Global News Podcast - Actor Gene Hackman and wife found dead

Episode Date: February 27, 2025

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman has been found dead alongside his wife at home in New Mexico. Also: the controversial Tate brothers flee Romania for the US, and what's behind the popularity of Pokemon 29 years on?

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Jaleel and a 14 hours GMT on Thursday, the 27th of February. These are our main stories. Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife are found dead at their home. The controversial Tate brothers fly out of Romania after years of not being allowed to leave because of rape charges after lobbying by the US. An Israeli delegation heads to Cairo as part of efforts to extend the Gaza ceasefire. Also in this podcast.

All the Russian film industry is expecting some news on a high scale geopolitical changes that would also bring changes in show business and in the film industry. Russian cinemas want to come in from the cold. We look at how that might happen. The Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife have been found dead at their home in Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico. He was 95.

His wife, Betsy Arakawa, was 63. Their dog was also found dead alongside them. While police have yet to establish how they died, they say no foul play is suspected. Hackman won a host of awards, including two Oscars, in a career in which he starred in more than a hundred films, among them Unforgiven, Get Shorty, Mississippi Burning and Enemy of the State. We're going to divide up into four parties and we'll hit all the farms and the trails to make a big circle. And we're bound to come across somebody who's seen these skunks. If I have a heart attack, I hope you know what to do.

Where have you been, Henry? Have we met? I don't recall. We just did. skunks What are you working for? I'm not working for you. Is this about me? Am I a target here? Do they know me? Who is they? Do they know me? I don't know what you're talking about! Gene Hackman in some of the many roles he starred in, but the one for which he'll perhaps be best remembered is The French Connection, the film which made him a star and won him one of his Oscars, in which he played a tough New York detective battling a murderous drug smuggling ring. It was a role that didn't come naturally at first,

as explained in a BBC interview. As a matter of fact, the second day of shooting I had asked the director to replace me because I just didn't feel I could do it. I was popping these guys in the mouth and playing this tough guy and it was real tough. I had never played a role quite that demanding and after a while you punch somebody long enough you get kind of used to it you know. Our culture reporter Charlotte Gallagher said news of these deaths had caused a real sense of shock. These are very unusual circumstances for two people and an animal to be found dead in the same place at the same time and we only found this out a few hours ago.

So details are kind of coming as and when, but it's still very much an active investigation. There's no suspicious circumstances. So police aren't looking for anyone else in connection with this, but really shocking. Gene Hackman, such a Hollywood legend. I mean, he retired 20 years ago, but I think people might be shocked to learn that because he was in so many films and they seem to always be on the TV or on streaming that he seems like he's been working until fairly recently. Yes, it feels almost like we grew up with him because, as you say, he has been in so many films. Just take us through some of his best-known roles. I certainly remember here in the UK, he was in Superman 1 and Superman 2 and they always seemed to be on TV.

He did comedic roles like that. He was in Young Frankenstein as well and the Royal Tenenbaums, which he won a Golden Globe for. And then he was also known for these real tough guy roles. So the French Connection, for example, which won an Oscar for Unforgiven, Oscar winner for that as well. And the thing is about his tough guy portrayals, they were never cliched and stereotyped. He was really nuanced and complex in the way he played these roles. Mississippi Burning, another really well-known film for him. Bonnie and Clyde, that was his breakthrough role. And he starred in over a hundred films over his career and 20 years ago, on the advice

of his doctor, he retired from acting. And he had a much quieter life in New Mexico. But he always struggled with the fame side of being an actor. He said, I trained to be an actor. I didn't train to be a star. I don't really know how to deal with press, agents and that kind of thing. And he didn't like what he saw. He didn't think of himself as traditionally handsome. And he actually found it, he said, emotionally difficult watching his portrayals.

And interestingly as well, he didn't start off life as an actor. He was actually a US Marine and he joined up when he was 16 years old. He lied about his age, served for four years and then left and he said, yeah, I didn't really like people telling me what to do and I didn't like taking orders. But a really long, extensive career. I mean, we're getting a few tributes in at the moment, but I think as the US begins to wake up, we're going to hear more from big Hollywood stars, big Hollywood directors because he was such a presence. Exactly. As you say, he didn't have those traditional movie star looks, but he did have that appeal, not just a strong presence, but

also just representing every man. Yes, and someone said that he had the face of a truck driver. That's one of the quotes I've read today. He could play any kind of role and you felt like he was representing a whole breadth of people. And I think it's that breadth that he's going to be remembered for playing the tough guy, very serious meaty roles and then not afraid to almost poke fun of himself and of Hollywood in films like Superman and Young Frankenstein and having a laugh with his work as well. Charlotte Gallagher. A travel ban on a controversial social media influencer and self-described

misogynist Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan has been lifted after lobbying by the Trump administration. The brothers, who hold dual US-British nationality, had been barred for years from leaving Romania, where they'd been charged with rape and human trafficking. But after assuring the Romanian authorities they would return to face charges, they boarded a private plane to fly to the US. The two men are also wanted in the UK over allegations of rape. They deny all the charges against them. I asked our correspondent in Bucharest, Nick Thorpe, what we know so far. We know that the Tate brothers American passports were returned to them

sometime in the course of yesterday afternoon by the prosecutors here in Romania, basically allowing them to leave, which they did. Soon after five o'clock this morning, they flew out of Bucharest by private jet. Just to recap, they've been in custody of one kind or another for more than two years since December 2022 on these very serious charges, which they deny. And this all comes after reports that the Trump administration was trying to get the Romanian government to let them travel abroad. Why would the Trump administration intervene like this?

Well, they are US citizens and the Trump administration already in the campaign last autumn made very clear that they regard them as American citizens who've been mistreated in a foreign country by the judicial authorities. And in exchange for that, effectively, Andrew Tate has made very clear how much he supports Donald Trump. And now since Mr. Trump became president, as you say, there's been this very public but also private pressure on Romania as a key U.S. ally in Europe, as a key member of NATO on the south eastern flank, to release them. And that is now what's happened. I have to say,

though, that the Romanian prosecutors have just released a statement saying that the Tates do remain under investigation for these very serious charges, including rape, trafficking and money laundering, and that they are expected under the terms of being allowed to leave the country to return here to face those charges at a later date. But this will be devastating news for the alleged victims who are not just in Romania, they're also some in the UK. That's right, earlier this year High Court proceedings were brought by four British women who claimed they were raped and assaulted by Andrew Tate. And they had appealed through their lawyer after it became clear that the Romanians might be about to give in to US pressure and release them, allow them to leave the country. They appealed for that not to happen, for them to be kept in Romania to face those charges.

And of course they face charges in Britain too. There's a UK arrest warrant out for them. But my understanding is that the UK authorities have been told that they would not be allowed to leave Romania to face those British charges until the Romanian court proceedings are completed here. But of course as those Romanian court proceedings have not been completed and the Romanian authorities seem to trust them to return from the United States to face those I expect that will be the response if there's any British complaint to the Romanian government over this. Nick Thorpe. It looks like Donald Trump is about to hit the European Union with new tariffs. The US president says he's considering raising tariffs to 25% on all EU goods entering the United States.

The European Union is currently America's third largest trading partner. According to the latest figures, Mr Trump's tariffs could hit as much as $29 billion worth of the bloc's exports. The EU has responded by saying it will retaliate immediately if the US imposes new tariffs. Here's our North America business correspondent, Michelle Flurry. Donald Trump warned during his first cabinet meeting that 25% tariffs on EU goods are coming soon. Now this is the first time the president has specified a number as he railed against the EU for not accepting more cars and agriculture products from America.

The EU's 10% tariff on passenger cars is much higher than the US's own 2.5% tariff. The European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That's the purpose of it. And they've done a good job of it, but now I'm president. But the EU flatly rejected the president's criticism. In a statement, a commission spokesperson said, "...the European Union is the world's largest free market and it has been a boon for the United States," adding, "...we're ready to partner if you play by the rules, but we will also protect our consumers

and businesses at every turn." Donald Trump didn't specify when the EU tariffs would be imposed, but said that many trade actions would come on April 2nd. Analysts noted that the 25% figure, the same level facing Mexico and Canada, was at the high end of expectations. The uncertainty over the president's trade policy did not sit well with investors. Stocks in the US came off their highs of the day. Michelle Flurry. As diplomatic levers grind on to find a resolution to the war in Ukraine, in Russia many businesses are struggling with international sanctions and isolation.

In particular, cinemas which are hoping to start negotiations with Hollywood studios as soon as possible, according to the Russian business paper Kommessant. Rahul Tandon asked data analyst Roman Isaev for his assessment. Unfortunately, after all that events that happened in February 2022, the major Hollywood Studios have suspended their presence in Russia, have closed their offices and are stopped providing their movies to the Russian cinemas. The volume of content, volume of good films for the broad audience was decreased, let's say several times. And the years 2022 and subsequent, they were very difficult for the

Russian film industry, for the cinemas especially. In 2022, we lost minimum two-third of box office volume and then flopped to the bottom of nowhere. How important was Hollywood to the Russian cinema industry? I know you've been a key part in helping create the cinema industry in Russia, build those cinemas. So how important a part of that industry is Hollywood? Hollywood movies and the distributors of Hollywood content studios themselves They have spent a lot of efforts money and resources to help our industry recover from the situation that happened after the collapse of the Soviet Union when the Soviet system of film exhibition and

Distribution has gone to history So for all the 90s, cinemas were closed and no films were shown there. So it was a huge problematic decade when the cinemas were structured into car shops or furniture shops or whatever, or food shops. It was awful years for the film industry. And starting from late 90s,

when Titanic first came to Russia to the first and only Russian cinema Was that the first Hollywood film to come into Russia Titanic the first big one? Yeah, exactly and the first big one that was shown in the first Russian Dolby equipped Cinema, it was Kodak in Moscow and it was a huge breakthrough. You're creating a great picture of the impact of Hollywood in breakthrough. You're creating a great picture of the impact of Hollywood in re-energizing that Russian film industry. So now here we are, no Hollywood films in Russia. We've seen a sort of improvement in relations between Donald Trump and President Putin. Do you think the situation could be about to change?

We all hope and rely on that information that we hear from press, from the news, from internet. We all hope because we really waited for such news for something optimistic. We were waiting for that for three years. Now all the Russian film industry is expecting some news on a high scale geopolitical changes that would also bring as a sequence changes in show business and in the film industry as a part of the show business. Data analyst Roman Isaev. Still to come in this podcast, as Pokemon nears 30, the number of Pokemon which started

at 151 has increased to more than 1,000 today and their fans now span across several generations. We talk to the man behind the global phenomenon. You're listening to the Global News Podcast. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Israeli negotiators to head to Cairo for talks on continuing the Gaza ceasefire after the end of the first phase in which hostages have been exchanged for prisoners in phased releases over the past six weeks. This comes as Hamas says it's ready to begin talks on the second phase, widely considered to be even more challenging than the first one as it would involve the return of all the hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Forensic tests in Israel have now verified the identity of all the four men whose bodies were released in the latest swap, including that of Tashi Aydan, known as Zahi. His cousin Adam Manit described how he felt. My family suffered immensely these past 510 days and many more families are still suffering. Our determination to bring the hostages home continues regardless of our personal situation. We will grieve and mourn the loss of my cousin Zahi who will be buried next to his firstborn daughter who was murdered on October 7th and after we bury them we will get back to campaigning for the release of the remaining

hostages. More than 600 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages. More than 600 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for the bodies of the four Israelis. But only after days of delay, which Israel blamed on the humiliating and cruel way Hamas had staged hostage handovers. Yahya Shrida was among the Palestinians released. He spoke to reporters about his ordeal. We have been taken out of suffering as if we have been dug out from our own graves. No prisoner has had the experience of having their own release delayed twice. It is very hard to talk about what we have been through.

Our correspondent in Jerusalem, Yolande Nel, told us what the sending of the Israeli negotiators could mean for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan. Israel's foreign minister says this delegation is going to Cairo to see if there's common ground to negotiate. Of course, Egypt, along with Qatar, has been a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, along with the US. Earlier this week, we did have President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Wyckoff, saying he expected such a move for second stage talks, because the latest exchanges that we've seen complete the first stage of this Gaza ceasefire, and that's lasted for nearly six weeks. And Steve Wyckoff indicated if progress was made in

the talks, then he would go ahead with a planned trip to the region. Then the second stage of the ceasefire is meant to be about a full end to the war, full Israeli withdrawal, the return of remaining hostages and there are about 60 of them including 24 who were said by the Israeli authorities to be alive. We did have earlier today Hamas putting out a statement saying it was ready to start talks on the second phase as well and that this was the only way for Israel to bring its hostages home through commitment to the ceasefire because the Israeli Prime Minister has previously been indicating that he wants only an extension of the first stage of the ceasefire to try to bring back more hostages from Gaza in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and analysts have been suggesting that while Hamas might agree to a short extension it's unlikely to

agree to that in the long term. Yolande Nel, thousands of people from around the world are currently stranded in Myanmar after they were freed from the scam compounds where many of them had been forced to work. Thailand began an operation earlier this month to try to shut down the compounds which have proliferated along its border with Myanmar, cutting power and phone links and causing the armed groups which were supporting the scams to start freeing the workers. But Thailand is struggling to process the workers and has halted their movement across the border, leaving them stuck in makeshift camps. Our South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head is at the border from where he sent this report. Earlier this month, 260 from 20 different nationalities were ferried across the Mohe River

and taken to be registered in Thai army trucks. Another 600 Chinese freed from scam centers were taken directly to the local airport and flown back to China. But thousands more are still stranded in overcrowded makeshift camps guarded by nervous soldiers from the same militia groups which once guarded the scam compounds but have now decided to release them. When asked, nearly all say they want to go home. But it still isn't happening. Food is limited and sanitation is appalling. I managed to speak to Mike, an Ethiopian, who was forced to work for a year in a scam compound. The conditions we are in is very hard. We are sleeping on the floor. The toilets are very messed up by now. The

food, they serve food twice a day, but the food is not sustaining us, not much. But we are not complaining about that at all. We just need to leave this place because we are suffering beyond comprehension. Mike's greatest fear is that if they're not allowed to cross over to Thailand soon, they'll be handed back to the Chinese scam bosses and punished as they were before. Unfortunately it seems we're in a bit of a standstill. Judah Tanner runs an NGO which has spent years trying to help trafficked workers get out of Myanmar. He's alarmed by what he's hearing from the thousands like Mike now out of the

compounds but still stuck on, now out of the compounds but still stuck on the other side of the border. Unfortunately we are hearing distressing information about lack of sanitation and toilets. We're understanding that one of the compounds that has about 400 people in it only has two bathrooms. A lot of them were actually screened for TV and were positive for TV. We're hearing from them that they're coughing, that they're coughing up blood. Our worry is that we're not engaging fast enough.

The Thai Prime Minister, Petong Tan Chinawath, has promised that her government is working hard to end the scourge of the scammers. But there's not yet any real sense of urgency here in Thailand about getting the freed workers out. I just want to go home. I just want to go back to my country. That is all I'm asking. Like Mike, they're still stuck in limbo between the horrors of the scam business they've just escaped and finding a way home. That report by Jonathan Head. Leaked audio instructions by rescue coordinators have cast

doubt on Greece's official version of the events leading up to the sinking of a migrant boat, which had up to 650 people on board. The Adriana went down in June 2023 in international waters, but within Greece's rescue zone after leaving Libya days earlier. Survivors have previously told the BBC the Greek Coast Guard caused their ship to sink by trying to tow it, something the Greek authorities continue to deny. Our Europe correspondent Nick Beek has been investigating. This was the worst migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean for a decade. investigating. This was the worst migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean for a decade. More than a hundred

women and children were feared to be among the dead. Three survivors gave very vivid accounts of how the Greek Coast Guard actually caused their boat to capsize. They said it was a belated, botched attempt to tow it and that survivors were then threatened basically to keep quiet about it. The Greek Coast Guard has always denied these allegations and maintains it never attempted to rescue the migrant boat because it said it was moving in a steady direction. And crucially, those on board had said of their own free will, they wanted to get to Italy, not Greece. But now a recording of a phone call has emerged in which a Greek operator at a rescue coordination centre on the mainland appears to instruct the person who's skippering the migrant boat,

coaching them that they should tell the captain of a big red ship that's coming to give food and water, we do not want to go to Greece. Now this is the start of the audio clip, it's not particularly clear but have a listen. We don't want to go Greece, okay? Okay, I repeat, big red ship proceeding you. That big red ship as it was described, Julie arrived, gave out supplies and the captain then reports that sure enough he found a boat full of migrants very crowded on the top deck. And when he asked them if they wanted to go to Greece or Italy, they were all adamant they did not want to go to Greece. Because I asked them by megaphone, I said Greece or Italy. Everybody there screaming

Italy. Ah, okay, okay, everybody screaming that they don't want Greece and they want Italy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because they are't want Greece and they want Italy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah Yeah, because they are all they cannot stand they are all like crowded people very crowded full deck Captain I want this to write it in your log book. Yes. Okay We will write that they don't want to stay in Greece and they want to go to Italy And sure enough that was noted down in the captain's log book and it was cited Repeatedly by the Greek Coast Guards afterwards as this key reason why they didn't launch a rescue. And I think the crucial

point is that this migrant boat, as we pretty quickly worked out, was hardly moving in the seven hours before it went down, yes in international waters, but in all that time it was in Greece's allocated zone of rescue in the Mediterranean Sea so there was this specific Greek duty to save any lives in peril. Nick Beek, if you grew up in the 90s this might make you feel a bit old and if you were a parent back then trying to understand why your kids were so into Pokemon you'll feel positively ancient as the phenomenally successful Japanese media franchise turns 29 today. The name is short for Pocket Monster and in the past three decades it's expanded from trading cards to films, video games and plush toys. For a closer look

at the secret of its success, here's Mariko Ooi. I'm at one of two dozen Pokemon centers around the world where they sell toys, stationeries, cars, you name it. Since Pocket Monsters was released in a red and green version for the Game Boy in Japan 29 years ago, their popularity hasn't died down. The phenomenon has been dubbed Pokemania and what looks like a simple card game can be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, or reportedly even millions. So what's the secret to their success? I put that question to the president of the Pokemon company, Tsunekazu Ishihara.

I believe the original game was groundbreaking, because it allowed users to exchange Pokemon that you catch with your friends and other players. So it wasn't an introverted activity, but it became a tool to actively communicate with others. The number of Pokémon which started at 151 has increased to more than 1,000 today, and their fans also grew and now span across several generations. Our mission statement is to enrich both the real world and the virtual world with the Pokemon characters. Pokemon Go is the perfect example, because you can look for Pokemon in the real world. What about counterfeits and patent infringement? You recently sued the maker of the hit survival adventure game, Pall World.

What are you doing about those fake Pokemon? We've been fighting fakes since the beginning. The more popular Pokemon became,akes since the beginning. The more popular Pokémon became the worst problem. It affects our creativity and our customers get disappointed when they receive products that aren't authentic. And that's not their only challenge. Pokémon cards are sold for a price tag of six or even seven figures, with influencer Logan Paul currently holding the Guinness World Records for the most expensive Pokemon trading card, which he bought for more than 5 million dollars.

If the cards are rare or seen as vintage, their value goes up, but it's not our place to say that they are not valuable. To us, the true value of Pokemon is to play, have fun and communicate with friends. Along with Hello Kitty and Super Mario, Pokemon is one of Japan's three big soft power, and the Pokemon Company is the only one that remains private despite its huge revenue. But Mr. Shihara says that's not the biggest difference. Hello Kitty is one of the characters for Sanrio, and Super Mario is one of the characters for Nintendo.

But Pokemon is the only thing we do at the Pokemon Company. So whatever profit we make from Pokemon gets reinvested in Pokemon. If we go public, we have to focus on growing our profitability. And our investors might ask, what are you going to do when the popularity of Pokemon dies down? And our answer will be, we'll go bust when Pokemon is no longer popular. Now here's my full disclosure. I bid for Mr. Ishada's interview when I realized how popular Pokemon is among my children and their friends. And they were shocked to learn that Ash and Pikachu,

who were the beloved protagonists of the Pokemon anime for more than a quarter of a century, had to retire. So I asked Mr. Ishihara what happened to them. That's the hardest question you ask today. Ash and Pikachu's journey might have ended on camera, but it's only what you see on TV. Even though the TV camera might not be following them, Ash's journey is continuing and his partner Pikachu is right next to him. Pokemon Company President Zanaika Ishihara speaking to Mariko Ooi. And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastatbbc.co.uk.

This edition was mixed by Kai Perry. The producer was David Lewis. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janet Jaleel. Until next time, goodbye.