Billy Bob faces reality

Mr. Jolie acknowledges audience's limits; the Hulk ain't Lou? Incredible! Plus: Rest easy, Jacko's anthrax-free!

By Amy Reiter

Nov 8, 2001 | Don't be surprised if Rob Morrow suddenly starts behaving in strange ways. He suspects he may have Tourette's syndrome.

Studying up for his role as a sculptor struggling with the neurological disorder in the film "Maze," which he also directed, Morrow says he was amazed at the subtlety of the disease's onset.

"Suddenly I started becoming convinced I had it," the actor told New York gossip conduit Baird Jones at the film's premiere. "The more you know about the illness, the more convinced you become you have it, which can be very disconcerting."

But don't expect Morrow to pull a Johnny Depp and yell "I fuck animals" on a crowded airplane. (Remember that one? Depp said he suddenly became convinced that if he didn't shout "something shocking," the plane would crash.)

No, Morrow says his brand of Tourette's would be a little more low-key. "Tourette's is not about people running around barking like dogs, or sticking out their tongues and swearing in public uncontrollably," he explains, adding that it manifests itself in something as simple as an eyebrow jerk or mouth twitch.

Tell that to Johnny.

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The man who's always there

"There's only so much of me audiences can take in a short period of time."

-- Billy Bob Thornton, currently starring in "Bandits" and "The Man Who Wasn't There" and, soon, " Monster Ball," on his alarming ubiquity.

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Incredible sulk? Not him!

Though former "Incredible Hulk" Lou Ferrigno won't be stepping back into his old role in Ang Lee's upcoming film based on the TV series, he's not exactly turning green with envy over the actor who will.

On the contrary, Ferrigno, who turns the big 5-0 on Friday, tells Wireless Flash News that he's "honored" to be appearing in a cameo in the film.

Can you say "gentle giant"?

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America's sweetheart gets modest

"I am a lousy celebrity. It is not my nature."

-- Meg Ryan on her misgivings about fame, in Harper's Bazaar.

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Juicy bits

Brace yourself: Britney Spears says that even if her upcoming film "Crossroads" (in which Dan Aykroyd and Kim Cattrall play her parents) isn't a hit, she loved making it so much, she'll keep on trying to realize her celluloid dreams. "Making the movie, honestly, was probably one of the things I'm most proud of that I've done so far," Spears told the Toronto Sun. "I would love to do more acting." Oops! She'll do it again.

Breathe easy: Michael Jackson's rep says the "Invincible" singer does not have anthrax. "That must have been a rumor, spread by a terrorist," Howard Rubenstein told the New York Daily News of a report quoting Jackson himself. "It is totally without foundation." Oh, and by the way, Billy Jean is not his lover, either.

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