| FREDDYEMERCURY | Subject of a 2018 biopic who was the closest to the sun |
| AFTERMOST | A fine expression (East German) "the closest to the rear" (9) |
| QUITO | Second-highest capital city in the world after La Paz, and the closest to the equator (5) |
| CESARCHAVEZ | Civil rights leader, played by Michael Pena in a 2014 biopic, who received a Presidential Medal of F |
| NEAREST | The closest to hand are entering the nest (7) |
| JOHNGOTTI | Italian-American gangster played by John Travolta in a 2018 biopic (4,5) |
| VINCENTVANGOGH | Dutch painter played by Willem Dafoe in a 2018 biopic: 3 wds. |
| PATERNO | College coach Pacino played in a 2018 biopic |
| DOLORESHUERTA | Civil rights leader, played by Rosario Dawson in the 18-Across biopic, who received a Presidential M |
| KATIEMELUA | Georgian-born musician whose 2003 debut hit was The Closest Thing to Crazy |
| THE | Ayn Rand observed in her foreword that this novel was the closest she would come to writing an autob |
| THESHOP | Words that follow Top Of to give the title of a 2018 Tom Kerridge show (3,4) |
| SOLO | Han who's the title role of a 2018 film |
| PETS | Word that follows Embarrassing to give the title of a 2018 Channel 4 reality series (4) |
| MERCURY | Second smallest planet in the solar system, and closest to the sun (7) |
| PERIHELION | *Point in a planet's orbit that's closest to the sun |
| INNERPLANETS | Terrestrial bodies closest to the sun ... or what you'll find in the starred clues' answers |
| RBG | Subject of the 2018 biopic "On the Basis of Sex," familiarly |
| BUDGET | Word that follows Bang On to give the title of a 2018 home make-over show (6) |
| TEA | Word that follows Back In Time For to give the title of a 2018 historical reality series (3) |
