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This “Newsies” gossip is hot off the press.
Actress Ele Keats says Disney sent her “painfully mean” reviews of the film after it flopped at the box office.
The starlet, who was 20 years old when she appeared in the 1992 movie musical, made the sensational claim in an interview with Insider published Thursday.
“I got mailed this, like, phone book of horrible reviews, including some personal-attack type of reviews,” the actress, now 48, claimed.
Keats said it was “really hard” to read the “horrific” criticism, given that she was a budding young actress at the time.
“I think that someone in the press department thought maybe I would enjoy reading them [the mean reviews],” the brunette stated. “I don’t know why.”
Meanwhile, Keats’ “Newsies” co-star Arvie Lowe Jr. similarly told Insider that he also was sent bad reviews from Disney.
He claimed the reviews came in the mail every week and featured critiques asserting that the acting was “subpar.”
The Post has contacted Disney for comment on the actors’ allegations.
“Newsies,” which starred Christian Bale in the lead role, was a box office bomb, earning less than $3 million off a $15 million budget.
However, despite being an initial disappointment, the movie has become a cult classic in the 30 years since it was released.
The film was adapted into a Broadway play in 2012, and it ran for more than two years and scooped two Tony Awards.
Keats told Insider that she believes the 1992 film was ahead of its time, saying: “If it could have come out even eight years later, it would be wildly successful — 10 or 12 years later, it would’ve been a smash hit.”
The brunette — who is based in Los Angeles — now primarily works as a jewelry designer, with clients including Diane Keaton, Cameron Diaz and Jessica Biel.
She still acts on the side, having appeared in episodes of “NCIS,” “Cold Case” and “CSI.”
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