Jonathan Cheban is many things. He's Kim Kardashian's best friend and a reality star in his own right. He's a foodie (or a "Foodgod" in his words) and a social media instigator. And now, he's an actor.
The 43-year-old is making his on-screen debut in By Any Means. In the thriller, which according to IMDb was shot in Brooklyn late last year, Cheban plays Phil Coen, the agent of reckless and fading reality star Mimi Wyatt (Brooke Burfitt), who is dealing with her own reality of becoming a has-been. In the trailer, Cheban is seen in a grey suit talking into his rose gold iPhone, warning Mimi that she needs to be in headlines again. "You need a bit of a scandal," he says, seated in a nice restaurant (nice Foodgod nod). "You need to get that buzz back." Moments later, we see Mimi being approached by a man who recognizes her from TV and apparently kidnaps her. When she goes to the police and reveals that the ransom was exactly the same amount that she needed for her terminally ill daughter, authorities start to become suspicious. Was this D-lister faking her own kidnapping to get sympathy publicity from the press? Or was she really put in harm's way conveniently at the time she needed it most?
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Page Six reports that press material for the film openly acknowledge the similarities between the film's plot and Kim's robbery in Paris last October. I wonder if Kim signed off on Cheban's appearance in the film, borrowing from her personal tragedy.
Let's see if Cheban will make the smooth transition from Foodgod to Filmgod when the film is released on steaming services and on-demand Tuesday, June 26.
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