Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — Teenage actor Angus T. Jones of the comedy Two and a Half Men apologized Tuesday for a series of interviews denouncing his own show. Speaking to religious media outlets, the 19-year-old Jones had called the CBS comedy “filth” and “very inappropriate” and talked about how his religious awakening has affected his attitude toward life and work. Jones, who started on the show when he was 10, plays Jake Harper, son of the uptight character portrayed by Emmy winner Jon Cryer. In a statement issued late Tuesday, Jones said he had the highest regard for all of the people he has worked with on the comedy, including creator Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros. studio chief Peter Roth. “I apologize if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed,” said Jones, who reportedly makes $350,000 an episode. “I never intended that.” A video posted by the Forerunner Chronicles in Seale, Ala., featured Jones talking about not wanting to be on Two and a Half Men anymore. “Please stop watching it,” Jones said. “Please stop filling your head with filth.” In a radio broadcast, “The Voice of Prophecy,” recorded for the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Jones’ birthday in October, Jones said he felt drawn to God after a tough time in his life when his parents were going through a divorce and he experimented with drugs. Jones said that “it’s very weird that I’m on a television show, especially now that I am trying to walk with God. My television show has nothing to do with God and doesn’t want anything to do with God.” Still, he said he had no plans to get out of his contract. In another interview posted Tuesday with Christianity Today, Jones described himself as a “paid hypocrite.”

Lenny Kravitz has signed on for his first leading film role, playing singer Marvin Gaye in a biopic that will be shot next year. The rocker’s publicist Carleen Donovan confirmed the news Tuesday. Kravitz has played supporting roles in the past, including a smallpart in The Hunger Games. Rolling Stone first reported details about the 48-year-old performer’s part in the film, directed by Julien Temple. The magazine reported the “Are You Gonna Go My Way” singer will portray Gaye during the 1980s when he was fighting his addictions and attempting to restart his career. Gaye died in 1984 after being shot by his father.