Celebrity portraits by The Times

Jon Chu  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Celine Dion  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Actors Forest Whitaker, left, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaacs, Harrison Ford (seated), Emma Thompson and Chiwetel Ejiofor   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Geoffrey Rush  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Ahna O’Reilly  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Chris Chalk   (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Chiwetel Ejiofor  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Justin Timberlake   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Forest Whitaker  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Sarah Paulson  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Pharell Williams  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Idris Elba   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Naomie Harris  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Bette Midler  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

David O. Russell  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Richards   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Bill Cosby  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Robert Evans  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Kate Winslet stars as a single mother who falls for an escaped convict in Jason Reitman’s “Labor Day.”  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

The last couple of years have been a whirlwind of concerts for Blink-182’s Travis Barker, left, Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus, who says they’re “in a good place.”  (Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times)

Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer acted with a sense of responsibility toward the real-life mom she plays in “Fruitvale Station.”  (Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times)

Casey Affleck plays an Army vet turned fistfighter in “Out of the Furnace.”  (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times)

Melissa Leo initially turned down the Holly Jones part in “Prisoners.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Julianne Nicholson is part of the star-packed ensemble of “August: Osage County,” the film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play.  (Katie Falkenberg/Los Angeles Times)

Jenji Kohan is creator of Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black.”   (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Murray Weissman has been helping the film studios go after Academy Awards for decades.  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

Actors, from left, Michael B. Jordan, Greta Gerwig, Brie Larson, Miles Teller and Dane DeHaan participate in the Young Hollywood Round Table at Mann Chinese 6 in Hollywood.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Agnes Varda is inside “My Shack of Cinema” (1968-2013), part of the exhibition “Agnes Varda in Californialand” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The shack, or cabana, is a form of provisional architecture that Varda has used in a series of sculptural installations.   (Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times)

Actress Lupita Nyong’o is one of the stars of “12 Years a Slave.”   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci, photographed at Mr. C Hotel, was in Los Angeles for AFI Fest, where a 3-D version of his Oscar-winning “The Last Emperor” was screened Nov. 10. He was later presented with the Cinema Italian Style’s 2014 CIS Award.   (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Actor Daniel Bruhl portrays race car driver Niki Lauda in Ron Howard’s new film, “Rush.”  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Emmy Award-winning actor and comedian Tim Conway is photographed in his Los Angeles area home. He’s written an autobiography, “What’s So Funny? My Hilarious Life.”   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Matthew McConaughey stars in “Dallas Buyers Club.”  (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

“Blue Jasmine” fulfilled Cate Blanchett’s long-held goal of working in a Woody Allen film.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Nico Muhly is the composer of the opera “Two Boys,” which just opened at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.   (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

T Bone Burnett, music producer of “Inside Llewyn Davis,” knows well the hardscrabble life of the film’s musician.   (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

John Goodman, photographed at the London Hotel in Manhattan, costars in the new movie “Inside Llewyn Davis.”   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Asa Butterfield stars in the new science-fiction movie “Ender’s Game,” which hit the top of the box-office chart its first weekend. Butterfield, who also starred in “Hugo” and “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” was photographed at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.   (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

B.J. Novak, left, and Jason Schwartzman, right, who play legendary Disney songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman, join the real Richard Sherman for a chat on the new movie “Saving Mr. Banks,” about the making of the 1964 “Mary Poppins” movie.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

“Saturday Night Live” alumnus Will Forte stops off at the Cinefamily Theatre in Los Angeles as he promotes his new movie, “Nebraska,” with with Bruce Dern.

Actor Josh Brolin talks about his new film, “Labor Day,” at the Ritz Carlton in Toronto during the Toronto International Film Festival.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

French actress Lea Seydoux, in mirror images, and Adele Exarchopoulos costar in the Palme d’Or-winning film “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” by Tunisian-French film director and screenwriter Abdellatif Kechiche.   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Joan Jett, of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, has released a new album titled “Unvarnished.”  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Este, from left, Alana and Danielle Haim of the group Haim before a concert at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.   (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Katy Perry’s new album, “Prism,” reflects a new maturity culled from a tumultuous few years.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Jessica Lange, seen through a filmy veil, credits “American Horror Story” co-creator Ryan Murphy with luring her onto the show.  (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

“Jackass” veteran Johnny Knoxville had to spend hours in makeup to turn him into “Bad Grandpa’s” Irving Zisman, 86.  (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

In “Masters of Sex,” Lizzy Caplan plays Virginia Johnson, one half of the famed sex research duo Masters & Johnson.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Critical appreciation for his early work, a new album and L.A. gigs: Life’s good for electro-rock pioneer Gary Numan.   (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

To promote their new song “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me,” country stars Jason Mraz, left, and Hunter Hayes made a YouTube-exclusive video, “The Hunter Hayes YouTube Orchestra featuring Jason Mraz” ahead of the release of the song’s official music video. It’s the result of a collaboration between Warner Music and the video-sharing website.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Ricky Gervais wrote, directed and stars in “Derek,” a Netflix series, which has him playing nice for a change.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Actors Beau Bridges and Margo Martindale star together on the CBS sitcom “The Millers,” and have also appeared on Showtime’s “Masters of Sex.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Robert Redford stars in the upcoming film “All Is Lost.”   (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Pet Shop Boys Chris Lowe, left, and Neil Tennant closed their American tour at the Shrine Auditorium Oct. 12. Times pop music critic Randall Roberts wrote, “A Saturday night spent with the Pet Shop Boys is better than one spent without them.”  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Adam Brody, who came to fame via “The O.C.,” jokingly says he’s playing the “token white guy” in “Baggage Claim,” which is aimed at black audiences.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Metallica promotes its “Through the Never,” which is the band’s “Apocalypse Now,” says drummer Lars Ulrich, second from left with bassist Robert Trujillo, guitarist-singer James Hetfield and guitarist Kirk Hammett. The film opened on Imax screens in late September.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“Captain Phillip’s” star Tom Hanks, left, and director Paul Greengrass wanted to keep the film tense. Unusual casting and shooting at sea helped.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“A.C.O.D.” actress Catherine O’Hara, also known for “SCTV” and Christopher Guest’s comedies, credits her parents for her sense of humor.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Paternal roles seem to suit Tony Danza even if he doesn’t always portray the best fatherly instincts, as in the movie “Don Jon.”  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Actress Jennifer Tilly is kicking up her career, with “Curse of Chucky” and stage work.  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Michael C. Hall is the star of the Showtime series “Dexter,” which is ending its run after eight seasons.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Actor Daniel Bruhl is photographed during a day of media presentations for his upcoming role as race driver Niki Lauda in Ron Howard’s new film, “Rush,” at the Toronto International Film Festival.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Queen Latifah on her set of her new “The Queen Latifah Show” at Sony Pictures Entertainment in Culver City.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is seeking out darker roles as he carefully constructs his career path.  (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Meghan McCain’s new show, “Raising McCain,” explores issues affecting millennials.   (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

“Saturday Night Live” alum Andy Samberg returns to TV as a less-than-mature detective in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Hugh Hefner, who founded Playboy in 1953 and turned it into a multimedia empire, remains the magazine’s editor in chief.

Actor Vin Diesel is the producer and star of the sci-fi thriller “Riddick.”

Shane Salerno’s decade-long obsession with J.D. Salinger led to a new book and film.   (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

“Drinking Buddies” director Joe Swanberg, rear, with his cast: Jake Johnson, Olivia Wilde and Ron Livingston.  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

One Direction is headed to the Rose Bowl on Sept. 11. Tickets go on sale Saturday.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

British actor David Oyelowo at SLS Hotel in Los Angeles. Oyelowo is a costar in the movie in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.”   (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

R&B singer John Legend plays the piano at his home in Los Angeles and will be coming out with a new album, “Love in the Future.”   (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Film director Wong Kar Wai is at the Four Seasons hotel in Los Angeles to promote his new film, “The Grandmaster,” about the martial-arts expert who trained Bruce Lee.   (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter will celebrate his 80th birthday with a Hollywood Bowl concert Aug. 28.   (Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times)

Actors Simon Pegg, left, and Nick Frost with director Edgar Wright, right, join up for the comedy “The World’s End.”   (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Forest Whitaker stars in the new movie “The Butler.”   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Actress Jane Seymour, in the garden of her Malibu home.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the star of HBO’s comedy series “Veep,” talks about her 2013 Emmy nomination at Shutters Hotel in Santa Monica.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Matthew Wiener, writer and creator of the AMC series “Mad Men,” joins four of the actresses of the show for a chat about the show’s changing times as the series heads toward its seventh season. From left: Jessica Pare, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss and Kiernan Shipka, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.   (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Actress Lake Bell stars in a new movie called “In a World.”   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Anna Gunn is nominated for a supporting actress Emmy Award for her role as the long-suffering Skyler White in “Breaking Bad.”   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Porn star James Deen makes his dramatic feature debut in “The Canyons.”   (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller star in “The Spectacular Now.”   (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Earl Sweatshirt, of the rap collective Odd Future, has a solo album entitled “Doris.”   (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

For “Elysium” director Neill Blomkamp, the cerebral sci-fi thriller is becoming a specialty.   (Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times)

Henry Jaglom is the author of “My Lunches With Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles.” Jaglom is an actor, film director and playwright.   (Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times)

Ex-Disney star Selena Gomez is flaunting an edgier side on the EDM-inflected “Stars Dance,” plus a role in “Spring Breakers.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times)

Stephen Moyer of the vampire series “True Blood” takes a role in the musical “Chicago” at the Hollywood Bowl.  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

Actress-producer Lisa Kudrow has two series -- Showtime’s “Web Therapy” and TLC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?”.   (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Hugh Jackman says his latest film, “The Wolverine,” reveals more of the mutant character’s inner pain and thoughts.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Actress Helen Mirren returns as the sniper Victoria in the sleuth spoof sequel “Red 2.”   (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

First-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler wrote and directed “Fruitvale Station.”   (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

“The Talk” host Aisha Tyler in her dressing room at CBS Studios in Studio City.   (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

J. Cole, seen here looking through a prism of mirrors, has released his second album, “Born Sinner.”   (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)

Michael B. Jordan stars in “Fruitvale Station,” portraying 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who was shot by a BART police officer in Oakland in 2009 in an event that sparked outrage among community activists. “Fruitvale Station” won numerous awards at the Sundance Film Festival, and Jordan is considered an early front-runner for lead actor awards.   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)