. I love if things go the right way. But I just seriously don't know. I just wish he had the capacity to simply tell the truth. That's what I would like. Tell the truth. I think he's a coward and I have no respect for him and I don't ever want to speak to him. Ever. What would it mean to you, and to Natalie, if her case could be resolved at some point?It would mean everything. It would mean everything to Natalie. Everything. She could rest.

Natalie Wood's sister on Robert Wagner, Kirk Douglas, Christopher Walken and keeping the movie star's memory alive

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The circumstances around <keyword id="12476190" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="natalie-wood" source="Orion">Natalie Wood</keyword>'s 1981 death have long been the focus of intense speculation.</li><li>The actress was yachting with her husband and co-star <keyword id="12512425" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christopher-walken" source="Orion">Christopher Walken</keyword> when she disappeared and drowned.</li></ul>The 1981 drowning death of actress Natalie Wood has long been one of Hollywood's most persistent mysteries. Now, 40 years after the tragedy off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, Natalie's younger sister, Lana Wood, 75, is diving back into the unsolved case in her new memoir, "Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood."But in a book that frequently accuses and alleges — Natalie's husband <a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-woods-sister-blames-husband-robert-wagner-for-her-death-2021-11">Robert Wagner takes the brunt of the blame</a>, though the authorities who initially investigated Natalie's death and the famed celebrity coroner who classified her death as "accidental drowning," face Lana's fury as well — there is one familiar face whom Lana says she does not hold responsible for the tragedy: Christopher Walken. Lana told Insider the award-winning actor has continued to prove helpful amid the ongoing investigation into Natalie's death, albeit privately.<h2>A mysterious drowning death</h2>The Oscar-nominated Natalie, who starred in Hollywood hits like "West Side Story" and "Rebel Without a Cause," was 43 when her body was found floating in the ocean off Catalina Island on Thanksgiving weekend in 1981. She had been vacationing on a yacht with her husband, Robert [RJ] Wagner, her "Brainstorm" co-star and friend Walken, and the ship's captain, Dennis Davern.Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi ruled her death an accidental drowning, noting her blood alcohol content was 0.14%, and suggesting the actress may have slipped into the freezing water while trying to tie up the vessel's dingy.But Lana was skeptical of the proposed explanation due to Natalie's lifelong fear of "dark waters," claiming her sister never would have attempted to re-board the vessel's dinghy on her own in the middle of the night.In 1992, more than a decade after Natalie's death, the yacht's captain, Dennis Davern, contacted Lana, admitting that he hadn't originally told police everything he knew about that fateful night. He alleged the holiday had been tense from the start and remembered Wagner expressing anger about Natalie inviting Walken on the trip. The captain also told Lana that he heard Wagner and Natalie fighting at the back of the boat before learning Natalie had gone missing. Davern's admissions to Lana came around the same time she gained access to the original police report, sparking her own investigation into the incident. According to Lana, she was struck by a number of elements, including reports that both Wagner and Walken had been interviewed by authorities for less than 10 minutes in the immediate aftermath of Natalie's death as well as witness statements that appeared to have been dismissed by the initial investigators. In 2009, a crowdsourced petition, spurred by Davern's new revelations and Lana's amateur sleuthing, called for a new investigation into Natalie's death, and two years later, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-everything-thats-known-about-natalie-woods-mysterious-death-2012-7?_ga=2.165504060.2042606312.1637006177-1077128706.1610375838">reopened Natalie's case</a>, citing "additional information." In 2018, detectives <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/us/natalie-wood.html#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%20%E2%80%94%20New%20witnesses%20have,sheriff's%20officials%20said%20on%20Thursday.">labeled her death "suspicious,"</a> and later that year, authorities officially <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/robert-wagner-named-person-interest-natalie-woods-death-1080858/">named Wagner a "person of interest"</a> in Natalie's death.<div type="image" title="The Splendour (Robert Wagner's yacht) sits in the water." height="2264" width="4529" msid="87790066" hostid="261"></div><h2>Decades of silence</h2>Despite having already won an Oscar for his 1978 performance in "The Deer Hunter," Walken was a relative newcomer to Hollywood when the then-38-year-old accompanied Natalie and Wagner on their Thanksgiving holiday in 1981. In the decades since her death, Walken, now 78, has <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/natalie-wood-what-remains-hbo-christopher-walken-robert-wagner-death-boat-cause-a9502646.html">rarely spoken publicly</a> about that night.Five years after Natalie's death, Walken told <a href="https://people.com/archive/from-any-distance-at-close-range-star-christopher-walken-comes-off-as-edgy-electric-and-elusive-vol-25-no-21/">People</a>: "I don't know what happened. She slipped and fell in the water. I was in bed then. It was a terrible thing.""Look, we're in a conversation I won't have. It's a fucking bore," he added.The few times he has spoken publicly about her death, the actor has maintained it was an accident, telling Playboy Magazine in 1997 that Natalie had gone to bed before the men and reiterating the coroner's dingy theory, according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/natalie-wood-death-christopher-walken-263792/">The Hollywood Reporter.</a>"The people who are convinced that there was something more to it than what came out in the investigation will never be satisfied with the truth. Because the truth is, there is nothing more to it," Walken told the outlet. In a 2020 HBO Documentary produced by Natalie's daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Natalie's husband, <keyword id="12554937" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="robert-wagner" source="Orion">Robert Wagner</keyword> admits that he and Walken fought about Natalie's career on the night she disappeared.But despite Walken's longtime public silence on the matter, Lana told Insider that the actor has spoken with the current detectives working Natalie's reopened case."He did tell them everything he witnessed and he knows," she said. "However, he made them promise that they would never reveal anything that he has said."Lana, who has worked closely with the LASD detectives working the case, said the investigators didn't even tell her what Walken disclosed in order to honor their agreement."All they told me was that they did speak to him," she said. "[The detective] said he told them everything."A representative for Walken did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment or confirmation regarding Lana's claims about the actor, nor did a spokesperson with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. But a detective for the sheriff's department previously told Insider that Natalie's death is still considered suspicious, given the remaining unanswered questions."Her husband at the time, Robert Wagner, is the last known person to be with Ms. Woods [sic] prior to her death, and Investigators would like to interview him," Detective Ralph Hernandez said in a statement. "The goal of the investigation is to confirm the truth of how she ended up in the water, thus providing the manner of her death."The case will remain open until it is solved, he added.A representative for Wagner did not respond to Insider's request for comment. The 91-year-old has previously denied wrongdoing in Natalie's death.Lana's memoir, which was released last week, delves into the <a href="http://insider.com/natalie-woods-kirk-douglas-alleged-assault-hurt-her-sister-says-2021-11">sisters' adolescence in Hollywood</a>, as well as the <a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-woods-sister-blames-husband-robert-wagner-for-her-death-2021-11">aftermath of Natalie's death</a>, as the younger sister attempts to set the record straight on Natalie's life and death, and keep her memory alive — "not simply as a movie star, but as a person who had a full life."

Natalie Wood's sister says Christopher Walken spoke to detectives working her reopened case, but made them promise not to reveal what he said

<ul class="summary-list"><li>There have long been Hollywood rumors regarding an alleged assault against a teenage <keyword id="12476190" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="natalie-wood" source="Orion">Natalie Wood</keyword>.</li><li>In a new memoir, Natalie's sister, Lana Wood, is naming the alleged perpetrator for the first time: <keyword id="12476189" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kirk-douglas" source="Orion">Kirk Douglas</keyword>. </li></ul>Lana Wood, the younger sister of famed actress Natalie Wood and an actress, herself, is done keeping Hollywood's secrets. In her new memoir, "Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood," Lana lends her confirmation of what, for years, was a persistent Hollywood rumor.The former "Bond Girl" alleges that in the summer of 1955, while the two sisters were filming John Ford's "The Searchers," their mother, Maria Zakharenko, took the girls to LA's Chateau Marmont, where she instructed a teenaged Natalie to go inside the hotel to meet with a powerful industry icon.The tale of an assault committed against a then-up-and-coming Natalie, who later starred in classic films like "Rebel Without a Cause" and "West Side Story," has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/commentisfree/2020/feb/15/i-didnt-ask-kirk-douglas-if-he-raped-natalie-wood-when-we-met">spurred whispers and theories</a> for years. But for the first time, more than 65 years after the alleged assault took place, a person who knew Natalie directly is naming the accused perpetrator."<a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-wood-sexually-assaulted-kirk-douglas-lana-wood-memoir-2021-11">Kirk Douglas was ushering me into his suite,</a>" Lana remembers Natalie telling her years later, as she wrote in her memoir"Then she got very quiet," Lana wrote, "and her eyes filled with tears. I could barely hear her when she added, 'And, uh...he hurt me, Lana.'"Douglas, who starred in films like "Spartacus" and "Paths of Glory," died in 2020 at the age of 103. He would have been in his late 30s at the time of the alleged assault and married to Anne Buydens. Lana, a young girl at the time, remembers waiting with their mother in the car outside the Marmont for Natalie to emerge."It seemed like a long time passed before Natalie got back into the car and woke me up when she slammed the door shut. She looked awful," Lana wrote in "Little Sister." "She was very disheveled and very upset, and she and Mom started urgently whispering to each other."When the two sisters spoke about the alleged assault as adults, Lana remembers Natalie describing the incident as an "out-of-body experience," saying she was "terrified" and "confused," though never mentioning the word "raped" or "molested." In "Little Sister," Lana estimates that Natalie was 15 and herself, 7, at the time of the assault, but in the summer of 1955, Natalie would have been 16 or 17, and Lana would have been 9.In response to questions about the discrepancy, a publicist for Harper Collins told <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-11-09/natalie-wood-lana-little-sister-kirk-douglas-book-takeaways">the Los Angeles Times:</a> "The <keyword id="12007221" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="book" source="Orion">book</keyword> is a memoir and reflects present-day recollections of events that happened over six decades ago."<h2>Nobody left to protect</h2>After Natalie told Lana about the assault later in life, the younger sister said Natalie swore her to secrecy.But with the impending 40th anniversary of Natalie's drowning death off the coast of Santa Catalina Island and Douglas's 2020 passing, Lana believes her older sister would forgive her for breaking her word, as there's "no one still around to protect.""This is for Natalie," Lana told Insider in an interview. "That episode really hurt her for her entire life. Things like that don't go away." The 75-year-old said she had no apprehensions about including the story in her new memoir after years of widespread speculation. In "Little Sister," Lana wrote about seeing inaccurate or incomplete variations of the story in print over the years as the rumor mill ruminated on the details.Douglas' name had been raised before but never confirmed. When he died in 2020, <a href="https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/natalie-wood-is-trending-after-kirk-douglas-death-heres-why.html">Natalie's name trended alongside his on Twitter.</a>Lana, who had previously discussed the alleged assault, but never named a perpetrator, told Insider that she was bombarded by the press following Douglas' passing with requests to confirm the rumor or discuss his relationship to Natalie. At the time, she refused to comment."I think that would have been a very cold thing to do," she said. "Out of respect for his family, I would not say anything."A representative for Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas' son, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but earlier this month, the actor, through his publicist, told <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-lifestyle-movies-los-angeles-hollywood-2edc063a1a5529bd6cd7fdca096672cc">the Associated Press</a>, "May they both rest in peace," in response to questions surrounding the allegation. In his own 1988 memoir, "The Ragman's Son," Douglas wrote about meeting Natalie for the first time. "'Oh, Mr. Douglas, would you please sign my jacket?'" Natalie said, according to Douglas' book. "As I obliged, the woman who was driving got out and introduced her. 'This is my daughter. She's in movies, too. Her name is Natalie Wood.' That was the first time I met Natalie. I saw her many times afterward, before she died in that cruel accident."Lana told Insider she didn't include the anecdote to "get back" at Douglas, but instead, wanted to provide insight into some of the struggles that shaped Natalie's life."This is my chance to let everybody know what happened to Natalie," she said. "You aren't just born a certain way. She went through quite a lot."<div type="image" title="Natalie Wood poses with her mother and younger sister, Lana Wood." height="2991" width="3988" msid="87770173" hostid="261"></div><h2>'Suck it up'</h2>The girls' mother was a Russian immigrant, who according to Lana, was "overly concerned with Natalie and stardom."In her memoir, Lana alleges that Zakharenko set up the meeting between Natalie and Douglas in the hopes that "many doors might be thrown open for her, with just a nod of his famous, handsome head on her behalf."Zakharenko's advice to Natalie following the incident, according to Lana, was to "suck it up," telling her daughter not to talk about the alleged assault in order to protect her burgeoning career. But in a book that is dedicated to telling the truth about Natalie's life — and death — the younger sister said she couldn't leave out the more challenging details surrounding her mother's reaction to Natalie's struggles."It was the truth and it's something I had to write about," she told Insider. "I'm not oblivious to how my mom was. Nobody is perfect." <h2>Reliving 'heart-wrenching' memories</h2>The new memoir, which primarily focuses on <a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-woods-sister-blames-husband-robert-wagner-for-her-death-2021-11">the aftermath of Natalie's mysterious 1981 drowning death</a>, was a labor of love, Lana told Insider. But that doesn't mean writing it was easy."It was terrible, absolutely ripping my heart out," Lana said about the writing process, which required her to delve back into her sister's tragic death and ongoing familial strife."I would have to stop, walk out of the room ... and not do any more for that entire day or two days," she added. But she hopes the project will keep Natalie's memory alive — "not simply as a movie star, but as a person who had a full life."

Natalie Wood's alleged assault as a teenager by Kirk Douglas 'hurt her for her entire life,' sister says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The circumstances surrounding actress <keyword id="12476190" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="natalie-wood" source="Orion">Natalie Wood</keyword>'s 1981 death have long been mysterious.</li><li>In "Little Sister," Lana Wood presents a possible culprit: Natalie's husband, actor <keyword id="12554937" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="robert-wagner" source="Orion">Robert Wagner</keyword>.</li></ul>Actress Lana Wood has always believed actor Robert Wagner played a role in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-everything-thats-known-about-natalie-woods-mysterious-death-2012-7">mysterious death</a> of her sister and his wife, actress Natalie Wood. "I've always thought so and I chose not to say anything," Lana told Insider. "I just felt it was best to keep my mouth shut."But now, 40 years after Natalie drowned off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, Lana is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/style/lana-wood-natalie-sister-death.html">doubling down</a> on her accusations against Wagner, which <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/09/14/natalie-wood-murdered-robert-wagner-say-sister-witness-dr-phil/1304231002/">she first began making</a> publicly back in 2018 — and this time, she's not holding back.The former "Bond Girl," now 75, is diving back into one of Hollywood's most infamous unsolved cases — and the trenches of her own personal heartbreak — in a new memoir, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Little-Sister-Investigation-Mysterious-Natalie-ebook/dp/B08ZNF658Q">Little Sister: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood</a>," telling Insider the book is meant to set the record straight on the life and death of her beloved older sister."There had been so much said about Natalie; some things blatantly untrue and mean," Lana said. "Nobody was portraying her accurately.""And suddenly it dawned on me that instead of just saying, 'oh, that's nonsense,' I needed to have Natalie's back."<h2>A death in 'dark waters'</h2>The Oscar-nominated Natalie Wood, who starred in Hollywood hits like "West Side Story" and "Rebel Without a Cause," was 43 when her body was found floating in the ocean off Catalina Island on Thanksgiving weekend, 1981. She had been vacationing on a yacht with her husband, Robert [RJ] Wagner, her "Brainstorm" co-star and friend <keyword id="12512425" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christopher-walken" source="Orion">Christopher Walken</keyword>, and the ship's captain, Dennis Davern.Her initial cause of death was ruled an accidental <keyword id="12011534" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="drowning" source="Orion">drowning</keyword>. Wood's blood alcohol content was 0.14% and Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi suggested the actress may have slipped into the freezing water while trying to tie up the vessel's dinghy. But from the start, Lana was skeptical of the proposed explanation. According to Lana, Natalie had a lifelong fear of "dark waters" and never would have attempted to re-board the dinghy on her own in the middle of the night. For 10 years, Lana said she lived in anguish, plagued by unanswered questions about her sister's death, as Natalie's husband, actor Robert Wagner, refused to provide details about Natalie's final night.In "Little Sister," Lana alleges that following the death, Wagner cut out Lana completely, "blacklisting" her from the <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> industry and trashing her in the press.A representative for Wagner did not immediately respond to Lana's allegations.<div type="image" title="Natalie Wood and Sister Lana Wood pose for a photo." height="1147" width="2295" msid="87769354" hostid="261"></div><h2>Familial struggles</h2>Despite the strife between the in-laws, Lana said for years she refrained from openly blaming Wagner for Natalie's death, in hopes that a relationship could be salvaged with Natalie's two daughters.Following Natalie's death, her two daughters, Natasha Gregson Wagner and Courtney Wagner continued to be raised by Robert Wagner — Courtney's father and Natasha's stepfather."RJ was the only parent they had left. They had nobody," Lana told Insider. "If I was being overly vehement and pointing a finger back then, I was doing nothing but hurting the kids."Lana said she was constantly worried about how the girls, who were 11 and 7 when their mother died, were coping with the grief. But she had no contact with her nieces."I just felt it was best to keep my mouth shut and perhaps I could see them, perhaps I could talk to them again," she said. "It was hope. That was all."Both of Natalie's daughters, now 51 and 47, have long stood by Wagner when it comes to speculation around their mother's death. In her 2020 book, "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/natalie-woods-daughter-opens-up-about-the-life-and-death-of-her-famous-mom/2020/05/04/f07a4188-8e14-11ea-9e23-6914ee410a5f_story.html">More Than Love</a>," Natasha discussed her ongoing faith in Wagner's innocence."The circumstances of exactly how Natalie Wood ended up in the water will never be clearly established because she was alone when she died. And so I focus on the things I do know, that as certain as I am that the earth is round, my father [Wagner] would never have harmed my mother or failed to save her if he knew she was in danger," she wrote.Representatives for both Natasha and Courtney did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. But even back then, there was another reason Lana resisted accusing Wagner publicly: She wanted to believe her brother-in-law, whom she had known since she was nine, was innocent."I don't hate RJ. I've known him all my life," she told Insider. "It was my feeble hope that perhaps it was true that it was an accident." "But I was kidding myself," she added.<h2>A break in the case</h2>In 1992, more than a decade after Natalie's death, the yacht's captain, Dennis Davern, contacted Lana, confessing he hadn't told police everything he knew about that fateful night. He alleged the holiday had been tense from the start and remembered Wagner expressing anger about Natalie inviting Walken on the trip. The captain also told Lana that he heard Wagner and Natalie fighting at the back of the boat before learning Natalie had gone missing. According to Davern's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Natalie-Splendour-Marti-Rulli/dp/1497644607">own 2006 memoir</a>, the captain said Wagner instructed him to go searching for Natalie, but told him not to radio for help, out of concern that the publicity might "tarnish his image."Davern did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Davern's admissions to Lana came around the same time that she gained access to the original <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/99945340/Autopsy?ad_group=35871X943606X9c5059fb4de675856fb4db2bcff98554&amp;campaign=SkimbitLtd&amp;keyword=660149026&amp;medium=affiliate&amp;source=hp_affiliate">police report</a>, sparking her own investigation into the incident. According to Lana, she was struck by a number of concerning elements, including reports that Wagner had been interviewed by authorities for less than 10 minutes in the immediate aftermath of Natalie's death and witness statements that appeared to have been dismissed by the initial investigators. "Things like that have been absolutely haunting me forever," she said. In 2009, a crowdsourced petition, spurred by Davern's new revelations and Lana's amateur sleuthing, called for a new investigation into Natalie's death. Two years later, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-everything-thats-known-about-natalie-woods-mysterious-death-2012-7">reopened Natalie's case</a>, citing "additional information," and in 2018, detectives <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/us/natalie-wood.html#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%20%E2%80%94%20New%20witnesses%20have,sheriff's%20officials%20said%20on%20Thursday.">labeled her death "suspicious,"</a> for the first time. But the most critical development came later that year when authorities <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/robert-wagner-named-person-interest-natalie-woods-death-1080858/">officially named Wagner a "person of interest"</a> in Natalie's death. In "Little Sister," Lana describes her less-than-enthusiastic response to the pivotal update."I kept waiting to feel excitement, or surprise, or relief," Wood writes. "It didn't happen ... 'Person of interest' was progress, but 'not a suspect' meant there was still a long way to go before maybe, finally, [Wagner] would be properly interrogated."A detective for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told Insider that Natalie's death is still considered suspicious, given the remaining unanswered questions."Her husband at the time, Robert Wagner, is the last known person to be with Ms. Woods [sic] prior to her death, and Investigators would like to interview him," Detective Ralph Hernandez said in a statement. "The goal of the investigation is to confirm the truth of how she ended up in the water, thus providing the manner of her death."The case will remain open until it is solved, he added.<div type="image" title="Natalie Wood and Lana wood pose for a photo." height="2008" width="4017" msid="87769395" hostid="261"></div><h2>Coming to her own conclusion</h2>Few consequential updates in the case have come in the years since, and Lana acknowledged it's likely she'll never see her sister's case resolved. "I don't know that it will," she said. "I love surprises. I love if things go the right way, but I just seriously don't know." "I just wish he had the capacity to simply tell the truth," she said of Wagner. "I think he's a coward and I have no respect for him."The seeming stall in Natalie's reopened case hasn't stopped Lana from conceiving her own version of what she believes happened on the back of the Splendour that fateful night."I believe … RJ delivered a blow to the left side of Natalie's face that knocked her unconscious," Wood writes, citing the bruises and cut found on Natalie that were recorded by the LA Coroner's office."I believe that, suddenly panic-stricken when he realized what he'd done, RJ made the fatal decision to put Natalie in the water to avoid being held responsible for what had happened," she wrote in the memoir. "I believe that everything he did afterward ... was all about covering up ... the drunken, jealous, rage-filled moment."A representative for Wagner did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment regarding Lana's accusations. The 91-year-old has previously denied wrongdoing in Natalie's death.<h2>Keeping Natalie's memory alive</h2>The resurgence of interest in Natalie's death in recent years has been both challenging and gratifying. "I don't want Natalie forgotten," Lana said.Her memoir comes nearly two years after Natalie's daughter, Natasha, produced an HBO documentary honoring her mother called "Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind." In the hour-long film, Natasha sits across from her stepfather, whom she calls "Daddy Wagner," and discusses the events of November 29, 1981, in an effort to dispel rumors that Wagner played a role in her death. The film rubbed Lana the wrong way and partially inspired her to publish her own interpretation of events, she said."It was nice that Natasha wanted to do that. But all Natasha knows is what RJ told her about it," she said. "So that upset me."Lana told Insider she doesn't think there's much hope left for a possible reunion between her and Natalie's daughters."If there is, that's beyond wonderful," she said. "If there isn't, that's the way it's been for some time now." But she hopes that this new book will help keep the memory of Natalie — "not simply as a movie star, but as a person who had a full life" — alive. And perhaps even bring about some long-sought-after peace."It would mean everything to Natalie" if her case was finally resolved, Lana said. "She could rest."

Natalie Wood's sister 'always thought' husband Robert Wagner was responsible for her drowning death: 'I think he's a coward'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12476190" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="natalie-wood" source="Orion">Natalie Wood</keyword>'s sister writes in her new memoir that <keyword id="12476189" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kirk-douglas" source="Orion">Kirk Douglas</keyword> sexually assaulted the late actress.</li><li>Lana Wood writes in "Little Sister" that Douglas assaulted Natalie when she was a teen in 1955.</li></ul>Natalie Wood's younger sister wrote in her upcoming memoir that Kirk Douglas sexually assaulted the Hollywood actress in 1955 when she was a teen.An actress later known for her roles in "Miracle on 34th Street" and "West Side Story," Natalie was rising to fame when she met Douglas, an already established movie star, best known then for his role in "Spartacus."In her memoir, "Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood," set to come out next week, Natalie's younger sister, Lana, wrote about the alleged incident.In a copy read by Insider, Lana said that the alleged incident occurred in the summer of 1955 at Los Angeles' Chateau Marmont hotel. Lana wrote that their mother, Maria Zakharenko, set up a meeting between Natalie, who was in her late teens, and Douglas, who was in his late 30s, in the hopes that "many doors might be thrown open for her, with just a nod of his famous, handsome head on her behalf.""It seemed like a long time passed before Natalie got back into the car and woke me up when she slammed the door shut. She looked awful," the 75-year-old wrote. "She was very disheveled and very upset, and she and Mom started urgently whispering to each other."<div type="image" title="natalie wood" height="1362" width="1816" msid="87543997" hostid="261"></div>"I couldn't really hear them or make out what they were saying," Lana continued in the book. "Something bad had apparently happened to my sister, but whatever it was, I was apparently too young to be told about it."Lana noted in her memoir that she was only 8 at the time of the alleged incident so she didn't find out more details until she and Natalie were both adults."He hurt me, Lana," Lana remembered Natalie telling her, according to the memoir. "It was like an out-of-body experience. I was terrified, I was confused."Lana wrote that both her sister and their mother agreed to not talk publicly about the alleged incident with Douglas to protect Natalie's career. She added that Zakharenko's advice to Natalie was to "suck it up."Lana wrote that she's coming forward with Douglas' name now because both parties are dead. <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/kirk-douglas">Douglas passed away in 2020 at the age of 103,</a> and authorities are still looking into <a href="https://www.insider.com/natalie-wood-death-robert-wagner-investigation-2018-2">the 1981 death of Natalie, which is the primary focus of Lana's memoir.</a>"With no one still around to protect, I'm sure she'll forgive me for finally breaking that promise," the actress wrote in "Little Sister."Douglas' son, the actor Michael Douglas, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-lifestyle-movies-los-angeles-hollywood-2edc063a1a5529bd6cd7fdca096672cc">told AP</a> in a statement in response to the allegations: "May they both rest in peace."<div type="image" title="Kirk Douglas" height="2536" width="2000" msid="87543999" hostid="261"></div><h2>Douglas wrote about meeting Natalie in his own memoir, 'The Ragman's Son'</h2>In his 1988 memoir, "The Ragman's Son," Douglas wrote that he met Natalie for the first time during a random encounter, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-lifestyle-movies-los-angeles-hollywood-2edc063a1a5529bd6cd7fdca096672cc">according to the AP.</a>Douglas wrote, per the AP, that he was stopped at a red light on his way home one night when "a pretty little girl wearing a suede jacket" hopped out of the car in front of him and asked him to sign her jacket."'Oh, Mr. Douglas, would you please sign my jacket?'" Natalie said at the time, according to Douglas' book. "As I obliged, the woman who was driving got out and introduced her. 'This is my daughter. She's in movies, too. Her name is Natalie Wood.' That was the first time I met Natalie. I saw her many times afterward, before she died in that cruel accident."<h2><div type="image" title="robert wagner natalie wood" height="1357" width="1809" msid="87544002" hostid="261"></div></h2>Lana's memoir, set for release on November 9, mostly focuses on Natalie's 1981 death after her body was found near Catalina Island in California.After being initially ruled as an accidental drowning, the case was reopened in 2011, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/04/natalie-woods-sister-says-robert-wagner-killed-the-actress/">NY Post</a>. Insider's former <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> reporter, <a href="https://www.insider.com/author/carrie-wittmer">Carrie Wittmer,</a> reported in 2018 that the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department <a href="https://www.insider.com/la-sheriffs-department-says-its-getting-closer-to-solving-natalie-wood-case-2018-2">said then that they were getting closer to solving the case.</a>In "Little Sister," Lana holds 91-year-old actor<a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/04/natalie-woods-sister-says-robert-wagner-killed-the-actress/"> Robert Wagner,</a> Natalie's husband at the time, responsible for her death. He's also been named a "person of interest" by Los Angeles sheriff's officials, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-natalie-wood-christopher-walken-9a433c86d4ba4e2b8aa643d8f3b12e18">according to the AP</a>.Insider reached out to a representative for Wagner, but didn't immediately hear back. Still, his rep had no comment <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/04/natalie-woods-sister-says-robert-wagner-killed-the-actress/">when reached by the NY Post.</a>

Natalie Wood was sexually assaulted by Kirk Douglas, her sister writes in new memoir

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Belle's early look in "Beauty and the Beast" was considered too glamorous to be relatable.</li><li>In "Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara," voice actor Paige O'Hara compared early concept art to Angelina Jolie.</li></ul>Early concept art of Belle, from Disney's Oscar-winning "Beauty and the Beast" was originally considered too beautiful.According to a new book called <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDisney-Princess-Stories-Influence-Original%2Fdp%2F0760373620%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fkeywords%3Dbeyond%2Bthe%2Btiara%26qid%3D1663697673%26sprefix%3Dbeyond%2Bthe%2Btiara%2B%252Caps%252C224%26sr%3D8-1" rel="nofollow sponsored nofollow sponsored">"Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara" by Emily Zemler,</a> the Disney princess' look was adjusted early on in conception to make her less "glamorous" and more relatable."Original concept art for Belle shows her as a glamorous woman, but the animators quickly adapted the character's look to ensure viewers could connect to her," reads the book, which is out now.<div type="image" title="Belle in Beauty and the Beast" height="1571" width="2704" msid="94330384" hostid="261"></div>"She kind of looked like Angelina Jolie — very beautiful," Paige O'Hara, who voiced Belle, said in the book, which looks at the history of every Disney princess and their impact on pop culture.A team of animators, including James Baxter and Mark Henn, designed Belle. In the book, Baxter says they tried to give Belle a more European look "with fuller lips, a little bit darker eyebrows, and slightly smaller eyes" than Princess Ariel from 1989's "The Little Mermaid."Early sketches of Belle by Alyson Hamilton show the character in a pink gown with soft makeup and curled hair, tied up."I didn't see how anybody would identify with that person," O'Hara said of Belle's original concept. "You'd look at her and put her on a pedestal. Mark and James changed the look of her. She was a little too perfect.""I knew that this was going to change the view of Disney Princesses. Belle was the first one not looking for a man. She wanted to see the world and all the places she'd read about in books," O'Hara added.Disney animators evolved Belle's look to what it is now to make sure that she was someone who viewers could connect with when they saw the film.<div type="image" title="Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and Natalie Wood inspiration for Belle in Beauty and the Beast" height="600" width="1200" msid="94330387" hostid="261"></div>According to the book, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and Natalie Wood all inspired the look and feel of Belle in the 1991 film.O'Hara also served as an influence on Belle's final look.

Belle initially resembled Angelina Jolie in early 'Beauty and the Beast' sketches, but Disney changed her look because she was 'too perfect'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a7322a285cdd41f008b4642-2400/gettyimages-534087617.jpg" alt="Natalie Wood Robert Wagner" data-mce-source="Getty" />GettyRobert Wagner and Natalie Wood</div></div></div><ul><li>According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, actor Robert Wagner is now a person of interest in the mysterious death of his wife, Natalie Wood, in 1981. </li><li>Wagner was never a suspect during the initial investigation: her death was ruled an accident.</li><li>The case was reopened in 2011, and investigators conducted interviews for a "48 Hours" special on the case, airing on CBS Saturday night. </li></ul><hr /> In November 1981, Academy Award nominated actress Natalie Wood was found dead on a yacht trip off the coast of Catalina Island, California. Wood was found one morning floating in the water, wearing a red down jacket and a flannel nightgown. Wood was with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, Captain Dennis Davern, and actor Christopher Walken. After two weeks of investigation, her death was ruled an accident.In an upcoming interview with CBS' "48 Hours," the LA County Sheriff's Department said that Wagner, who is now 87, is a person of interest because he was the last person to see Wood. Wagner is known for his role as Number Two in the "Austin Powers" movies as well as the 1968-1970 television series "It Takes Thief." In his 2008 memoir, "Pieces of My Heart," <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-19341547">Wagner wrote</a> that he had a fight with Wood before she disappeared. Initially, Wagner was not a suspect. Davern later admitted that he lied to police about their fight. In 2011, Wood's case was reopened. In 2012, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office amended Wood's death certificate, changing her cause of death from accidental drowning to "drowning and other determined factors." The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/natalie-wood-death-robert-wagner-person-of-interest-says-investigator/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in an upcoming interview with CBS' "48 Hours"</a> that after continuing the investigation over the years, Wagner, now 87, has become of interest.The circumstances surrounding Wood's death have always been mysterious. It's one of those cases that has spawned a lot of conspiracy theories, especially recently due to the true-crime boom inspired by the podcast "Serial" and the Netflix series "Making a Murderer.""Natalie Wood: Death in Dark Water" airs Saturday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ufo-video-department-of-defense-scientists-dont-care-2018-1">Why most scientists don't care about these incredible UFO videos</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/7ydYM9hW-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

Actor Robert Wagner is now a 'person of interest' in the mysterious drowning death of Oscar-nominated actress Natalie Wood in 1981

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Warning: There are minor spoilers ahead for "<keyword id="12635667" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="west-side-story" source="Orion">West Side Story</keyword>."</li><li>1961's "West Side Story" is beloved by many but was criticized for stereotypes.</li></ul>Does Hollywood really need another "West Side Story," a production that has spawned countless reimaginings, spoofs, and high school musicals since its Broadway debut in 1957? Of course not. Or, at least, that's what I thought going into <keyword id="11954897" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="steven-spielberg" source="Orion">Steven Spielberg</keyword>'s retelling of the classic. As someone who grew up watching the 1961 Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer film and then participated in a school performance of the musical (I did set design), I was largely skeptical of why we needed this version of "West Side Story" and why Spielberg was the man for the job instead of a Latino director.I was gladly proven wrong. Spielberg's "West Side Story" is beautifully shot and faithful to the original Broadway show and film. It's also bold enough to finally feel authentic without succumbing to the pressures of catering to a monolingual audience. A self-proclaimed die-hard fan of the musical since his parents brought home a record when he was 10, Spielberg delivers a smart update to the original, which corrects some of its blatant and ignorant racism directed towards the Latinx community.<div type="image" title="The Jets in 2021's &quot;West Side Story.&quot; Here, they're led by Mike Faist who plays Riff." height="1716" width="4096" msid="88055722" hostid="261"></div>Yes, to the casual fan, the 2021 film largely plays much like the original "Romeo and Juliet"-inspired tale as it tells the ill-fated story of star-crossed lovers Maria (Rachel Zegler) and Tony (Ansel Elgort) whose infatuation causes a brawl to break out between feuding gangs — the Caucasian Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks in the backdrop of late 1950s New York City.All of the songs are there (though fans will notice "Be Cool" is shuffled out of order) with the late Stephen Sondheim's original lyrics intact (Surprisingly, no changes were made to "Officer Krupke"). That alone may make you wonder why anyone would bother touching a classic. But it's the tweaks and adjustments to characters, ages, and specific scenes that make this retelling stand out as it leans more into the film's larger themes about race and intolerance.<h2>A good portion of the film is in Spanish and there aren't subtitles. That's on purpose. </h2><div type="image" title="Bernardo and the Sharks in West Side Story 2021" height="1716" width="4096" msid="88055723" hostid="261"></div>One of the most pleasant surprises of Spielberg's "West Side Story" is that, unlike its predecessors, Spanish is spoken on screen and not just in throwaway lines.But the biggest shock is that the film doesn't have subtitles. That's on purpose. If you've taken a Spanish course or two, there's not much you can't figure out with context clues. But there are a few small asides where non-Spanish-speaking audiences may miss out on a joke.During the film's virtual press conference, which Insider attended, Spielberg said the lack of subtitles was "out of respect" to all the people who do speak Spanish in the United States. Screenwriter Tony Kushner added during the press conference that "we're a bilingual country." While that may anger or confuse some monolingual-speaking viewers, the move is brilliant when considering the film's context.Throughout "West Side Story," any Puerto Ricans are constantly told to "speak English" because the cops and Jets can't (and don't want to take the time to) understand them.By making this creative choice, Spielberg is challenging his audience to instead "speak Spanish," and no longer be ignorant of a culture that represents <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/09/key-facts-about-u-s-latinos-for-national-hispanic-heritage-month/">19% of the United States' population (62.1 million) as of 2020</a>.It's a bold choice — one that other directors may not have gotten away with. Hopefully, it's a decision that will embolden others to follow Spielberg's lead in the future. <h2>The new film fixes the original's whitewashing problem.<div type="image" title="Rachel Zegler as Maria" height="1608" width="2144" msid="88055725" hostid="261"></div></h2>In the 1961 adaptation, Natalie Wood, a Caucasian woman playing a Puerto Rican, was confusing. That casting sent the wrong message to many young Hispanic children, of all shades, who wanted to see themselves in Maria but instead were given a white actress to idolize.I too was confused, being a light-skinned, half Peruvian woman, who grew up with a single white mom. I never knew where I really fit in. As an added complexity, because I didn't grow up speaking Spanish, I didn't feel welcome around other Spanish speakers, who jokingly referred to me as gringa. Seeing Wood portray Maria didn't help in my quest to find portrayals of culture onscreen.The original film featured a sole Latina actress, Rita Moreno, who played Anita. Moreno won an Academy Award for her role in which <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2021/06/19/rita-moreno-west-side-story-remake-steven-spielberg/7727143002/">she was forced to wear darker makeup</a> to make the light-skinned actress look more Puerto Rican ... even though she was the only Puerto Rican actor in the film. <div type="image" title="Rita Moreno in 1961 West Side Story" height="2400" width="3000" msid="88055726" hostid="261"></div>White actors played the majority of the Latino roles in the 1961 film, which was <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/many-latinos-loved-west-side-story-not-stereotypes-can-new-n990496">criticized for using brownface</a> (something that's painfully obvious when rewatching the old film today), Spanish accents, and stereotyping all Puerto Ricans as having one skin tone.After her Oscar win, Moreno decided she wouldn't take on any roles in which she played a stereotype <a href="https://www.biography.com/news/rita-moreno-stopped-making-movies">for seven years</a>. <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/03/a-first-look-at-steven-spielbergs-west-side-story">The actress told Vanity Fair last year that</a> she joined this adaptation as an executive producer to right some of the wrongs of the original film.Here, you see 20 cast members who are either Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent. For the 2021 film, Spielberg spent a year casting Latino men and women to play the Sharks in a worldwide search. Among them is breakout star Ariana DeBose, an Afro-Latina who plays Anita, the girlfriend of Maria's brother Bernardo. <h2>All of the performances are great, but Rachel Zegler is the standout as a perfect Maria. However, Ansel Elgort didn't make Tony particularly interesting.</h2><div type="image" title="Tony and Maria in &quot;West Side Story.&quot;" height="4000" width="6000" msid="88055727" hostid="261"></div>As for Maria, in this updated film, the character embraces her heritage, speaking freely in both Spanish and English. Newcomer Rachel Zegler brings her to life with a beautiful innocence and naivety.And that voice. Zegler delivers the strongest vocals of the cast. You'll be humming along to her version of "I Feel Pretty." Other stand-out numbers include the ensemble's performance of "Tonight (Quartet)" and the giant gym performance where the Sharks and Jets wear vibrant juxtaposing warm and cool shades, respectively, giving off a fire and ice vibe to further emphasize the tension between the two groups. <div type="image" title="Jets vs Sharks dance" height="2057" width="4291" msid="88055728" hostid="261"></div>Zegler's heated duet with DeBose, who takes over the role of Anita beautifully, in "A Boy Like That / I Have a Love," is another highlight.DeBose shows off a range of skills from dancing in the New York City streets in "America" to an emotionally fraught scene near the film's end, which also received some updated changes from the original.The other standout actor is Moreno. In addition to her turn as executive producer, fans will smile knowing the actress has a role in this film, and it's not just a small cameo. It's one that was made for her.One of the film's highlights (and surprises) is that she sings. It's quite impressive when you know Moreno turns 90 in December. She's still got it.<div type="image" title="Rita Moreno in West Side Story" height="6000" width="4000" msid="88055729" hostid="261"></div>Elgort ("Baby Driver") is a fine and charming Tony who can carry a tune — "Maria" is quite good. It's also refreshing to see a version of Tony who's curious when he doesn't understand Maria, wanting to learn Spanish to communicate with the young woman he adores.Still, despite the chemistry between Maria and Tony onscreen, his presence in the film becomes a bit distracting from the larger messages its trying to convey. The actor's previous <a href="https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/sexual-assault-allegations-against-ansel-elgort-resurface-with-west-side-story-coming-soon/">sexual assault allegations</a>, which <a href="https://ew.com/movies/ansel-elgort-denies-sexual-assault-allegations/">he has denied</a>, may still feel a bit fresh in young minds while watching and tarnish the viewing experience a bit. Additionally, in the 2021 remake, Elgort's height is so distractingly tall (he towers over most of the cast at 6'3") that a small line was added to address it in the film. Spielberg, or screenwriter Tony Kushner, must have realized (rightly) it would be on the audience's mind. Though Elgort is the most recognizable of the cast, he's not the most memorable, by far.<h2>'West Side Story' delivers the play as originally intended.</h2><div type="image" title="Rachel Zegler West Side Story" height="2720" width="3977" msid="88055730" hostid="261"></div>Is Spielberg's version better than the original? Maybe not.That's largely because other than the lead cast, the rest of the Sharks and Jets kind of flounder in the background. Still, for all its other efforts, the 2021 reimagining comes pretty close and succeeds in places where the original fails. For example, one update in the film comes in the form of the role of Anybodys, who wants to be accepted as an equal member of the Jets after being disowned by his family (the actor has used <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH5b-unQdhA">he/him pronouns</a> when describing the character). In the original, the character is simply a tomboy who aspires to be one of the guys. Here, the role is fully realized, played by nonbinary actor Iris Menas.Though never said on screen, in the film's production notes, David Saint, executor of "West Side Story" author Arthur Laurents' estate, said that the character is indeed transgender. Saint also said it was a choice Laurents would have approved, confirming that Anybodys "is a character who was a man born in a female's body. End of story."If this is the first way in which young viewers find "West Side Story," this is the version worth watching. With Spielberg's adaptation, it feels like we're finally seeing the play as it was originally intended but with roles and dialogue that wouldn't have been allowed in 1961 because the ideas were too progressive for the time.To this woman who was told she was gringa most of her life, Spielberg's take made me fall in love with "West Side Story" all over again. I imagine, for the marginalized audience who felt overlooked when the original film came out, it may do the same."West Side Story," also starring David Alvarez, Brian D'arcy Jones, Mike Faist, Corey Stoll, and Josh Andres Rivera, is in theaters on December 10.<h2>Grade: A-</h2>

Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' fixes the original film's mistakes and delivers a perfect Maria

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1526252" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rita-Moreno">Rita Moreno</keyword> previously defended "<keyword id="829161" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="in-the-heights">In The Heights</keyword>" over <keyword id="7669000" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="colorism">colorism</keyword> complaints.</li><li>The actress told Stephen Colbert: "It's like you can never do right, it seems."</li><li>Now, Moreno has said: "I was clearly dismissive of Black lives that matter in our Latin community."</li></ul>Rita Moreno has walked back on <a href="https://www.insider.com/rita-moreno-defends-lin-manuel-miranda-in-the-heights-whitewashing-2021-6">her comments about colorism while defending Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights,"</a> which was <a href="https://www.insider.com/lin-manuel-miranda-in-the-heights-community-portrayal-fell-short-2021-6">accused of failing to represent Afro-Latinos.</a>In a statement given to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/rita-moreno-says-disappointed-in-myself-following-in-the-heights-colorism-defense-1234966068/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>, Moreno said: "I'm incredibly disappointed with myself. While making a statement in defense of <keyword id="2819092" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lin-Manuel-Miranda">Lin-Manuel Miranda</keyword> on 'The Colbert Show' last night, I was clearly dismissive of Black lives that matter in our Latin community."She continued: "It is so easy to forget how celebration for some is lament for others."Moreno said that she applauds Miranda for his "wonderful" movie "In the Heights," but also appreciates Miranda's "sensitivity and resolve to be more inclusive of the Afro-Latino community going forward.""See, you CAN teach this old dog new tricks," added Moreno, who, like Miranda, is of Puerto Rican descent."In the Heights," which follows Anthony Ramos as a New York bodega owner who dreams of a better life, was accused of failing to properly represent Afro-Latino Americans.People on social media said that the movie primarily featured light-skinned Latinx actors, while dark-skinned Latinx actors were consigned to background roles.This conversation started with <a href="https://www.theroot.com/lets-talk-about-in-the-heights-and-the-erasure-of-dark-1847064126">The Root reporter Felice León</a> asking the director and cast about the lack of dark-skinned Latinx actors in principle roles. Their disappointing responses went viral on Twitter.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1404565413116141570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2021</a></blockquote>While <a href="https://www.insider.com/lin-manuel-miranda-in-the-heights-community-portrayal-fell-short-2021-6">Miranda released a statement promising "to do better"</a> going forward, <a href="https://www.insider.com/rita-moreno-defends-lin-manuel-miranda-in-the-heights-whitewashing-2021-6">Moreno appeared on "The Late Show" and defended the movie</a> and Miranda against these accusations."It's like you can never do right, it seems," Moreno said, praising Miranda for being a pioneer by bringing "Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness" to the forefront of the film and theater industry."I'm simply saying, can't you just wait a while and leave it alone? There's a lot of people who are Puertorriqueños, who are also from Guatemala, who are dark, and who are also fair. We are all colors in Puerto Rico," Moreno said.<div type="image" title="in the heights usnavi" height="1408" width="1878" msid="83604748" hostid="261"></div>The actress rose to fame after starring in the 1961 movie adaptation of "West Side Story" as Anita. That movie was criticized for whitewashing its cast and featuring Russian-American actress Natalie Woods as a Puerto Rican character.Appearing on a 2017 episode of the <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rita-morenos-shocking-anecdote-about-her-west-side-story-makeup_n_58764c9fe4b03c8a02d44d67">"In The Thick" podcast</a>, Moreno told hosts Maria Hinojosa and Julio Varela that she was forced to wear "extremely dark" make-up to play Anita."It was like putting mud on my face, it was really dark and I'm a fairly fair Hispanic― and I said to the makeup man one day 'My God! Why do we all have to be the same color? Puerto Ricans are French and Spanish...' And it's true, we are very many different colors, we're Taino Indian, we are Black some of us," Moreno said.Steven Spielberg's remake of "West Side Story" releases in December this year. Last year, the director told <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/03/a-first-look-at-steven-spielbergs-west-side-story">Vanity Fair</a> that his remake will be authentic to Puerto Ricans and that the cast is predominantly made up of Puerto Rican actors or actors of Puerto Rican descent. <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/19/entertainment/steven-spielberg-black-characters-west-side-story-curtiss-cook-intl-scli/index.html">Spielberg also wrote Black characters into the movie</a>, with Curtiss Cook set to play a major role in the movie."In 1957, in New York City, there were a lot of Black people walking around. But unfortunately, when they created the original version there weren't a lot of Black people in it," Cook said."This time I think they decided to include the landscape as it really was. I'm so fortunate that I am the representation of it."

Rita Moreno said she was 'disappointed' with herself for defending 'In the Heights' colorism

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1526252" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rita-Moreno">Rita Moreno</keyword> is defending <keyword id="2819092" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lin-Manuel-Miranda">Lin-Manuel Miranda</keyword> amid "<keyword id="829161" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="in-the-heights">In The Heights</keyword>" whitewashing controversy.</li><li>Social-media users pointed out the movie primarily features light-skinned Latinx actors as leads.</li><li>"It's like you can never do right, it seems," Moreno said while praising Miranda.</li></ul>Rita Moreno thinks viewers <a href="https://www.insider.com/lin-manuel-miranda-in-the-heights-community-portrayal-fell-short-2021-6">criticizing Lin-Manuel Miranda for whitewashing the lead roles</a> in "In The Heights" are "really attacking the wrong person," arguing that Miranda has done a lot for on-screen Latinx representation in America.After its June 10 release in theaters and on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-hbo-max">HBO Max</a>, social-media users pointed out that <a href="https://www.insider.com/in-the-heights-director-jon-chu-named-son-after-movie-2021-6">"In The Heights"</a> primarily features light-skinned Latinx leads and that most Black Latinx actors are cast as background actors. During an appearance on "The Late Show" on Tuesday, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrM5M1ZK1JU">Moreno defended Miranda</a> (who produced "In The Heights" and co-wrote the Broadway <keyword id="2809" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="musical">musical</keyword> of the same name) over the movie's choice to cast white-passing Latinx actors as most of the main characters. "Can we talk for a second about that criticism about Lin-Manuel? That really upsets me," Moreno told host <keyword id="352115" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Stephen-Colbert">Stephen Colbert</keyword>. "It's like you can never do right, it seems," she continued, while praising Miranda for "singlehandedly" bringing "Latino-ness and Puerto Rican-ness" to the American <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword> industry. She added: "I'm simply saying, can't you just wait a while and leave it alone? There's a lot of people who are Puertorriqueños, who are also from Guatemala, who are dark, and who are also fair. We are all colors in Puerto Rico."<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CrM5M1ZK1JU?controls=0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Moreno, who is of Puerto Rican descent like Miranda, came to prominence playing Anita in 1961's "West Side Story" film adaptation.That film <a href="https://www.insider.com/movies-accused-of-whitewashing-2018-9#the-60s-musical-west-side-story-is-a-classic-example-of-whitewashing-3">has been criticized heavily in the past</a> for whitewashing its ensemble cast, including having Russian-American actress Natalie Woods play Puerto Rican character, Maria. Moreno also <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rita-morenos-shocking-anecdote-about-her-west-side-story-makeup_n_58764c9fe4b03c8a02d44d67">told the "In The Thick" podcast in 2017</a> that she was forced to wear "extremely dark" makeup to play Anita. <h2>Miranda promised 'to do better' after 'In The Heights' colorism backlash</h2>Miranda issued a <a href="https://www.insider.com/lin-manuel-miranda-in-the-heights-community-portrayal-fell-short-2021-6">social-media apology Monday,</a> saying he'd tried to "paint a mosaic" of the Latinx community through "In The Heights," but had "fallen short" in its representation of Black Latinx people."I can hear the hurt and frustration over colorism, of feeling still unseen in the feedback," Miranda wrote in the apology. "I hear that without sufficient dark-skinned Afro-Latino representation, the work feels extractive of the community we wanted to represent with pride and joy.""I'm learning from the feedback, I thank you for raising it, and I am listening," he added. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1404565413116141570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2021</a></blockquote>Miranda echoed Monday's apology during his Tuesday appearance on "The Daily Show." He said he "totally understands" why viewers are upset at the lack of Afro-Latinx actors in leading roles in "In The Heights.""All I want is for this neighborhood to feel seen, and if there's a segment of it that doesn't feel seen, and they're saying that, you have to acknowledge that and let it in," <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQLufD1rabJ/">Miranda told host Trevor Noah</a>."In The Heights" director Jon M. Chu, who recently acknowledged <a href="https://www.insider.com/jon-chu-crazy-rich-asians-whitewashing-stereotypes-tropes-2021-6">whitewashing in his earlier film "Crazy Rich Asians,"</a> also addressed the lack of Black Latinx actors in "In The Heights" while speaking with <a href="https://www.theroot.com/lets-talk-about-in-the-heights-and-the-erasure-of-dark-1847064126">The Root's Felice León</a> for a press junket ahead of the film's release. "In the end, when we were looking at the cast, we tried to get the people who were best for those roles and we saw a lot of people," Chu said."We tried our best on all fronts of it," he continued. "I do think there's something to be said about sharing in experiences and me never trying to say, 'I know what I'm doing' but just to give room to everybody to speak up about what we're doing in that moment."

Rita Moreno defends Lin-Manuel Miranda amid 'In The Heights' whitewashing backlash: 'They're really attacking the wrong person'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a78b5e5c980612e008b45ce-2400/gettyimages-530232759.jpg" alt="Natalie Wood Robert Wagner" data-mce-source="Getty" />Getty</div></div></div><ul><li>In a press conference held Monday, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said it's getting closer to solving the mysterious 1981 death of Academy Award-nominated actress Natalie Wood.</li><li>Last week, it was revealed that Wood's husband, actor Robert Wagner, is a person of interest. </li><li>The case, which was originally ruled as an accidental drowning, was re-opened in 2011.</li></ul><hr /> At a press conference held at the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department on Monday, Lieutenant John Corina said detectives were getting closer to finding the truth behind Natalie Wood's mysterious death in 1981, according to <a href="http://deadline.com/2018/02/natalie-wood-death-robert-wagner-los-angeles-sheriff-re-opened-case-2018-1202278553/">Deadline.</a>In November 1981, the Oscar-nominated actress died on a yacht trip off the coast of Catalina Island, California. She was found floating in the water, wearing a red down jacket and a flannel nightgown. Wood was with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, Captain Dennis Davern, and actor Christopher Walken. After two weeks of investigation, her death was ruled an accident.Last week, it was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/robert-wagner-is-now-a-person-of-interest-in-the-death-of-natalie-wood-2018-2">revealed that Wagner</a> - the last person to see Wood alive - was a person of interest in the case. According to witnesses and Wagner's 2008 memoir, he and Wood had a fight the night before she was found dead. "We have a better understanding now of what happened," Corina said. New witness statements have given detectives a clearer timeline of events that night, which differ from statements given immediately following Wood's death in 1981, Corina said. There is not enough evidence to make arrests at this time, however. Corina said that once they determine how Wood got in the water, they can determine whether it was an accident or if it was a murder. "Was she placed in the water? Was she unconscious and then placed in the water? Was she put in the water by somebody? Or did she accidentally fall into the water and nobody helped her?""We'd love to hear from Robert Wagner," Corina added. "What he said doesn't really add up to what we found and what we've heard." Corina also said that Wagner is a person of interest, not a suspect. In 2011, Wood's case was re-opened. In 2012, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office amended Wood's death certificate, changing her cause of death from accidental drowning to "drowning and other undetermined factors." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-outlook-next-acquisition-might-be-surprising-says-cfra-2018-1">Expect Amazon to make a surprising acquisition in 2018, says CFRA</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/vLerQTrN-xjRU7l6Z.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

LA Sheriff's Department says it's getting closer to solving actress Natalie Wood's mysterious death, and that what her husband Robert Wagner has said 'doesn't really add up'

<img class="float_right" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/4ec68fe4eab8eac537000023-400-300/natalie-wood.jpg" border="0" alt="natalie wood" />The Los Angeles Coroner's Office released a new report today suggesting the actress Natalie Wood <a href="http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/14/16506921-natalie-woods-bruises-helped-coroner-decide-to-change-cause-of-death?lite">may have been assaulted </a>before she drowned in 1981, NBC reports.
Wood <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-everything-thats-known-about-natalie-woods-mysterious-death-2012-7?op=1">drowned in 1981</a> off Santa Catalina Island on a yacht with her husband Robert Wagner and fellow actor Christopher Walken.
The star's <keyword id="6355784" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="death">death</keyword> was originally ruled accidental.
But yacht skipper Dennis Davern has long believed there was more to the story, and his book ultimately prompted Los Angeles authorities to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/17/justice/california-natalie-wood/index.html">re-open the case</a> in 2011, CNN reported at the time.
And now the coroner's office has found that bruising on Wood's wrists, knees, and ankles <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505270_162-57563770/natalie-wood-death-report-to-question-original-autopsy-sources/">seem to indicate an assault</a>, rather than a struggle to climb back on the boat after she fell, CBS News reported Monday.
The report stated "bruises especially in the upper extremities appeared fresh and <a href="http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/14/16506921-natalie-woods-bruises-helped-coroner-decide-to-change-cause-of-death?lite">could have occurred </a>before (Wood) entered the water," according to NBC News, adding that "the location of the bruises, the multiplicity of the bruises, lack of head trauma, or facial bruising support bruising having occurred prior to the entry into the water."
Davern told authorities Wood and Wagner were fighting before the actress went overboard.
The new report is not a brand-new <keyword id="6391193" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Autopsy">autopsy</keyword> but rather a fresh look at the old autopsy, in which the coroner "calls into question every major finding" that led investigators to rule her death an accident, CBS News reported.
"When you take the circumstances as we've now come to learn them, Natalie Wood was, you know, in her night gown in bed," CBS News senior correspondent John Miller said. "She supposedly goes out to re-tie this dinghy. She can't swim. She's afraid of the dark. She's afraid of the water. It's sounds very unlikely she would have done that, especially if the captain, the skipper, was there and awake, and she could have told him to do that."
The report ultimately found the medical examiner "is unable to exclude non-volitional, unplanned entry into the water," according to NBC News.
Miller called the new report "very significant" and said he thinks it will provide extra information for the sheriff's office's reopened murder <keyword id="49112" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Investigation">investigation</keyword>.
DON'T MISS: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lindsay-lohan-talks-ethics-2013-1">A Younger Lindsay Lohan Said She'd Be Good At Teaching Ethics &gt;</a>

New Natalie Wood Death Report Questions 'Every Major Finding' In Original Autopsy

<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/524ae9a369bedddb2540fda6-1200-600/breaking-bad-walt-jesse-finale.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="breaking bad walt jesse finale" width="800" />Ursula Coyote / <keyword id="6358378" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="AMC">AMC</keyword></div></div>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-moments-from-the-breaking-bad-finale-2013-9" target="_blank">"Breaking Bad" finale</a> was just <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/breaking-bad-finale-was-perfect-2013-9" target="_blank">perfect</a>. 
Since then Vince Gilligan has shared on both the "<keyword id="603866" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Breaking-Bad">Breaking Bad</keyword>" talk show <a href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/talking-bad" target="_blank">"Talking Bad"</a> and <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/539653" target="_blank">"The Colbert Report,"</a> that the John Wayne movie "The Searchers" served as inspiration for the final scene between the show's two lead characters, Jesse and Walt.
[FINALE SPOILERS] At the end of "Breaking Bad" old meth cook partners Jesse and Walt were reunited after being apart for some time, culminating in a final stand off at the show's end. Originally, Walt went in search of Jesse with the intent to kill him thinking he was cooking again without him. He decided against it after learning his old partner was being forced into cooking batches for a group of Nazis and instead saves his life. (Yes, it sounds absurd if you're not familiar with the show). [FINALE SPOILERS] 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/524ae9ee6bb3f7b13552dcfe-812-406/breaking-bad-jesse-saved.png" border="0" alt="breaking bad jesse saved" width="800" />AMC / Breaking Bad screencap</div></div>Gilligan pointed out to hosts Chris Hardwick and Stephen Colbert respectively, the scene is a lot like that of the ending to the popular 1956 Wayne Western.
"All throughout 'The Searchers' John Wayne is chasing after Natalie Wood's character; she's been taken by the Comanches, and he keeps saying, 'When I find her, I'm gonna kill her,'" Gilligan told Colbert. "Then at the last minute, when he sees her her, he sweeps her up in his arms and says, 'Let's go home,'" Gilligan said.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/524aead369bedd4a2840fdaf-465-349/john-wayne-the-searchers.png" border="0" alt="john wayne the searchers" width="480" /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQi4jgROliY">The Searchers screencap / YouTube</a>Ending scene from "The Searchers."</div></div>
To give some more context, in "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers_(film)" target="_blank">The Searchers</a>" when Woods' character Debbie is found five years after being kidnapped by Ethan (John Wayne), she's one of the wives of the man who took her and doesn't want to return home. Furious, Ethan sets out to kill her saying he rather see Debbie dead than alive as an Indian.
"It's this tear-jerking wonderful ending," added Gilligan. " We stole from the best."
Gilligan told "Talking Bad" host Chris Hardwick you can see this scene play out between Walt and Jesse during the "Breaking Bad finale.
"He [Walt] sees him [Jesse] ... sees what bad shape he's [Jesse] in ... and he saves him," says Gilligan.
Others online noted that the <a href="http://comicbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/breaking-bad-lost-endings.jpg" target="_blank">final scene of "Breaking Bad"</a> echoed the highly controversial "Lost" finale <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cast-of-lost-where-are-they-now-2013-9?" target="_blank">in its final shot</a>. 
Watch Gilligan's interview with Colbert below:
<iframe width="620" height="360" frameborder="0" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed.html?eid=oe8a8xzyxi5qhjxsetimlg"></iframe>
Here's the trailer and ending to "The Searchers":
<iframe width="620" height="360" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WI2AZb04HAc?rel=0"></iframe>
<iframe width="620" height="360" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UQi4jgROliY?rel=0"></iframe>

You Searched For "natalie wood" and got 13 results

Natalie Wood's sister on Robert Wagner, Kirk Douglas, Christopher Walken and keeping the movie star's memory alive

Erin Snodgrass

Natalie Wood's sister says Christopher Walken spoke to detectives working her reopened case, but made them promise not to reveal what he said

Erin Snodgrass

Natalie Wood's alleged assault as a teenager by Kirk Douglas 'hurt her for her entire life,' sister says

Erin Snodgrass

Natalie Wood's sister 'always thought' husband Robert Wagner was responsible for her drowning death: 'I think he's a coward'

Erin Snodgrass

Natalie Wood was sexually assaulted by Kirk Douglas, her sister writes in new memoir

Ayomikun Adekaiyero

Belle initially resembled Angelina Jolie in early 'Beauty and the Beast' sketches, but Disney changed her look because she was 'too perfect'

Kirsten Acuna

Actor Robert Wagner is now a 'person of interest' in the mysterious drowning death of Oscar-nominated actress Natalie Wood in 1981

Carrie Wittmer

Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' fixes the original film's mistakes and delivers a perfect Maria

Kirsten Acuna

Rita Moreno said she was 'disappointed' with herself for defending 'In the Heights' colorism

Jacob Sarkisian

Rita Moreno defends Lin-Manuel Miranda amid 'In The Heights' whitewashing backlash: 'They're really attacking the wrong person'

Debanjali Bose

LA Sheriff's Department says it's getting closer to solving actress Natalie Wood's mysterious death, and that what her husband Robert Wagner has said 'doesn't really add up'

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New Natalie Wood Death Report Questions 'Every Major Finding' In Original Autopsy

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John Wayne Movie 'The Searchers' Inspired The Ending To 'Breaking Bad'

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