Just when it seemed he was finally leaving his troubled past behind him, Matthew Newton’s world has again come crashing down around him.
The embattled writer, actor and director was pictured looking very drawn and thin while immersed in a tense phone conversation in NYC. Nearby, his rumoured wife, Catherine Schneiderman, 25, stood nervously scrolling through her phone while puffing on a vape.
Last week news emerged that 41-year-old Matt’s big Hollywood break had been quashed after he was forced to pull out of directing the upcoming US blockbuster Eve, starring Jessica Chastain, amid an online backlash over his history of alleged domestic abuse.
And now, friends of the fallen star are worried that this latest setback could tip an already fragile Matt over the edge.
‘Just when he felt like he was finally moving on with his life and making real progress with his career – starting over in the US – it all just got taken out from underneath him,’ a source reveals.
‘Matt isn’t eating and has been really down – he isn’t sleeping much, doesn’t want to talk to anyone and it’s a struggle for Kat to get him out of the house. No-one wants to see his mood and state of mind suffer like it has in the past, so everyone is working overtime to try and keep him positive.’
Matt’s latest blow is also said to have put a strain on his relationship with Kat. The US socialite was left reeling after her father Eric Schneiderman, the former New York Attorney General, was forced to resign after four women accused him of assault.
‘Matt had been doing so well since he moved to New York, and especially since he started seeing Kat,’ continues the insider. ‘But all the drama with her father and now with Matt being pulled off his film is really taking its toll.’
Following the announcement earlier this month that Jessica was set to star in and produce action-thriller Eve, the actress – who is one of Hollywood’s most vocal activists for women’s rights and the Time’s Up movement – was widely criticised for hiring Matt.
Just days later, Matt, the son of Aussie entertainers Bert and Patti Newton, released a statement expressing his desire to take responsibility for his past actions.
‘Since the announcement of this film, the responses, which are powerful and important, have not fallen on deaf ears. I am profoundly aware that I have a responsibility to lead where I have failed in the past,’ said the actor, who has been open about his struggles with bipolar disorder and substance abuse.
‘I can never undo the harm that I’ve caused the people I’ve cared about and I carry that shame and responsibility with me every day.’
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Bert and Patti are also said to be incredibly concerned. ‘They’re calling Matt a few times a day, trying to keep his moods off,’ the insider says. ‘They’ve seen him suffer in the past and are panickin that this latest blow could have a devastating effect on him.’
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea, on sale now.
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