Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures; Peter Mountain/Studio Canal SAS; Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube
From the critically acclaimed The Last Showgirl to Bridget Jones: About a Boy, 2025 is transforming January from an infamous movie dead zone into a time for appointment viewing.
Historically, the start of each year isn’t the most exciting time for new releases. Studios tend to save their smaller budget films — ones that, say, might not make it to awards season — for the colder months, when the holidays are over, people are tired and staying in sounds much more appealing than shivering in a dark theater.
This year, however, things have seemingly shifted. January 2025 is starting off strong with the release of the already critically acclaimed The Last Showgirl, a film that is being lauded as star Pamela Anderson’s comeback and the greatest role of her career. The story follows Anderson as Shelley, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.
“I can relate to it on so many different levels. As a mother, as a person in this industry,” Anderson told Deadline in September 2024. “Most of my career has been about the external, and not the soul of what really happens behind the superficial qualities that people even hire you for, or know you for. And you’re always just like, there’s so much more to me than what people see and I don’t know if you’re ever gonna get the chance to show that, so that was really why I was so excited about this movie… I feel like a new baby in this industry in this film and I feel like it’s just the beginning.”
February, meanwhile, features the return of Bridget Jones with the highly-anticipated About a Boy just in time for Valentine’s Day. The next installment of the franchise sees Renée Zellweger reprising her role as the titular character navigating life after the death of her husband, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).
The quality movie options this winter are endless. Keep scrolling for the 22 best films to look forward to this season:
‘The Last Showgirl’
RoadsideFlix/YouTube
Starring: Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka
Release Date: January 10
Logline: A poignant film of resilience, rhinestones and feathers, the film stars Pamela Anderson as Shelley, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.
‘Unstoppable’
Ana Carballosa/Prime
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Jharrel Jerome
Release Date: January 16
Logline: Based on the life of wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and won a national championship in 2011 while competing at Arizona State University.
Logline: When best friends and roommates Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) discover Alyssa’s boyfriend has blown their rent money, the duo finds themselves going to extremes in a race against the clock to avoid eviction and keep their friendship intact
‘Wish You Were Here’
Lionsgate/YouTube
Starring: Jennifer Grey, Mena Massoud, Kelsey Grammer, Isabelle Fuhrman
Release Date: January 17
Logline: Julia Stiles’ directorial debut follows a woman (Isabelle Fuhrman) searching for a spark finds a whirlwind night of romance with a man (Mena Massoud) only to discover he is terminally ill. As a result, she commits to helping him spend his last days living life to the fullest.
‘Both Eyes Open’
Oasis Ave Films/YouTube
Starring: Gail Bean, Taye Diggs, Joy Brunson, Tristan Mack Wilds, , Michael Olyede, Christie Leverette, and Carla Fisher
Release Date: January 17
Logline: Both Eyes Open follows a woman named Ally (Gail Bean) who emerges from a domestic violence shelter only to be haunted by persistent hallucinations of her abuser. Mysterious cryptic messages further suggest that her past might be lurking in the distance.
‘Presence’
Neon/YouTube
Starring: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday
Release Date: January 24
Logline: A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.
‘Flight Risk’
Lionsgate
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Topher Grace, Michelle Dockery
Release Date: January 24
Logline: A pilot (Mark Wahlberg) transports an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
‘Star Trek: Section 31’
Jan Thijs/Paramount+
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Sam Richardson, Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl
Release Date: January 24
Logline: Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, and must face the sins of her past.
‘You’re Cordially Invited’
Glen Wilson/Amazon
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Will Ferrell
Release Date: January 30
Logline: A woman (Reese Witherspoon) planning her sister’s wedding and the father (Will Ferrell) of another bride-to-be discover that they are double-booked for their destination wedding so both parties decide to share the venue, but chaos and disaster await.
‘Dog Man’
Universal Pictures/YouTube
Starring: Isla Fisher, Ricky Gervais, Poppy Liu, Pete Davidson, Billy Boyd
Release Date: January 31
Logline: When a faithful police dog and his police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve — and fetch, sit and roll over.
‘Love Me’
Bleeker Street/YouTube
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Steven Yeun
Release Date: January 31
Logline: A buoy (Kristen Stewart) and a satellite (Steven Yeun) meet online long after humanity’s extinction and fall in love.
‘Valiant One’
IGN/YouTube
Starring: Chase Stokes, Lana Condor
Release Date: January 31
Logline: With tensions between North and South Korea looming, a U.S. helicopter crashes on the North Korean side. Now, the survivors must work together to protect a civilian tech specialist and find their way out without U.S. military support.
Logline: Jealous of her best friend’s pregnancy, Lainy (Amy Schumer) wears a fake baby bump — and accidentally meets the man of her dreams.
‘Love Hurts’
Allen Fraser/Universal Pictures
Starring: Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose
Release Date: February 7
Logline: Marvin Gable (Ke Huy Quan) is a realtor working the Milwaukee suburbs, where “For Sale” signs bloom. Gable receives a crimson envelope from Rose (Ariana DeBose), a former partner-in-crime that he had left for dead — and she’s not happy.
‘Heart Eyes’
Courtesy of Sony
Starring: Mason Gooding, Olivia Holt, Devon Sawa
Release Date: February 7
Logline: For the past several years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. This Valentine’s Day, no couple is safe.
‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’
Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Leo Woodall, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson
Release Date: February 13
Logline: Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) navigates life as a widow and single mom with the help of her family, friends, and former lover, Daniel (Hugh Grant). Back to work and on the apps, she’s pursued by a younger man and maybe — just maybe — her son’s science teacher.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’
Marvel Entertainment/YouTube
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Liv Tyler, Harrison Ford
Release Date: February 14
Logline: After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), Sam (Anthony Mackie) finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
‘The Gorge’
Apple TV+
Starring: Anya Taylor Joy, Miles Teller, Sigourney Weaver
Release Date: February 14
Logline: Two highly trained operatives (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor Joy) grow close from a distance after being sent to guard opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil below emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within.
‘Paddington in Peru’
Peter Mountain/Studio Canal SAS
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman
Release Date: February 14
Logline: Paddington (Ben Whishaw) returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.
‘The Monkey’
Neon/YouTube
Starring: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood
Release Date: February 21
Logline: When twin brothers Hal and Bill (Theo James and Elijah Wood) discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them. The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them.
‘Old Guy’
Courtesy of The Avenue
Starring: Lucy Liu, Christoph Waltz, Cooper Hoffman
Release Date: February 21
Logline: Aging contract killer Danny Dolinski (Christoph Waltz) still believes he’s the best at what he does. Stuck in a boring “desk” assignment while pining for the love of spunky club manager Anata (Lucy Liu), Danny is thrilled when The Company pulls him back in the field — but only to train Gen Z newcomer Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman), a prodigy assassin with a bad attitude. The mismatched pair is asked to eliminate a competing crime syndicate but uncover their employer’s true motive: removing the old guard in a full takeover.
Logline: A heart-pounding film that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Based on a true story, Last Breath is an electrifying story about teamwork, resilience, and a race against time to do the impossible.
“Five years post breast implant explant, and I have had a total metamorphosis,” Curry, 42, wrote via X on Monday, January 6. “The first year, I wept nonstop. Had lost over 90% of my natural breasts to necrosis and refused to get a fat transfer. I wasn’t willing to risk my health anymore for vanity. I had a crash course in being humbled and laid bare.”
A “breast implant extract,” also called a “breast implant removal” or “explant,” is a surgical procedure where a doctor removes previously placed silicone or saline breast implants, according to the Cleveland Clinic. While some people have implant removal surgery because of tissue hardening around the implant or other complications, others may have surgery to replace old implants with new ones.
Curry detailed her own grueling surgery and post-op process on Monday, sharing that her husband, Matthew Rhode, had to “cut out all my stitches due to remote living and the weather.”
“I was brought to my knees in humility and came through the fire of my vanity dying,” she continued. “It took a solid 2 years for them to settle and look human. My husband was my rock….and I can’t believe how unbothered he was by my frankentitties.”
Five years later, Curry — who won the first cycle of America’s Next Top Model back in 2003 – is “happy and healthy,” and wouldn’t “wish plastic surgery” on her “worst enemy.”
“It did nothing to ease my body dysmorphia and only gave me years of suffering,” she explained, adding, “Be OK with who and what you are. In my case, with a lot LESS of what I was.”
Following her vulnerable post, people flocked to the comments section to praise Curry for being so candid about her experience with plastic surgery. When one fan thanked the model for “sharing what I can’t imagine to be easy things to share,” Curry replied, “If I can stop anyone from mutilation of their healthy bodies with this….then it was not a wasted lesson.”
5 years post breast implant explant, and I have had a total metamorphosis. The first year, I wept nonstop. Had lost over 90% of my natural breasts to necrosis and refused to get a fat transfer. I wasnt willing to risk my health anymore for vanity. I had a crash course in being… pic.twitter.com/bXZCTOQeWd
A second person revealed that they sent Curry’s post to their daughter who was thinking of getting implants herself. “Dear god, I hope she doesn’t mutilate her body,” Curry responded.
Elsewhere in the comments section, Curry acknowledged that she holds herself “100 percent accountable” for her breast implants and for making what she sees now as “an uneducated and life changing decision.”
The former reality star also clarified that she did not get the extract because of cancer or illness, but due to “stupidity, vanity and body dysmorphia” noting she initially got the implants because half of her chest is “conclave,” but they didn’t “fix it.”
Curry rose to fame on the debut season ofANTM in 2003, where she was awarded a modeling contract, brand deals and more. After nine years in the fashion industry — and a stint VH1’s reality show My Fair Brady with first husband Christopher Knight — she walked away from the industry. She and Rhode went on to tie the knot in 2018.
Last month, Curry took to social media to reveal that she and Rhode have been living “VERY remote” for the past seven years. “I can go months without hanging [with] anyone other than my husband,” she shared via X at the time. “My life is lived in the thundering, glorious silence of the wilderness.”
She added, “I get easily overwhelmed in large groups/cities now. It can take days to decompress from the experience.”
“I am more tuned into the earth than I ever have been in my life,” she explained. “My awareness of the forest and what is in it around me is quite sharp.”
Several hours later, Curry shared another image of her Montana paradise via Instagram, captioning the shot, “There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where. You’re meant to be. It’s easy. All you need is love.”
Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun explore romance as AI-powered machines learning how to emote in their new film, Love Me.
The film, which hits theaters on Friday, January 31, follows a buoy (Stewart) and a satellite (Yeun) as they inherit the Earth following humanity’s extinction. With only the internet as their guide, the two learn what it means to be alive — and in love.
The trailer, which was released by Bleecker Street on Wednesday, January 1, sees Stewart’s buoy floating in the ocean as it connects online and begins to learn about what it means to be a “human being.” The buoy comes across internet uploads of a beautiful woman — also played by Stewart — and chooses to recreate itself in her image. It then connects with Yeun’s satellite up in the sky and offers to be “friends.”
“We could be friends! Pick a face. How about this face?” the buoy asks the satellite as it lands on a picture of Yeun. The duo then create a universe for themselves to exist in human bodies.
“What does it feel like to be alive?” Yeun ponders as he and Stewart kiss, eat ice cream and learn their new faces. “Have you ever considered how amazing it is that we found each other?” Stewart asks as flashes of life’s milestones — like date nights, pregnancies and births — flash across the screen.
Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun in ‘Love Me’.
“Life, it’s full of rainbows and light. It’s intense,” she continues as more social media footage of humans play and Stewart holds a puppy in her arms. “I’m not even a buoy anymore. I’m just me.”
“We’re becoming who we are,” Yeun adds. “I want to be us.”
Love Me made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024, where it was awarded the festival’s Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, an accolade presented to an outstanding title focusing on science or technology.
Stewart, for her part, received a Visionary Award at the event. While accepting the accolade, the actress opened up about why she was drawn to Love Me, which dares to “jump the throat of identity.”
“Every five minutes we can just flip flop, and the overriding echo [is] if we were to just sort of inhale the internet, if we were to all just die right now and our footprint was this sort of echo of disparity, I would be proud of that,” she explained. “Like, love me. We just want to be like, ‘Can you see me? What is me? Am I anything? Am I distinct? I don’t know. Am I worth loving? I don’t know.’ It’s a movie about identity and having that change every 30 seconds, every split second, just the words affixed to it, the sort of feelings and the images affixed to identity. They’re ever changing.”
Love Me marks the first feature from directors Sam and Andy Zuchero and is intended to explore AI and identity through live-action, animatronics and classic animation in an epic tale of connection and transformation. The film is produced by ShivHans Pictures, 2AM and AgX. : Daniel Bekerman, Christine D’Souza Gelb, Connor Flanagan, Jason Netter, Heather Puttock and Anna Junger serve as executive producers.
While some holiday films focus on simple stories of romance and family, others have taken things to the next level by adding more — extraordinary — elements that lean into the magic of the season. Whether it’s a film about a snowman with abs, Chad Michael Murray’s abs, or a time travel trip back in time to the ‘90s, the 2024 holiday movie lineup brought plenty of fun.
One of this year’s most outlandish movie plots came in the form of Hot Frosty — a Netflix romantic comedy that follows a widow named Kathy (Lacey Chabert) who, after losing her husband, accidentally brings snowman Jack (who also happens to be very jacked and is played by Dustin Milligan) to life. Hijacks ensue.
“It’s refreshing — especially around Christmastime — to experience the magic and the wonder of that season through Jack,” Milligan explained to Netflix’s Tudum about the earnest optimism his character brings to Kathy’s world. “He is seeing things brand-new for the very first time and experiencing them with a very trustworthy guide.”
While the story focuses on a widow and a snowman falling in love (at least, we assume that’s what happens), there is also a ton of heart at the center of the film’s plot.
“We’re not going to spoil it, but … Kathy’s backstory is something that actually grounds Hot Frosty in a bit more of a nice realistic, dramatic tone,” Milligan said. “Then, all of this sort of fun, silly stuff occurs afterward.”
Chabert, for her part, echoed Milligan’s sentiments. “It’s really funny and light and lovely. But there is also a throughline of a lot of heart, and all of these characters are kind of going through something — whether it’s something more comedic or something more deeply emotionally rooted,” she shared. “I think this movie has a very special tone to it.”
Keep scrolling for the top 10 craziest holiday movie plot lines of 2024:
‘The Christmas Charade’
Where and When to Watch: Premiered on Hallmark Channel Friday, November 1, at 10 p.m. ET. (Check Hallmark+ and local listings for repeats.)
What to Expect:
A cautious librarian and a special agent walk into a charity ball … no, this is not the start of some wild joke, it’s the plot to The Christmas Charade starring Rachel Skarsten and Corey Sevier. Skarsten’s Whitney is a librarian who was raised by home security experts who finds herself working with Special Agent Josh (Sevier) after a blind date mishap.
The twosome are forced to pose as boyfriend and girlfriend for a Christmas Eve charity ball in hopes of taking down an art thief, which we have a feeling they will successfully achieve. Of course, there will be dancing, mischief and lots of holiday decorations sprinkled in for good measure.
‘Hot Frosty’
When and Where to Watch: Currently streaming on Netflix.
What to Expect:
Snowmen, abs … and a snowman with abs! Netflix seriously leans into the magical elements of the holiday season with Hot Frosty, which follows Kathy (Chabert), a grieving widow who brings a handsome snowman (Milligan) — complete with a six pack, shiny hair and sparkly smile — to life two years after her husband’s passing. With his naïveté and optimistic nature, the snowman slowly helps Kathy remember how to laugh and feel alive again, and maybe even convinces her to give love another chance. Viewers will enjoy watching Chabert fall in love with a chiseled ball of snow, but one question remains: will things take a turn when temperatures rise … and he melts?
‘The Merry Gentleman’
When and Where to Watch: Currently streaming on Netflix.
What to Expect:
If you’re a fan of the Magic Mike films and a holiday junkie — The Merry Gentlemen is for you. CW alums Britt Robertson and (a very shirtless) Murray team up for this hilarious romp that follows a former big-city dancer (Robertson), who is determined to save her parents’ small town performing venue by launching an all male Christmas-theme revue. Looking for some half-dressed men decked out in outrageous costumes gyrating in order to keep the holiday spirit alive? Here you go!
‘Christmas in the Spotlight’
When and Where to Watch: Premiered on Lifetime Channel Saturday, November 23, at 8 p.m. ET. (Check local listings for repeats.)
What to Expect:
So a global pop icon and NFL star falling in love isn’t too far fetched — the world already watched it happen with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. There is no time travel, Alpaca farms or magic in this story — unless you count the magic of their love — but a holiday movie based on Swift and Kelce’s romance had to be included on this list.
The film follows Bowyn (Jessica Lord), a famous singer who develops an unexpected romance with Drew (Laith Wallschleger), a professional football player. As their feelings grow, they soon face mounting pressure from the press, the paparazzi, fans and even their families. Again, if it’s all sounding a little familiar that’s because it is, and any Swift/Kelce fans will notice more than one or two parallels between real life and fiction if they choose to tune it. Don’t worry, though, because Christmas in the Spotlight is nothing if not a total celebration of Swift and Kelce as a couple, and as individuals.
‘A Cinderella Christmas Ball’
Where and When to Watch: Premiered on Great American Family Friday, November 29, at 8 p.m. ET. (Check local listings for repeats.)
What to Expect:
Cinderella-style romances are par for the course in holiday movies — but what about a hunt for your biological father based on a photo with just the man’s hand? In A Cinderella Christmas Ball, Danica McKellar’s Chelsea jumps on a plane with the obscure photo in hand in hopes of finding her roots.
The film takes an unexpected turn when Chelsea seemingly sneaks into a castle and teaches a prince (Oliver Rice) how to dance (because, really, why not?). If she doesn’t succeed before the bells ring on Christmas Eve, she’ll never find answers. While Chelsea is a dance instructor back in Chicago, we’re not sure how that will tie into her princess fairy tale romance … not to mention locating her father in a foreign land!
‘A ‘90s Christmas’
When and Where to Watch: Premiered on Hallmark Channel Friday, November 29, at 6 p.m. ET. (Check Hallmark+ and local listings for repeats.)
What to Expect:
Skip a movie that takes Christmas back to the nostalgia of the ‘90s? As if! Get ready to travel back to the time of no smartphones — and a plethora of plaid — for A ‘90s Christmas. The Hallmark holiday flick transports workaholic lawyer Lucy Miller (Eva Bourne) back to 1999 to relive Christmas Eve with her mom, sister, best friend and high school crush for a second chance to understand where all her most notable relationships went wrong. Taking an Uber will never be the same after watching this quirky holiday film that begs the question: will Lucy’s magical journey help her rewrite her future or leave her destined to be alone forever?
‘Private Princess Christmas’
Where and When to Watch: Premiered on Hallmark Channel Friday, December 6, at 8 p.m. ET. (Check Hallmark+ and local listings for repeats.)
What to Expect:
Princess bootcamp at Christmastime? Sign Us up! While royal holiday movies are a staple on the Hallmark Channel, Private Princess Christmas is outside the norm. When Princess Violet of Wingravia a.k.a. Vi (Ali Skovbye) pushes her mom’s buttons one too many times, she is sent to Colorado to boot camp — yes, seriously! Vi must complete the camp or risk losing the throne to her uncle — no, not her uncle! — but there is one thing standing in her way: the intense Captain Ryan Douglas (Derek Klena). We might be going out on a limb here, but if we had to guess, Vi and Ryan’s opposite personalities could be the perfect recipe for romance.
‘Sugarplummed’
When and Where to Watch: Premiered on Hallmark Channel Saturday, December 7, at 8 p.m. ET. (Check Hallmark+ and local listings for repeats.)
What to expect:
Maggie Lawson first learned the risk of stepping into someone else’s shoes in 2000’s Model Behavior — and in Hallmark’s Sugarplummed, she’s getting another reminder of why the grass isn’t always greener. Lawson stars as Emily, a woman who has always dreamed of the perfect Christmas but keeps falling short year after year. In hopes of bringing her family closer together, she makes a wish for a holiday as picture-perfect as the ones she sees on a made-for-TV movie, causing Sugarplum (Janel Parrish), the film’s relentlessly optimistic main character, to step out of the screen in hopes of helping Emily make her dream come true.
As Sugarplum uses her movie-rules to bring Emily’s dream holiday season to life, things start to slowly backfire — leaving Emily questioning what an “ideal” Christmas really looks like. While a suspension of disbelief is needed to enjoy this heartwarming story, who wouldn’t want to see Lawson and Parrish team up for a whimsical fun-filled adventure? (Although, we’re not sure we believe our problems wouldn’t be solved if we lived inside a Hallmark holiday movie. Just saying!)
‘Christmas on the Alpaca Farm’
Where and When to Watch: Premiered on Lifetime Channel Sunday, December 15, at 8 p.m. ET. (Check local listings for repeats.)
What to Expect:
What on earth do alpacas have to do with the holidays? Well, we’re glad you asked! In Christmas on the Alpaca Farm, “Queen of Christmas Sweaters” — what a title … we can’t make this up! — Jess (Kirsten Comerford) quits her job in New York City to start her own line of luxury knits. While that sounds normal, her meet-cute with single dad and alpaca farmer Andrew (Matt Wells) wasn’t something on our holiday movie bingo card. Alas, as all holiday romances go, Jess and Andrew’s love of alpacas (and their wool) is destined to bring them together just in time for the holiday season.
‘A Carpenter Christmas Romance’
Where and When to Watch: Premiered on Lifetime Channel Saturday, December 21, at 8 p.m. ET. (Check local listings for repeats.)
What to Expect:
Sarah Drew promised another sexy Lifetime holiday movie after 2023’s A Cowboy Christmas Romance, and A Carpenter Christmas fits the bill — despite the story line being a bit outlandish. In the film, novelist Andrea (Sasha Pieterse) must escape from her fans to a farmhouse to finish her book after hinting that she wants to kill off the main character. Once outside the city, Andrea runs into her ex-crush, Seth (Mitchell Slaggert), who happens to be a woodworker in the town.
OK, yes, this sounds exactly like past Lifetime movies we’ve loved, but this tagline has us reeling: “It doesn’t take long for sawdust and sparks of romance fill the air once the two team up and work together to reignite the town’s Christmas spirit.” Cheesy doesn’t even begin to describe how cliché this logline is, but it’s Andrea’s desire to get to a haven because of her crazy fans that pushes this one over the edge for Us.
Virgin River finally let Mel and Jack walk down the aisle during the season 6 finale — and stars Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson are looking back on their best memories from the big day.
“Watching Martin cry every time I walked down the aisle,” Breckenridge, 42, exclusively shared in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “I wasn’t crying. I was like, ‘Oh no, where are my tears?’ You know, happy tears. I’m like, ‘Where are those?’ But every time I would walk down the aisle, he’d get all [misty eyed]. He was being really sentimental, and it was very sweet.”
After six seasons of breakups and make ups, a faux paternity test and a heartbreaking pregnancy loss, Mel (Breckenridge) and Jack (Henderson) said “I do” surrounded by their friends and family in the season 6 finale. It was an emotional moment for all involved in the series, and while Breckenridge was able to keep her eyes dry, Henderson explained why the moment resonated with him so deeply.
“Obviously, I’ve invested a lot of energy and emotion into the character of Jack and his love for Mel, which is kind of the crux of the show in a way,” he said. “So to finally get to that moment, and for Mel to be walking up the aisle radiant and so beautiful, I felt that love that I think these characters have for one another. It was just really moving.”
How the wedding was shot, Henderson added, felt so “beautiful” and “tender” for the two characters, who have been through so much together. “I was quite overwhelmed and very emotional about it. It was so moving,” Henderson continued. “It has been six seasons leading up to that. … I poured my heart and soul into [Mel and Jack] and I was so happy for Jack to have this woman be his wife and what that means to him.”
Henderson noted how monumental the moment was for fans as well, who have known that Mel and Jack were destined soulmates from the pilot. “They belong together,” he said. “The audience knows that when she walks into the bar [in the pilot]. So it felt like the culmination of all that energy and romance and love and emotion that has existed between them for six seasons.”
Henderson certainly wasn’t the only person on set feeling the waves of emotion. Breckenridge said most people attending the ceremony had tears in their eyes.
“I think there were a lot of people that were weepy,” she told Us. “Like, with [Mel’s father-like figure] Doc [played by Tim Matheson] walking me down the aisle … when I was doing my vows, I could hear sniffling behind me.”
While Henderson will likely remember Jack’s wedding day for the rest of his life, there was one particular season 6 moment he’s choosing to forget: performing an intimate striptease for Breckenridge to Big & Rich’s “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.”
“I literally, completely blocked that out of my mind,” Henderson quipped of the moment, which saw Jack undress while donning a cowboy hat. “That was one of the most excruciating moments of my life, let alone my career.”
All jokes aside, Henderson wanted to ensure the scene felt authentic to who Jack was as a character — which is why he turned down the opportunity to have a professional block the dance and instead leaned into his own creative freedom.
‘They offered, ‘Do you want to choreograph it?’ And I thought, ‘Oh, yes, I do. I definitely need help.’ But then I was getting close to sort of going to the first meeting and I thought about it. I was like, ‘Hang on, that’s gonna look really weird. Jack Sheridan, the Marine, bar owner from Virgin River just busts out in some kind of Magic Mike, perfectly-choreographed gyrating? That’s just gonna look comedic. It’ll look silly.’ So I said, ‘You know what? No, forget about it. Just play the song.’”
What came of that decision was an instant fan-favorite moment and highlight of the entire six seasons, which Henderson described as an attempt by Jack to “entertain his drunken fiancée” after she was devoid of strippers at her Bachelorette party. Luckily for Henderson, Breckenridge was the perfect scene partner to help him feel comfortable being so vulnerable — especially when production had to cut off the music midway through filming.
“There was a little bit of dialogue, unfortunately, kind of interlaced amongst the strip. So in order to get the sound for her lines and my lines, we couldn’t have music playing,” he told Us. “It was so embarrassing. I was dying. There’s no music, there’s no beat. I’m just, like, doing this ridiculous dance. But I’ll say, Alexandra Breckenridge was so kind and present and she played it opposite me with just, like, such joy and fun,” he said. “And that was why I think ultimately I decided, ‘This should just be those two really enjoying each other.’”
The wedding (and bachelor/bachelorette chaos) was undoubtedly the pinnacle of season 6, but Mel and Jack were on their own respective journeys, too. Breckenridge was particularly invested in Mel’s story line with her biological father, Everett (John Allen Nelson), whom she reconnected with at the end of season 5. The twosome spend Virgin River season 6 getting to know each other while also connecting over their mutual love for Mel’s mother, Sarah, who died when she was 11 years old.
“I found it to be really touching, especially because I know what it is to lose your mother,” Breckenridge, who’s own mother passed away, told Us. “So I was very quickly connected on that level. l always have been to [Mel], but what she’s going through emotionally with finding her father and being able to have this glimpse into what her mother was like [was special].”
Although Mel and Everett experienced a few bumps in the road while trying to find their new normal, their dynamic quickly evolved throughout the season, and is something Breckenridge is looking forward to continuing with season 7.
“’I’m very curious to see where that goes,” she told Us. “I love how Mel tries to open up her relationship with her father, and he keeps trying to push her away because I think he doesn’t want to experience the loss again. You know, a lot of times people who lose people, they’re scared to love anyone again, because they’re scared, they’re gonna go through that pain. But you can’t live without it, you know? It’s not a life if you don’t love again.”
As Mel continued to navigate her new relationship with her father, Jack was also on heis own personal journey, one that Henderson believes was about making “peace and coming to terms with what his military background meant to him then, but also what it means to him now.”
“We watched him struggling with that when he had to reconnect with his ex-wife. And the medal that is given to him, he’s sort of almost disdainful about that and shuns this idea that it was a good thing,” he explained. “And he’s kind of throwing the baby out with the bath water in a way because there’s so much pain and regret around some of the things that happened.”
Henderson noted that Jack was also forced to balance his own negative emotions about his time in the army while also supporting Ricky (Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey), who returned to Virgin River before getting deployed. “Jack’s trying to stay the course and stay supportive and not undermine this poor kid. [Ricky’s] already got his own insecurity and his fear, and Jack’s trying to say, ‘Hey, it’s OK. I was scared too.’ And there’s this gray area around that, and Jack, emotionally, and he doesn’t know how to feel.”
Both Mel and Jack’s individual story lines will likely continue into season 7, but the duo will also be facing plenty of other obstacles together. The final moments of season 6 saw the duo both entrenched in cliffhangers, with pregnant teen Marley (Rachel Drance) announcing she wants Mel and Jack to adopt her unborn baby. Jack, meanwhile, went over to check on a missing Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) and found her home ransacked before opening her infant twins’ bedroom and discovering something shocking — a reveal the audience has yet to see.
Mel and Jack, of course, have been wanting a baby together for awhile, but after Mel experienced her second pregnancy loss in Virgin River season 5, their future as parents has been up in the air. Season 7, however, could mean big changes for the newly married duo.
“Jack’s still kind of holding out for this family that he wants and is quite anxious and eager to know where that is gonna lead,” Henderson shared, while Breckenridge teased there are a million thoughts racing through Mel’s head — but that doesn’t mean she’s closed off to the idea.
“She’s just like, in full shock,” she explained. “I mean, she just got married. This is literally the morning after she wakes up, and she’s in shock. And then there’s, like, that hope that sort of starts to creep in. We’ll see. I don’t know.”
It Ends With Us studio Sony Pictures and SAG-AFTRA have released statements in support of Blake Livelyamid her allegations accusing costar and director Justin Baldoniof sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
“We have previously expressed our support for Blake in connection with her work on and for the film. We fully and firmly reiterate that support today,” a spokesperson for Sony told Variety in a Monday, December 23, statement. “Further, we strongly condemn any reputational attacks on her. Any such attacks have no place in our business or in a civil society.”
Hours earlier, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artist also spoke out against the “startling and troubling allegations” in a statement to Deadline, noting that they “applaud” Lively’s “courage in speaking out on issues of retaliation and harassment and for er request to have an intimacy coordinator for all scenes with nudity or sexual content.”
“This is an important step that helps ensure a safe set,” a guild spokesperson told the outlet on Monday. “Employees have every right to raise issues of concern or to file complaints. Retaliation for reporting misconduct or inappropriate behavior is illegal and wrong. We all have a right to be treated with dignity and respect on the job and to work in an environment free of harassment, discrimination and retaliation.”
Lively, 37, filed the complaint against Baldoni, 40, on Friday, December 20, claiming he created a “hostile work environment” on the It Ends With Us set and caused the Gossip Girl alum “severe emotional distress.” The lawsuit additionally claimed that Baldoni and his team had launched a “social manipulation” campaign against Lively to damage her reputation.
The documents, obtained by Us Weekly after it first reported by TMZ and The New York Times, stated that a meeting was held during the film’s production in January to address Lively’s claims against her costar that included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous “pornography addiction” no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
Baldoni, for his part, has vehemently denied the allegations against him. In a statement to Us, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman called Lively’s claims “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious,” alleging she filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the film’s production. He claimed Lively made “multiple demands and threats,” which included “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”
As for Lively’s smear campaign allegations — which included text messages from Baldoni and his team — Freedman told Us The Agency Group PR, which was hired by Baldoni and is one of several firms named in the lawsuit, “operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources.”
Freedman also claimed that the texts were taken out of context. “The standard scenario planning TAG PR drafted proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that which the media themselves picked up on,” he continued. “It’s ironic that the New York Times, through their effort to ‘uncover’ an insidious PR effort, played directly into the hands of Lively’s own dubious PR tactics by publishing leaked personal text exchanges that lack critical context — the very same tactics she’s accusing the firm of implementing.”
Sony and SAG-AFTRA are just the latest to speak out in support of Lively. It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover took to social media on Saturday, December 21, to praise Lively for being nothing but being “honest, kind, supportive and patient from day one.”
Lively and Baldoni’s costar Brandon Sklenar also came to the Simple Favor star’s defense, sharing the NYT story about the allegations via his Instagram Story on Monday. “For the love of god read this,” he wrote with a link to the article, tagging Lively and adding a red heart emoji.
Baldoni, meanwhile, has been dropped by his agency WME, who also represent Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. His “Man Enough” podcast host, Liz Plank, also announced her exit on Monday along with women’s non-profit Vital Voices rescinding their Voices of Solidarity Award, which Baldoni was presented with just last week.
Virgin River made Brie’s life more complicated than ever in season 6 — and Zibby Allen couldn’t be more excited about it.
“I love what the writers did for Brie,” Allen exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the season 6 premiere. “They have not made her life more simple. They have only added layers of complication.”
Warning: Spoilers below for season 6 of Virgin River.
Since joining the cast in season 3, Allen’s Brie has found herself in a complicated romance with her brother Jack’s (Martin Henderson) former military comrade Brady (Ben Hollingsworth). The pair ultimately called it quits at the end of season 5, and Brie opted to move on with good-guy cop Mike (Marco Grazzini) while Brady fell into a relationship with Lark (Elise Gatien), a woman he met at the homeless camp on the outskirts of town.
Despite their attempt to date other people, season 5’s Christmas episodes proved there were still some major sparks between them. When season 6 premiered on Thursday, December 19, viewers watched as the exes gave into their desires and slept together on a pool table in Jack’s bar.
“I feel like it’s been building, though, the tension [between them],” Allen said of twosome’s shocking tryst. “There’s so many sparks between them. Even if they’re not talking, they’re dating other people. It’s just there, always.”
With a smile, she added, “I think people are going to love it.”
While the intimate moment definitely came as a surprise when reading the script, Allen said she and Hollingsworth, 40, were fully on board after a period of not working together.
“We were just excited to have such a beautiful, juicy scene,” she explained. “And I think what that scene does for me — beyond it being, like, so sexy and steamy and the Brie and Brady chemistry that we all know and love — is that the writers gave them both a moment to acknowledge that neither of them have felt worthy of love.”
Allen noted the complexities of the moment between the two exes, pointing out that Brady — who had just discovered that his girlfriend was trying to steal his money behind his back — was facing the fallout from Lark’s “betrayal.” She added that both characters are coming from a “very low place of self-worth.”
As for actually filming the scene — which was one of the show’s spicier moments in its six seasons — Allen said she and Hollingworth were completely comfortable since the pair have had the “pleasure” of working together for four seasons now.
“And our first scene ever together was a makeout scene,” she said with a laugh. “So we’ve felt safe with one another from the get go. I’m really, really grateful for that. I think we both are. There’s just a given line of respect.”
Allen also revealed that the scene changed over time, with the original script setting the location in Brody’s room above Jack’s bar — the same room Brie used to live in — instead of on the pool table downstairs. Allen and Hollingsworth, however, had a different idea.
“Ben and I read it and we were talking about it and he’s like, ‘Man, we’ve seen scenes up there already.’ I’m like, ‘I know.’ And we were kind of riffing,” she recalled. “And then Ben was like, ‘What about the pool table?’ I was like, ‘Oh, that’s scandalous!’ And he was like, ‘Let’s pitch it.’ So we did and they went for it. And I’m so glad because I think it’s kind of iconic!”
The aftermath of their infidelity was a major focal point of season 6. Brady — who had dumped Lark for betraying him only to take her back — confessed his undying love for Brie at Mel and Jack’s wedding as Lark eavesdropped on the conversation. Brie, meanwhile, confessed her secret to Mike, who responded by revealing he’d known about the affair from the start before getting down on one knee to propose.
The credits rolled before Brie could make her decision, but Allen told Us fans can expect season 7 to heavily focus on her “grappling” with whether she’s made the right decision — whatever that may be.
“Many of us know what that’s like to make a decision that’s based on logic and parsing through and going, ‘This is why I should be doing something or be with this person.’ And then there’s that sort of undeniable thing, this chemistry that doesn’t just die overnight,” she said. “It’s hard to reconcile what that is. I don’t think it’s gonna be, like, all wrapped up in a bow.”
So where does Allen stand when it comes to her character’s future? Brie and Brady have been a fan-favorite couple from the jump, after all. “I’ll be walking down the street and out of nowhere a stranger will yell, ‘Team Brady!’” Allen said with a laugh.
Many of Allen’s castmates, however, feel differently. Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson, for example, both told Us earlier this month they think Mike is the better choice. Allen, for her part, is still undecided.
“Brie needs to get really real with herself,” she explained. “I think that she has an old identity that she’s still fixed too. The one that was really good at everything, she was amazing at her job. Nothing could get past her. And then that huge betrayal with her sexual assault with her ex totally turned her sense of self upside down. I think she’s still trying to cling to an old sense of herself. So until she can start to really get right with who she is now, and soften, it won’t be clear to any of us.”
No matter where Brie goes in season 7 and beyond, Allen is fully down for the ride — “That’s my girl,” she quipped — and she’s embracing the lessons she’s learned from Brie along the way.
Zibby Allen.
“As cheesy as it sounds, I always like to think that roles choose me because however that character shows up in that metamorphic field will need some of my qualities to help them along their journey,” she explained. “And conversely, I need some of what they have to offer.”
She continued, “I think Brie is, in a lot of ways, a lot stronger than I am. I’m a little softer and I wear my heart on my sleeve more. And I think Brie can use some of that, you know, where she’s going to be really self-sufficient and hard charging. I think that her vulnerability is both her strong suit and also the thing that she’s afraid will make her weak. And so I think that maybe I bring that more to that character as we grow together. And then I have had to borrow from what I’ve learned from Brie over the years in terms of just being a lot more of an advocate for myself.”
“She’s helped toughen me up,” Allen explained. “And I really appreciate that.”
Virgin River season 6 is now streaming on Netflix.
Virgin River fans can expect a lot more romance and fun when the show returns for season 6.
“I think my intention was never to have subsequent seasons match the intensity of season five,” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith told The Hollywood Reporterin December 2023. “I would say that going into season 6, my intention is to have it feel lighter, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be complicated with the signature Virgin River twists and turns.”
Smith noted that “leaning more into the romance of the series” is also one thing he’s “excited” to prioritize as well: “Just giving the “fans what they want,” he said.
Virgin River premiered in 2017 on Netflix and followed Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) after she moved to a small California town while mourning the loss of her husband. For the five subsequent seasons, viewers have watched the character fall in love, get engaged, face a pregnancy loss and discover the identity of her biological father. The rest of the town, meanwhile, has dealt with surprise pregnancies, natural disasters and a massive drug ring — something Smith said will take a backseat for season 6.
“I think probably moving forward, the drug story engines will kind of fall to the wayside a little bit, which always did feel more extreme,” he explained to THR. “I appreciate it, especially in the first season. … But it did feel like it was starting to overtake the show a little bit, and when you’re dealing with bigger physical stakes like that.”
Smith, who took over as showrunner from Sue Tenney before season 5, explained that he never had the “intention” of making sure season 6 matched the “intensity” of the ones before it. Instead, he hopes to explore more of Mel and Jack’s (Martin Henderson) romance, deal with Jack’s PTSD, learn more about Doc’s (Tim Matheson) prognosis and see where the romantic future lies for the rest of Virgin River’s major players.
Keep scrolling for everything to know about Virgin River season 6:
When Did Production on ‘Virgin River’ Season 6 Start?
The first half of season 6’s scripts were completed when the WGA went on strike in May 2023. Now that the strike has ended, Smith told Deadline that the writers are crafting the back half of the season and production is set to begin in early 2024.
Breckenridge, meanwhile, told Deadline she’s “been hearing” that filming will start in the spring “as the Vancouver weather allows.” (Virgin River films in Vancouver, Canada.)
Where Can You Watch ‘Virgin River’ Season 6?
Season 6 will be available to stream on Netflix, where the first five seasons are currently streaming.
When Will ‘Virgin River’ Season 6 Be Released?
The show will drop on Netflix Thursday, December 19.
Who Is Returning for ‘Virgin River’ Season 6?
While the official cast list hasn’t been released, season 5 story lines left big cliffhangers for Breckenridge’s Mel, Matheson’s Doc, Colin Lawrence’s Preacher and Benjamin Hollingsworth’s Brady, leading fans to believe those actors will reprise their roles.
Smith also teased “more Mel and Jack” for season 6, which promises Henderson’s return, as well as more on Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) and Denny’s (Kai Bradbury) pregnancy.
Other main characters likely to return are Hope (Annette O’Toole), Brie (Zibby Allen), Mike (Marco Grazzini), Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley), Cameron (Mark Ghanimé) and Muriel (Teryl Rothery).
Tudum reported that all main cast members are returning, but did not name Charmaine nor Muriel. However, Muriel was present in a first-look at season 6.
Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr are set to join the series as a young Sarah and Everett.
Will There be a Time Jump for ‘Virgin River’ Season 6?
While the Netflix series is known for its drawn-out story lines — Charmaine was pregnant for four seasons! — Smith told Deadline that season 6 will open with a time jump.
“I don’t know exactly how many months but it won’t be a direct pickup from the holidays,” he explained, referencing season 5’s Christmas Day finale.
Smith revealed to Tudum in October 2024 that season 6 takes place “deeper into springtime.”
Has a 1st Look Been Released?
Netflix released a first look at season 6 in October 2024, sharing a photo of Mel embracing Jack and a pregnant Lizzie sitting with Denny.
All American Season 7 is taking it back to where it all began: Beverly Hills and South Crenshaw High.
“I can’t wait for everyone to watch season 7,” showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll told Us Weekly in an exclusive Thursday, December 19, statement. “It has been so exciting taking it back to the high stakes of high school hallways, first loves and NFL dreams. And I’m especially proud and excited by this blend of our incredible original cast and the brilliant new generation that has captured our hearts. Beverly and Crenshaw are back stronger than ever.”
After the season 6 departure of series star Daniel Ezra’s Spencer James, All American revealed it would be undergoing a revamp by introducing a new generation of teenagers. Season 7 will feature some returning faces; Michael Evans Behling, Greta Onieogou, and Bre-Z will all be navigating new roles, while Osy Ikhile, Nathaniel McIntyre, Antonio J. Bell, and Alexis Chikaeze make up the cast as new series regulars. Kareem Grimes and Elijah M. Cooper will appear as additional recurring stars.
In Us’ exclusive first look at season 7 (which you can watch above), All American proves the new generation will carry the same heart, NFL dream, crosstown rivalry and messy hormones that were introduced by the original cast. The characters fans have come to love, meanwhile, will be busy learning that they’re supposed to be the responsible adults now.
Jordan Baker, for example, is seemingly taking over as coach at Crenshaw High to follow in the footsteps of his late father, Billy Baker (Taye Diggs). “It’s the first day of school. I do not want to screw it up,” he tells his wife, Layla Keating (Onieogou) in the trailer.
While Layla assures Jordan that he will be “an amazing coach,” things prove to be harder than anticipated once Jordan finds himself in the middle of multiple physical altercations between his team — and he struggles to find the balance between coach and confidant.
“You realize you’re not their teammate, right?” Jordan is asked at one point in the teaser, after enjoying a dance breakdown with the kids.
Despite others doubting him, Jordan seems to be on a mission to honor his father’s legacy. At one point in the trailer, he recruits a student, telling them, “I want you to come play for me,” paralleling Billy asking Spencer to join him at Beverly Hills in the pilot.
Jordan isn’t the only one finding a new role. Elsewhere in the trailer, a new regime of students and coaches at Beverly Hills high begin their journey — and rivalry — while Layla gives her own protegé some much-needed advice. “The longer you let people keep you in a box, the harder it gets to break out,” she says.
Samantha Logan, who played Samantha Baker, also makes a brief appearance in the teaser and despite Logan not returning as a regular for season 7. “My dad was a winner,” she says in a speech as Jordan looks at his father’s old jersey. “There was not a single life he didn’t have a positive impact on.”
All American premiered in 2018 and followed Spencer James — a young football prodigy from Crenshaw who is recruited to play for Beverly Hills. The series is based on real-life NFL star Spencer Paysinger and is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios. Greg Berlanti, Okoro Carroll, Jameal Turner, Sarah Schechter, and David Strauss are executive producers.
A sneak peek at All American season 7 premieres on The CW Wednesday, January 29, and the premiere episode airs again on Monday, February 3.
Virgin River season 6 gave viewers more joy – and drama — than ever before, and showrunner Patrick Sean Smith broke down all the crazy reveals, plot twists and cliffhangers with Us Weekly.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for season 6 of Virgin River.
Season 6 of the small town drama, which hit Netflix on Thursday, December 19, saw various characters’ lives being turned upside down in mere minutes. Just as Doc (Tim Matheson) reached a happy (and healthy) groove with Hope (Annette O’Toole), his medical practice was put into jeopardy; Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) finally got married but were thrown for a loop when a local teen girl asked Mel to adopt her baby; Charmaine (Laura Hammersley) seemingly disappeared after filing a restraining order on her druglord ex; Preacher (Colin Lawrence) and Kaia (Kandyse McClure) found themselves at a major crossroads about their future and Muriel (Teryl Rothery) announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
No drama, however, compared to the ever-evolving messy love triangle between Brie (Zibby Allen), Brady (Ben Hollingsworth) and Mike (Marco Grazzini). Brie and Brady’s impulsive decision to sleep together despite breaking up in season 5 — and being in relationships with other people — caused major fallout, which was only exacerbated by two major finale bombs: Brady confessing he was still in love with Brie and Mike proposing after she confessed her infidelity.
According to Smith, those types of high stakes are what make the trio’s story line so enticing.
“A good love triangle is only as strong as the options you’re presenting, and also looking at the influence that [Brie’s] choice would have on her life,” the showrunner exclusively shared with Us. “So imagining what her future could look like with Brady compared to what it could look like with Mike. And I think that’s where it works really well.”
Brie was previously sexually assaulted by her former boyfriend, and Smith noted that her journey to “heal” from her past is a major contributor to her indecision.
“What Mike presents to her, I think, what she feels like she needs right now, which is safety and consistency and a good man,” he continued. “And Brady offers the opposite, which is also very appealing.”
While season 7 — which was greenlit earlier this year — will continue to unravel many of season 6’s plot points, Smith promised that Mel’s pre-wedding jitters won’t be one of them. (The bride almost bailed on the ceremony after her biological father, Everett, played by John Allen Nelson, had a medical emergency but she ultimately made it down the aisle.)
“For me, it was looking at [Mel] as a character, who has had so many hard times, [and the] anxiety of anticipating your wedding day being a day completely free of any of that. Then your worst case scenario happens when your newly emerged biological father suffers a health scare,” he explained. “It knocks her off balance a little bit, and being off balance is the last thing that I think her character wants to feel as she’s going through this experience with Jack. But I don’t see it coming back again. I see it more as sort of a final lap for her in trying to put the past behind her to start this new chapter in her life with Jack.”
Keep scrolling for more of Smith’s teasers for Virgin River season 7:
Will There Be More ‘Virgin River’ Flashbacks?
Virgin River introduced a new structure in season 6 by flashing back to Everett’s love story with Mel’s mom, Sarah, who died when she was 11 years old. The glimpse into the past, Smith said, was a trial for what a potential prequel spinoff might look like.
“[It would] expand Sarah and Everett’s story more while also expanding and learning more about the history of Virgin River,” Smith told Us. “One reference that was made in the pilot that had never really been explored before was Hope says that the McCrea Cabin is a place that people within 50 miles know all about, which implies there she has a sort of family legacy to this area that we haven’t really gotten to scratch the surface of.”
Smith said that the Sarah and Everett flashbacks are just the beginning of “expanding the Virgin River-verse,” and its history, but worked as a great jumping off point.
“When we committed to the idea of introducing Everett, it felt like a great opportunity as somebody who we know has resided in the area but has kind of removed and isolated himself from the community to have this history and have this relationship to this town and to this area,” Smith explained, adding that it “felt like an opportunity that we could introduce a new couple, which the show has done fairly consistently over the course of the seasons, and not inherit another couple that we have to keep servicing in the present.”
For Smith, Everett and Sarah’s love story resembled Robin Carr’s approach in the Virgin River novels where she introduced a new couple in each book. “And it felt like looking at Mel’s biological parents as having the depth of this epic romance that would be book-worthy,” he continued. “[Something] that could span time, that could be star crossed and could have a pregnancy and a child and a father that wants to be a part of that. And everything just felt like a unique way to explore a couple in this through the lens of this show in a way that we haven’t seen before.”
What’s Up With Hope and Her Ex-Husband?
Season 6 introduced a new character in Hope’s ex-husband, Roland. While a shroud of mystery still surrounds the curmudgeonly horse trainer, the pair clearly have a tumultuous and rich history.
Smith confirmed that Roland will return for season 7 and that past will be delved into further, explore “more of where their relationship didn’t work, but also start to maybe dip a toe into how their relationship did work.”
Smith also said that Hope’s history will continue to expand in various other ways, which will come into play for the potential prequel.
Will Cameron Make Any More Surprise Appearances?
Although Cameron (Mark Ghanime) and Muriel called it quits in season 5, the doctor came back after finding out about her breast cancer diagnosis to help prepare her for the tough road ahead. Fans of the pairing, however, will have to be satisfied with the exes’ season 6 interactions, as Smith told Us their romance is likely a closed chapter.
“I love that relationship, and, I think this season saw a little bit of a sendoff for Cameron,” he explained. “In terms of Mark, the actor who I adore, he unfortunately won’t be coming back for season 7, but that’s not to say that Cameron’s not a part of our world forever.”
As for potential appearances in the future, Smith said, “I would love to bring him back, and bring his character back when the story presents itself.”
Could Brie and Brady Find Their Way Back Together?
After breaking up in season 5, Brie and Brady realized they weren’t quite over each other and gave into their passions on one of Jack’s bar pool tables despite being in relationships with other people. Brady had been dating Lark — the woman who tried to steal all his money — while Brie had sparked a romance with good-guy cop Mike.
The pair struggled with how to handle their infidelity all season, with it culminating in a few major surprises during the finale. Brady confessed his love for Brie at Mel and Jack’s wedding, while Brie came clean to Mike about having sex with Brady.
The season ended in true cliffhanger form when Mike revealed he knew about the tryst but got down on one knee and proposed anyway.
When it comes to Brie and Brady’s future in season 7, Smith wouldn’t give too much away but admitted that the pair’s chemistry is undeniable.
“I’m a practical person. I see and love all the story potential in their chemistry, and in what Zibby and Ben bring every time they get in front of the camera,” he shared, noting that even the executives at Netflix were blown away by Brady’s love confession. “I remember at the table read, our network exec who I love, she texted me or emailed me after and she was like, ‘Oh my God, that scene!’ It was special.”
Smith pointed out, however, that the exes had legitimate issues that caused them to split — even if many of their passionate fans don’t agree. “When people were upset with the breakup in season 5, I was like, ‘He’s working for a fentanyl queen! He’s screwed her brother over repeatedly!’” Smith said with a laugh.
Despite their rocky past, Smith acknowledged that the duo are a very “special” part of the show, and have a dynamic that works “really well” on screen. “I want to be very mindful and careful of it,” he said of their story, “and continue to make it as fresh and exciting and sexy as possible.”
Smith said that Brie’s confession and Mike’s subsequent proposal was the original plan, noting it was “part of the pressure cooker” he wanted to put Brie in “with the secret she was sitting on for multiple episodes,” leading her to “confess in order to atone.”
Things slightly changed, however, when Smith realized he wanted to film the proposal two different ways.
“On the day we decided to shoot it two ways and we added his, ‘I know [you slept with Brady].’ And I was like, ‘I just want to see what it looks like in the cut.’”
Smith then ran it by his writing team, and the response was undeniable. “We had a viewing with the writing staff when the episode was cut together. They didn’t know it was going happen,” he recalled. “And when we watched it together and he said that, there were, like, audible gasps and screams in the room, and I was like, ‘I think we’re going with that one!’”
As for how Brie will respond, Smith revealed — just kidding, you know he didn’t tell Us!
Will Mel and Jack Become Parents?
Mel — and the rest of Us — were shocked in the finale’s final moments when a pregnant Marley revealed that the couple who were going to adopt her baby changed their minds. Marley then asked Mel and Jack to take her baby, leaving Mel stunned.
Smith told Us that Marley’s predicament, along with other conversations about expanding their family, will continue to be a focal point for Mel and Jack moving forward.
“With Marley and that situation, we will continue to see Mel and Jack move down their path towards parenthood,” he explained. “We get to live in the newlywed bliss that they have and the challenges that come with that as a new married couple.”
Smith added that he’s trying to find a “distinction” from how Mel and Jack were while dating to who they are as a married couple. “I think that with the pace at which we’re moving comfortably gives us a lot of opportunity to just keep telling more and more stories for as many seasons to come as possible,” he said.
What Happened to Charmaine?
After giving birth to her twins in season 5, Charmaine only made a few brief appearances in season 6 as she continued to deal with her kids’ father, Calvin (David Cubitt) — a drug kingpin and gang leader — and worked with Brie to get a restraining order.
Charmaine was scheduled to style Mel’s hair for her wedding, but when she never showed up, Jack headed over to check on her the next day only to find her home empty and ransacked. The last scene of the finale saw Jack opening the babies’ room looking aghast, but the reveal was hidden from viewers.
Smith couldn’t dish on what lies on the other side of that room, but promised it would be a story line for season 7.
“Charmaine has found herself in the middle of a mess, which is a place where she tends to reside and it pulls our character into it,” he teased. “Not just Jack and Mel, but there are some other characters that find themselves pulled into it as well.”
Barbara Alyn Woods and Mark Anderson are having a truly sublime Barbie and Ken holiday season.
Woods, 62, took to social media on Tuesday, December 17, to show off her and Anderson’s matching sweaters while on their latest getaway. In one snap, the Golden Bachelorettealum, 57, smiled from behind as Woods showed off her new outfit. Other photos featured the duo with their families, enjoying delicious food and even feeding each other while Woods donned a Santa hat.
“Malibu Barbie in her happy place @thecove_wilmington hanging with her favorite besties and loving the new @bonitalatinfusion ,” Woods captioned the post.
Mark’s daughter, Kelsey Anderson — who appeared on season 28 of The Bachelorbefore getting engaged to fiancé Joey Graziadei — seemingly couldn’t be there for the festivities, but took to the comments section to give her approval. “Omg the sweaters hahaha I love,” she wrote.
Mark and Woods’ coordinating getups didn’t end there. TheOne Tree Hillalum also shared a carousel from the Friends With Benefit Tricmukkah event, which the pair recently attended in North Carolina. The duo dressed in the same red sweatshirt that read “Scott 23” on the front and “Save Tric” on the back. Woods paired her top with a sparkly red skirt and white sneakers, while Mark opted for a pair of jeans and black converse.
Woods starred as Deb Scott on OTH for nine seasons from 2003 to 2012. 23 was the basketball jersey number of her on screen son, Nathan Scott, portrayed by James Lafferty. Lafferty, along with other stars of the teen drama, were also in attendance and posed with Woods in a few snaps.
Woods and Mark first sparked romance speculation in October, when they dressed up as Cinderella and Prince Charming, respectively, for Halloween. “When Cinderella and Prince Charming have a baby,” Woods captioned the Instagram post, referring to daughter Natalie, who was dressed as Grogu from The Mandalorian.
The following month, Woods shared a sweet TikTok video of her and Mark dancing together in front of a Christmas tree. Mark smiled at the camera as the duo performed a routine in sync, leaning into each other before ending the dance with an embrace.
Woods captioned the video, “IN GOOD COMPANY.” Kelsey, 26, took to the comments section to gush over the sweet moment, writing, “AWE.”
Just weeks later, Woods celebrated Graziadei when he took home the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars. “CONGRATS @joeygraziadei,” she wrote alongside a clip from the episode.
While neither Mark nor Woods have confirmed the status of their relationship, Mark left season 1 of the Golden Bachelorette single after vying for the affections of Joan Vassos. The two called it quits when Vassos claimed Mark didn’t seem ready for a serious romance. (Vassos, for her part, got engaged to Chock Chapple.)
Zach Gilford is recovering after suffering a health scare earlier this week – with his sense of humor still intact.
“Sooooo yesterday was fun,” Gilford, 42, captioned a series of selfies via his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, December 17. “Good thing we wrapped @criminalminds last week.”
In the first two shared photos, Gilford showed off his face having what appeared to be a reaction, which caused his face to swell and eyes to completely close shut.
The third and final picture, meanwhile, showed that his face is now on the mend.
“Thanks to all the nurses, doctors, and staff at @huntingtonhospital for coaxing my face back to normalcy. … Still a little ways to go,” he captioned the third snap, shouting out the California-based hospital. He did not disclose any further details.
Gilford has starred as Elias Voit on the Criminal Minds revival since its debut in 2022, a prolific serial killer who spent years building his own network of murderers and aiding them in their crimes. While speaking exclusively to Us Weekly in August, Gilford revealed he was only supposed to appear on the first season before being asked to stick around.
“I only signed a one-year deal,” she explained. “And part way through the first season, [showrunner] Erica [Messer] said to me, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen. We haven’t figured out the end of the season, but we’ve decided we’re not going to kill you. We want to keep you around.’ So, I came back and was so happy to [do it].”
The character remained a mainstay in season 2, and will return for season 3, which wrapped filming earlier this month. In addition to giving Gilford a juicy role in front of the camera, the has also provided the actor with a major career milestone: his first time in the director’s chair.
“I wanted to direct forever. I shadowed on Friday Night Lights. I’ve shadowed on almost every show I’ve been on,” Gilford gushed. “It’s just hard to get that opportunity. I’ve wanted to do it for a long time. And it was inspiring to me when I got to direct my episode because Erica and everyone was just like, ‘Make your episode. Do whatever you want.’”
“It was f—king awesome,” he added. “It was so fun.”
Gilford got his start by portraying Matt Saracen on FNL in the early 2000s before moving on to starring roles on Good Girls, Midnight Mass and more. He met his wife, Kiele Sanchez, on the set of their 2010 TV pilot The Matadors, and the pair tied the knot two years later. They have worked together multiple times since, including on Evolution.
While speaking to Us, Gilford recognized how “lucky” he’s been to be part of the Criminal Minds franchise.
“I don’t know how I got so lucky. I’ve been really lucky in my career, but it’s been cool,” Gilford shared of his experience on the CBS procedural. “Everyone who comes on that set says, ‘This is the best set I’ve ever been on,’” he told Us. “It’s so fun to get to work with your friends and they’re really the best group of people. Then, cast aside, our crew is f—king awesome. They’re so dope, they’re so cool, they’re so funny, they’re so chill and so good at their jobs. I am appreciative to be on a set [where] this is the vibe. It all trickles down from the showrunner, Erica Messer.”
Ariana DeBose always carries herself with the utmost grace — but the ups and downs of her past have allowed her to become the best version of herself for the future.
“I have had quite the journey with criticism over the last few years,” DeBose, 33, exclusively shared with Us Weekly while promoting her new film, Kraven the Hunter. “Or at least for me, it was my own personal journey. And I think you have to get really good at taking things with a grain of salt. And when I’ve had those moments where I have felt heavily criticized or critiqued, I do take a minute and consider the source or sources. And I have decided for myself, and it has helped me create a healthier way of being.”
Following her hosting gig during the 2023 BAFTAs, DeBose faced backlash from social media trolls after she opened the awards show with a musical number that praised the women nominees like Angela Bassett and Jamie Lee Curtis for doing “the thing,” leading to her deactivating her X account. The year prior, she addressed haters who critiqued her Saturday Night Live hosting gig after she accidentally cited the wrong year during her monologue.
Looking back on those experiences, DeBose has learned to ignore anyone who can’t relate to her experience — one that includes an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and two Emmy nominations. The multi-hyphenate is now also back on X — making her page private, because, boundaries — and has figured out how to protect her peace.
“There’s a great quote that’s like, ‘Don’t take advice from people who are not in the arena, do not listen to criticism from people who are not in the arena,’” DeBose told Us. “That has been very helpful to me. I don’t necessarily think that all criticism is bad criticism, but I think the society we’re living in today, the first thing we do is criticize. It’s as if we have lost the ability to see the light in something or the intention behind something.”
Ariana DeBose
“The first thing we do is find fault or why it’s less than. And that is so wholly uninteresting to me,” she continued. “I just don’t take advice or listen to criticism from people who are not in the arena anymore.”
Still, if DeBose were able to channel any magical power — like her “slippery” voodoo priestess character, Calypso, in Kraven the Hunter — she would upgrade her natural “white witch” abilities to be able to “hone in” and get a read on who is worth her time and energy from the very start.
“Clarity of reading auras and character of a person, if that could be my superpower for every person I meet, so that I know like, ‘Cool, cool. I’m gonna go,’ or, ‘Cool. Cool, let’s have a conversation,’ that’d be great,” she said with a laugh. “You know, just hone in even sharper and get like a really clear read, like in a sci-fi movie where there’s like something written by your head and [alerts you], ’This person is a psychopath!’”
That trick would certainly come in handy for someone as busy as DeBose, who has a plethora of projects dropping in the next year including films like Love Hurts, with Ke Huy Quan, and Lear Rex opposite Al Pacino. She’s also celebrating the release of Kraven, which hit theaters on Friday, December 13.
Aaron Taylor Johnson as Kraven.
DeBose is particularly proud of her introduction into the Sony Marvel universe, which features her in a role that is so much more than a typical love interest. DeBose told Us that Calypso’s “badassery” and “intellect” shine much brighter than her relationship with Kraven, portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
“I liked the idea of playing a character like that,” she explained. “I love that she is a part of an origin story. You know, this is Kraven’s origin story, the how he came to be, and I think, given context, what becomes a partnership between him and Calypso and partnership between men and women on screen, that is not always implied to be romantic, I think that can be a rarity in the industry. And I was very intrigued by that.”
Virgin River’s most adored couple are finally about to say “I do” — and their wedding will be the can’t-miss event of season 6.
“It’s been six seasons in the making,” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of season 6, which hits Netflix on Thursday, December 19. “When we started writing it, we looked at the responsibility and expectations that come with that, so I wanted to make sure that there was no wedding stone unturned that we didn’t get to portray in the season.”
After coming to the town of Virgin River in season 1, Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) immediately connected. Over the course of the next five seasons, the pair weathered breakups, a faux paternity scandal, a pregnancy loss and more before getting engaged at the end of season 4. Two seasons later, they are more in love than ever, and more than ready to walk down the aisle.
Smith told Us that while writing season 6, he wanted to ensure that audiences felt “satiated from the wedding experience they have been looking forward to” for so long, but also wanted to allow the show to continue moving forward after so much anticipation.
“To introduce the notion [of marriage] in season 4, it felt like [we] might be overextending the engagement [by season 6], so it was time to finally pay it off,” Smith explained. “The show’s celebrating its five year anniversary, and for the characters, too, it felt like it was time for them to enter a new phase in their relationship.”
While Mel and Jack’s wedding will be a huge focal point of the new season, it’s far from the only thing happening in Virgin River. Keep scrolling to see what the cast teased to Us about their characters’ upcoming story lines:
Mel
Alexandra Breckenridge exclusively told Us that Mel’s connection with her biological father, Everett (John Allen Nelson), will also be a major part of her journey — and even weave into her wedding day.
“Where we left off in season 5, she had just met her biological father,” she explained. “So she’s really trying to connect with [Everett] because it’s a surprise, but it’s really meaningful for her. And he knows so much about her mother that she didn’t know.”
Breckenridge said that Mel is excited to bond with a “living parent” as well as learn more about her late mother, Sarah, who died when she was 11. (Episode 2 of season 6 will tell the story of a young Sarah and Everett through flashbacks.)
“It’s really deep and meaningful for her throughout the season,” Breckenridge told Us. “I think that [Mel and Everett’s] relationship, there’s some bumps in the road, but I think ultimately their connection is very strong and it becomes very strong throughout.”
As for her wedding, Breckenridge joked that Mel “thinks” things are going to go smoothly — but Hope’s (Annette O’Toole) looming presence might cause a few issues.
“Mel set out to have a really small, lovely, intimate wedding, and the town sort of took over and Hope definitely took over and wanted it to be the event of the year,” she explained. “And I think Mel understood that she was really giving something to the community by letting that happen, even though that wasn’t necessarily what she wanted.”
She added that Mel is “trying to roll with it” but it proves “a little difficult” to do at times. “Hope can be a little bit much when she’s planning events,” she said with a laugh. “I think it causes a little bit of friction when it comes to the actual wedding day.”
Jack
In addition to celebrating his upcoming nuptials to Mel, Martin Henderson told Us exclusively that Jack will be looking inward and re-examining his feelings about his time in the military.
“I think part of Jack’s inner journey and arc throughout the season is trying to make peace with and come to terms with what his military background meant to him then, but means to him now,” he shared. “And we watch him struggling with that.”
Henderson also teased that Jack will form “a relationship” with a horse — but promised that it won’t turn romantic. “Mel and Jack will stay together,” he quipped. “For now.”
Jack’s relationship with his father will also continue to evolve. “He’s also got some nice moments where he’s reconnecting with his dad, and I think he’s reevaluating what that relationship is, and his dad is able to be more forthcoming emotionally with Jack,” Henderson revealed. “I think there’s a softening there around that father-son relationship that was really nice.”
Brie
After ending season 5 by sparking a new romance with Mike (Marco Grazzini) and testifying against her abusive ex-boyfriend, Zibby Allen exclusively told Us that Brie will be “working through the thing she needs to work through to heal” in season 6, and “figure out what she needs the most, both in love and life and career.”
“She’s chosen to stay in Virgin River,” Allen continued. “So I think this upcoming season you’re going to see her sort of still working through that conversation between the head and the heart, which maybe aren’t always saying the same things.”
Hope
Annette O’Toole teased that Hope’s season is an “intense” one.
“She has a goal, she has something very specific she’s doing, which is getting people together to do this wedding,” she exclusively told Us. “Officiating and deciding all these things. And she loves to be the director and that’s what she gets to do. So for her it’s a very positive thing along the way.”
O’Toole noted that despite Hope’s excitement about planning Mel and Jack’s wedding, there will be a “few hiccups with misunderstandings” along the way — both with Doc (Tim Matheson) and “others.”
Hope will also get to have some other great bonding moments with other characters. “I love the comradery with the sewing circle,” O’Toole said. “I just think that’s such a great part of this show is; how the women really are there for one another.”
Doc ended season 5 with plans to start a trial that could help his eyesight, and while season 6 will address his health issues, Tim Matheson said that viewers will see a different, very “wonderful and touching” part of his journey in season 6.
“He comes to terms with a simmering dislike of a person that’s gone on for years and finally makes peace with someone, and lets go, which is an important thing for people to do,” he exclusively told Us, “to let go of their hatred or their annoyance or their dislike of someone.”
It won’t all be smooth sailing, and Doc’s career could be in the line of fire.
“Doc, because of his commitment to caring for people, it gets him into some trouble,” Matheson explained. “His commitment to letting nothing get in the way between him and his patients, saving his patients, gets him into a bit of trouble. And that’s one of the elements of his story line. It’s an interesting turn.”
The films of 2024 left Us with some incredible moments that made Us laugh, cry and ponder the meaning of life. Others, meanwhile, left Us simply saying, “WTF?”
To be clear, WTF is not always a bad reaction: Challengers’ ability to leave Us wanting more was admirable, while Nicolas Cage’s performance in Longlegs only helped the film feel more unnerving. Sure, Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley’s Monstro Elisasue transformation grossed Us out, but the performances are undeniably brilliant.
Then there are, of course, the WTF moments that feel like they could have been helped. Madame Web’s failure at the box office was followed by criticism of the flimsy plot, clunky dialogue and questionable editing. While some superhero fans were surprised the film didn’t deliver, star Dakota Johnson wasn’t one of them.
“Unfortunately, I’m not surprised that this has gone down the way it has,” the actress told Bustle in March. “It’s so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made — and it’s even starting to happen with the little ones, which is what’s really freaking me out — decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee. Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms.”
Johnson claimed that studio executives have started to believe that audiences are not as “smart” as they actually are, which is why they can “sniff out the bulls—.”
“It was definitely an experience for me to make that movie,” she continued. “I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now. But sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand.”
Keep scrolling for all the biggest WTF movie moments of 2024:
Not Knowing Who Won That ‘Challengers’ Match
Every iota of tension that builds between trio of tennis phenoms Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor) comes to a head in the climactic moment of this Luca Guadagnino-directed sports drama when the two men face off in a tennis match after years of estrangement — with Tashi sat right smack in the middle.
Guadagnino captures the moment through unique angles on the court, placing the audience behind the players, under the net and even as the ball itself. The bass-thumping techno beats blaring as Art and Patrick go point for point only makes the sequence more dizzying. And oh, did we mention the match comes one day after Patrick sleeps with Tashi, who happens to be Art’s wife?
And while the moment is nothing short of phenomenally executed, Guadagnino’s decision to end the movie without revealing who actually wins is what lands it on this WTF list. Some might say that’s exactly how it should have concluded, leaving the results up to the viewer’s imagination, but after two hours of complex relationships building only to shift and fray, learning where these three end up would have left Us satisfied.
Being Robbed of Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar Jones Making Out in ’Twisters’
Everyone knows the best part of a rom-com is when the two rivals-who-couldn’t-stand-each-other-two-hours-ago end up running into each other’s arms to share a passionate kiss. It’s a staple for the genre, but one Lee Isaac Chung ultimately chose to do without when directing the sequel to the 1996 original film.
It turns out a kiss was initially shot for Twisters. When Glen Powell’s Tyler runs into the airport to chase love interest Kate, played by Daisy Edgar Jones, the pair were supposed to give into their desires. That changed when producer Steven Spielberg suggested going a different way.
Edgar-Jones told Collider in August that Spielberg felt ending the film without a kiss “stops the film feeling too clichéd” and that the understanding that “this isn’t the end of their story. They’re united by their shared passion for something.” (We’re not usually one to question an absolute icon like Spielberg, but … huh?)
So, what actually happens? Tyler still does his hero mad dash into the airport to catch Kate before she flies away, but instead of laying on her, he tells her he wants to chase more storms together. Cue credits. And Us saying “WTF.”
Nicolas Cage’s Song of Our Nightmares in ‘Longlegs’
When NEON dropped its creepiest, most intricate marketing campaign of all time, horror fans everywhere knew Longlegs would be the can’t-miss event of the year. When it finally premiered in July, it didn’t disappoint — and that’s largely thanks to Cage’s unnervingly eerie performance as the titular character.
Longlegs, real name is Dale Ferdinand Kobble, is a devil worshiper who murders entire families and leaves no physical evidence at the scene of his crimes. The film follows Maika Monroe as FBI Special Agent Lee Harker, a rookie who has special connection with the serial killer, as she is tasked with figuring out how, and why.
Every second (an entirely unrecognizable) Cage is on screen is terrifying, but his performance of “Fire Fire Fire, Hiss” — an original song the actor recorded and released in its entirety — remains the movie’s top “WTF” moment.
The song can be found on YouTube with the caption, “The last known musical recording by Dale Ferdinand Kobble before the voices took over.” Yikes!
Any Tim Burton-directed movie is ensured to have a wide array of head-scratching moments — especially one about a demon (played by Michael Keaton) who haunts people’s lives after they say his name three times.
The 1988 film was beautifully weird, but the sequel manages to deliver an even more heightened experience while still mainly depending on practical effects rather than CGI. That approach makes one particular sequence in which Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega) gives birth to a demonic baby Beetlejuice even more insane. The decrepit looking infant pops up from between Astrid’s legs — complete with its dad’s hair, ghostly-white complexion and covered in blood — declaring his arrival.
Baby Beetlejuice turns out to just be a figment in a nightmare Lydia is having about her daughter (whew!), but that little creature is still haunting our brains months later.
‘Monstro ElisaSue’ in ’The Substance’
Demi Moore gives one of the best performances of her career in The Substance, a body horror film that follows her character, Elizabeth, as she begins taking a mysterious pill that allows her to share an existence with a younger body double, Sue (Margaret Qualley).
The transformations are hard to watch from the very beginning — it is body horror, after all — but it’s when Sue decides she wants to be the duo’s primary body, and breaks the rules of The Substance, that things take a turn for the truly gruesome.
Rules are rules, so when Sue decides to take matters in her own hands, she forces herself and Elizabeth to face the consequences, turning them into director Coralie Fareat’s creation: Monstro Elisasue.
The monster is a hideous amalgamation of both women, one that starts to decay and melt more by the second. Despite the transformation, Sue still heads to her New Year’s Eve show — she’s a famous fitness instructor — but horrifies the audience, who become showered in blood once Elisaue explodes and leaves nothing more than a pile of guts in her wake.
Yeah, WTF.
Jennifer Garner’s Divorce Joke About Ben Affleck in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Jennifer Garner referencing her divorce with Ben Affleck on screen in 2024 wasn’t on our bingo cards! The actress returned to her role as Elektra for Deadpool & Wolverine after first playing the character opposite Affleck in 2003’s Deadpool. The two fell in love while working together and married two years later. They divorced in 2018 after welcoming three children.
For Deadpool & Wolverine, Elektra is scouted to help the titular characters (played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, respectively) defeat super villain Cassandra (Emma Corrin). When Elektra mentions that someone always dies when they fight Cassandra and her troupe — noting Quicksilver, Hawkeye and Daredevil as three of her victims — Deadpool gives his deep condolences about Elektra losing her longtime love.
Elektra’s reaction, however, is less than emotional. “It’s fine,” she responds with an unaffected shrug. The moment is an obvious meta play on Garner and Affleck real-life split, and surprising enough to make this list.
Madame Web’s ADR Nightmare
Despite having an all-star cast in Dakota Johsnon, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott and more, Sony’s Madame Web made waves for its convoluted story, unrealistic dialogue and questionable special effects.
A “so bad it’s good” movie can be a delicious watch, but the superhero flick — which currently has an 11 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes — crossed into nearly unwatchable with the misalignment in the dialogue of Tahar Rahim’s character, Ezekiel Sims.
Using Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) for certain moments in TV and film is nothing new, and it’s usually not much of a distraction. In Madame Web’s case, however, Rahim often mouths something that doesn’t match up with the ADR recording, while in other scenes show the character speaking without his lips moving at all.
Chances are Madame Web will become a campy classic as the years progress, ADR mishap and all.
‘Mean Girls’ Making a Movie Musical Off a Broadway Show Off a Movie
Hear Us out. It’s not that the Mean Girls movie musical adaptation wasn’t fun. But it was a confusing choice to bring the 2018 broadway adaptation, which is based on a 2004 film, to the big screen in 2024.
Add in some actors returning to their original movie roles — creator Tina Fey as Ms. Norbury and Tim Meadow as Principal Duvall, for example — while also recasting other actors from the original in new parts — like OG lead Lindsay Lohan — and things start to get unnecessarily twisted.
The layers don’t end there. Original Broadway cast member Renee Rapp, who played Queen Bee Regina George on stage, also reprised her role in the movie musical, while other characters — like Aaron Samuels, Gretch Weiners, Karen Smith and Janis Ian — were recast entirely. Consider Us confused.
The Fact ‘Megalopolis’ Exists
Here’s what Megalopolis is supposed to be about: Set in an alternate, 21st century New York City, Cesar (Adam Driver), a genius artist, and Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Espocito), face off about their plans for the future of society. Cesar hopes to create a utopia (yes, Megalopolis), while Cicero wants to keep control of his corrupt establishment.
What is Megalopolis actually about? Great question. There are flashes of that plot — which clearly draws inspiration from Roman history — but it all eventually becomes so convoluted and bizarre it’s hard to keep track of what is happening on screen.
The film is meant to be Francis Ford Coppola’s magnum opus; a dream project he spent four decades trying to execute, and what is likely to be his last major project.
From that perspective, maybe it doesn’t matter what Megalopolis is. But those of Us who jetted out to theaters were left with confusing plot lines, characters who speak in Shakespeare, Ovid or even Latin, and a question of WTF, exactly, we just watched.
Joker Not Being Joker — We Think? — And Then Dying
Still stuck inside Arkham State Mental Hospital and standing trial for five murders two years after the first film, Joker: Folie à Deux catches back up with Arthur (Joaquin Phoenix) as he meets fellow patient Lee (Lady Gaga). Together, the maniacal duo set out to find true love, drama — and their own musical fantasia — as they embrace chaos and anarchy in Gotham City.
The first Joker was an incredible success, which meant the sequel garnered serious anticipation. And while the movie had its moments, some fans were left confused by some of director Todd Phillips’ creative choices.
For one, Folie à Deux was turned into a quasi-musical, which felt a little out of place. The film also swaps settings, spending the back half of the story becoming a lengthy courtroom drama, which heavily alters the movie’s pace.
The real WTF moment, however, lies in the film’s final moments when Harley breaks up with Arthur, realizing the Joker isn’t his actual personality but a mere performance he puts on for other people. When he’s brought back to the mental hospital, he’s fatally wounded after a young inmate stabs him in the stomach. As Arthur bleeds out, dying, the inmate carves a smile on his own face — much like the one that Heath Ledger is seen sporting in The Dark Knight.
Does this mean the mysterious character is the new Joker? Or a younger version of Ledger’s Joker? Was Arthur ever actually the Joker in the Batman universe or a simple stepping stone to the real story? Those answers remain unclear, but they certainly elicit one last WTF?
Hallmark’s first-ever Finding Mr. Christmas contest has come to an end, and Us Weekly caught up with the lucky winner.
Warning: Spoilers below for the season 1 finale of Finding Mr. Christmas.
Hosted by Hallmark darling Jonathan Bennett and Melissa Peterman, the series premiered in October and followed 10 men as they competed in various festive challenges to showcase their acting skills and holiday spirit. One contestant was sent home each week until three — Ezra Moreland, Hayden Maher and Elijah Malcomb — remained for the finale.
In the end it was Moreland, 31, who took home the prize. While he entered the competition struggling to find his place, Moreland eventually impressed the judges with his vulnerability and open heart. His first shining moment came after an acting challenge opposite Rachel Boston, where a breakup scene by a campfire demanded the men get in touch with their emotions.
“That [challenge] was the scariest because we realized, ‘Oh we’re going to be judged on emotional availability,’ and that was freaky and stressful at first,” Moreland exclusively shared with Us Weekly. “But looking back, that’s one of my favorite [moments] because it was the biggest roller-coaster, and kind of nerve wracking.”
Moreland noted that the challenge ultimately helped him “break down some layers” of himself that he didn’t “even know were there.” It was the moments after the challenge, however, where viewers got a candid look into Moreland’s personality; the model found himself breaking down in tears over the death of his late sister.
“That was a really proud moment. I’ll be honest, because I had one goal: to just be my total self and have a positive effect on anybody watching,” Moreland explained. “In the first couple of episodes, I remember the judges saying, ‘We haven’t really seen your personality. We don’t really know Ezra.’ And that night, after being told that, I’m just going, like, ‘This is tough. There’s so much going on. There’s the competitive edge in the air and I’m kind of reserved for the most part.’”
Moreland said the breakup scene helped facilitate him getting in touch with his feelings,which were previously stifled by the stress of the competition.
“I wanted to be my outgoing, funny, goofy, emotional self. And in this environment that was not easy,” he continued. “So to see myself breaking down and to have a chance to show the world how much my family means to me — and it’s kind of tough to watch yourself cry on TV — but it was a very proud moment. I’m so happy with that.”
That wasn’t the only moment Moreland made his mark on the competition. He put his best foot forward for the penultimate episode when the three finalists were asked to perform a walz and dialogue alongside Dancing With the Starspro Witney Carson.
“She’s the most elegant moving human I’ve ever seen,” Moreland gushed of Carson. “All those guys had never [done a] waltz before. And for her to replicate what you see in the end of the episode and us all being in step is so impressive. Hands down to her. She’s just so amazing.”
Moreland also praised Carson, 31, for her endless patience. “She could easily have been like, ‘You’re slowing me down’ or put us down if we weren’t up to speed,” he said. “I was so, so thankful for her, because without somebody that was that patient, it would’ve been a whole different story.”
Someone else Moreland credits for their endless patience is Jessica Lowndes. The two star in the upcoming Happy Howlidays, where Moreland will make his acting debut. The film follows webpage editor Mia (Lowndes) as she crosses paths with Seattle dog shelter owner Max (Moreland) after reducing a pup on the street. As their pets begin to fall in love, sparks begin to fly between them, too.
“There’s so much heart and love in this movie,” Moreland told Us of the film, which premieres on Hallmark Channel Saturday, December 21. “My character Max starts off heartbroken, kind of closed off. He and I have a similar background in the military, which I could relate to.”
Moreland — who is a former Navy rescue diver — noted that “any positive outcome” from the movie is in “huge thanks” to Lowndes, whose “skill level” and “professionalism” helped him through the process from start to finish.
“Jessica [was] just helping me step by step along the way,” he explained. “And our two characters, what we go through, there’s just so much heart and it’s very uplifting. And [our] two dogs fall in love in this movie! It’s the sweetest thing you’re ever gonna see. It’s just everything Hallmark.”
While Finding Mr. Christmas taught the contestants how to execute small scenes, Moreland said he was “shocked” by the filming process once he actually arrived on set. “I had no idea the man hours and energy and focus it takes from every single member of the production” to bring a movie to life, he told Us.
“I was very caught off guard,” he continued, laughing. “I don’t think there’s any way to completely prepare for that other than just jumping into doing it. But it was so impressive. I’ve never been more exhausted in my life.”
Luckily for Moreland, there was “a little bit of time” between being crowned as Mr. Christmas and shooting Happy Howlidays and it allowed him to brush up on his acting chops.
“I got to receive the script for the first time, meet the producers and kinda get in the right headspace, which I didn’t even know what that was,” he quipped. “But I got to work with Jeffrey Marcus, my acting coach, who Jonathan Bennett is good friends with. And that helped a lot. That was my first true introduction into breaking a script down and trying to prepare for a leading role in a movie.”
Now, the film is finished and Moreland is gearing up to share it with the rest of the world — including his parents and siblings. Whatever comes after that, Moreland is ready.
“Bring it on,” he told Us. “Somehow [Finding Mr. Christmas] is the gift that just keeps giving. Stepping forward into life after this, it’s just kind of like everything’s brighter.”
Finding Mr. Christmas is streaming on Hallmark+ now and Happy Howlidays premieres on Hallmark Channel Saturday, December 21, at 8 p.m. ET.
Jude Lawis looking back on his breakout role in The Talented Mr. Ripley with rose-colored glasses — and feeling nostalgic for the incredible experience he had on set.
“I kind of took it for granted,” Law, 51, exclusively shared in a joint interview with Jurnee Smollett for Us Weekly’s In Conversation series. “I was, like, a 25-year-old kid thinking, ‘Oh, this is just what films are like.’ And of course, I’ve never had the same experience again, sitting on a yacht, drinking wine in the sun.”
Law portrays Dickie Greenleaf in the 1950s-based psychological thriller, an heir to a shipbuilding company who has fled to Italy in order to live a life of luxury far away from his overbearing parents. When Dicke’s father asks Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) to retrieve his playboy son from overseas, Dickie and his girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Gwyneth Paltrow), find themselves quickly caught up in the dangerous extremes Tom goes to in order to make their lifestyle his own.
The Anthony Minghella-directed film, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, garnered both critical and commercial acclaim upon its release, grossing $128 million worldwide. It received five respective Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, including for Best Adapted Screenplay and a Best Supporting Actor nod for Law.
While there have been attempts to revive the story since the original movie — “several recently,” Law quipped to Us with a smile — none have managed to hit the same level of success as the 1999 film. In retrospect, it’s easy for Law to recognize how special the experience actually was.
“It’s been funny now, looking back all these years later, genuinely remembering the youthful energy and optimism and sparkle of all these actors who have now gone on to have [great careers],” he said, citing Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman’s extensive filmographies as examples. “Amazing, amazing actors. And just so funny.”
Some of Law’s best memories came from rehearsals, and the actor says he often “laughs” thinking about the memories the cast made while prepping with Minghella. (The U.K. native died at age 54 in 2008 after suffering from a haemorrhage.)
“We really went for it with rehearsals,” Law recalled. “Minghella loved full on rehearsals, and we were rehearsing in the famous Cinecittà cinemas where [Federico] Fellini used to work [on his] movies.”
“We were there, acting it out,” he continued. “It was a play, really. Blocking everything and learning to ride scooters. It was fun times.”
The Talented Mr. Ripley scored Law his first Oscar nomination, and he’s continued to have a storied career ever since. And though he’s had consistent work through his career with films like The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Holiday and Cold Mountain, the actor said he’s been “blessed” to land projects in the past few years of which he’s particularly proud.
“I feel like I’m in a really good place with how I approach my work,” he explained. “And what I get out of it, and the relationship I have with the directors.”
Law stars opposite Smollett, 38, in The Order, his latest movie. The pair play Terry Husk and Joanne Carney, respectively, in the crime thriller, a pair of FBI special agents who eye a white supremacist (Nicholas Hoult) in a domestic terrorist plot.
“This was a very, very happy experience for me, and, and felt really fulfilling,” Law said of the role, noting that there was a “sense of uncovering” the fuel to keep fighting “the fight” with Terry — something relatable to his own life.
“In finding his kind of weariness, it reminded me a little bit, perhaps of a state of mind I’ve been in,” Law confessed to Smollett. “You know, as I’ve reached middle age 15 years ago, 10 years ago, I kind of thought we were all living this great life. And I thought the world’s in a pretty good place. I took my eye off the path. And suddenly now [I’m at] an age where I feel like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be retiring,’ but it’s like, ‘No, no, no, no. The moral battle is in front of all of us who have the opportunity.’”
Law said that playing Terry has “invigorated” him in finding that spark again.
“I thought, ‘Well, if Terry can find that, I can find that.’ Now’s the time to make the right choices,” he said. “Now’s the time to have those conversations and call people out. And, you know, just be bold.”
Hallmark delivers an array of new holiday films each and every year — but some of their best festive flicks are actually from the past.
Delivering seasonal content since 2001, the network is known for keeping its viewers laughing all the way to Christmas Day, or finding a story that would pull at even Scrooge’s heartstrings. But beyond the heartwarming romance, wish fulfillment and stunning backdrops are Hallmark’s returning stars, many of whom have been around for a decade or more.
Paul Campbell made his Hallmark movie debut in 2014 with Window Wonderland, a quirky rivals-to-lovers romance in which he starred opposite Chyler Leigh. Even then, the actor knew the film — and the network — were something special.
“[Window Wonderland] is all about love at its core. It’s a great love story but it’s not sappy,” he explained. “It’s fun, and it’s funny and it’s quick and it’s snappy. It’s really well written [with] good dialogue but it has the happy ending you want at the end of the day when you watch a Christmas movie. It’s a feel-good movie. You want to see everyone get what they want in the end. And spoiler alert: they do!”
Hallmark movies just keep getting better, but don’t let the iconic films of holiday’s past be forgotten. Keep scrolling for five throwback films you need to rewatch this season:
‘Hitched for The Holidays’
Marilu Henner, Joey Lawrence, L. Harvey Gold, Emily Hampshire
Why You Need to (Re)Watch: Rob Marino (Joey Lawrence) is in a real pickle; he’s just broken up with his girlfriend before Thanksgiving despite his dying grandmother’s (Paula Show) wish to see him happy and in love. In the age of ever-advancing technology, Rob finds a fix in an online dating website where he and stranger Julie (Emily Hampshire) agree to fake a relationship to keep their families happy through the holidays. Hijinks ensue.
There’s really an endless amount of things to love about this hilarious film, from Lawrence and Hampshire’s natural rapport to the classic fake-to-real dating trope, a Hallmark fan favorite. Even better, Hitched for the Holidays revolves around Christmas and Hanukkah, introducing a variety of traditions and celebrations for all to enjoy.
‘The Christmas Secret’
Bethany Joy Lenz, Venus Terzo
Starring: Bethany Joy Lenz, John Reardon
Year: 2014
The Vibe: Holiday Heartfelt
Why You Need to (Re)Watch: Who doesn’t love a little magic at the holidays? This heartwarming Hallmark flick stars Bethany Joy Lenz as Christine, a struggling single mother who is down on her luck: she’s just been fired from her job, is being threatened with eviction and her slimy ex-husband is taking her to court for custody of their children. Think it couldn’t get any worse? Wrong. Christine also just lost a precious family heirloom that was handed down from her father when she was a little girl.
As she struggles to pick up the pieces of her life, she finds unexpected support from a handsome stranger — and bakery owner — named Jason (John Reardon), with whom she shares an unexpected connection. With her new found family, Christine’s luck slowly begins to change just in time for Christmas.
Lenz has never made a Christmas movie that wasn’t worth watching, but she delivers a particularly stunning performance in this story about love, hope and the importance of leading with kindness even in the hardest of circumstances. Break out the tissues, because this one’s a tearjerker.
Why You Need (Re)Watch: Is there anything better than two quick-witted rivals realizing that the reason there’s so much tension between them is because they’re actually in love? That’s exactly what Hallmark serves up in Winter Wonderland, which follows department store decorators Sloan (Leigh) and Jake (Campbell) as they fight it out for their dream job of dressing McGuire’s store window for Christmas. But, as the contest heats up, so does their attraction for one another — causing their rivalry to become all the more complicated.
Winter Wonderland has it all: witty dialogue, an all star cast, an impressive budget and fantastic chemistry between its two leads. Bonus? The film serves up the iconic close proximity trope when Sloan and Jake find themselves locked inside McGuires and forced to spend the night together.
‘The Christmas Cottage’
Merritt Patterson, Steve Lund
Starring: Merritt Patterson, Steve Lund
Year: 2017
The Vibe: Baby, It’s Cozy Inside
Why You Need to (Re)Watch: Nothing screams the holidays, like a magical Christmas cottage destined to bring you your happily ever after. In The Christmas Cottage, Lacey (Merritt Patterson) takes a break from her busy life as an architect to serve as her best friend’s maid of honor during her winter wedding. Her biggest responsibility? Decorate bride Ava’s (Brittney Wilson) family cottage so it is ready for the newlyweds to stay in after the ceremony.
Obviously, Lacey can’t decorate alone! She is forced to work with her ex-boyfriend, Ean (Steve Lund), who just so happens to be in the wedding. Legend has it that “everyone who’s ever stayed here during Christmas time has found true love,” which both Lacey and Ean believe — even if they don’t say it out loud. When the pair get stuck at the cottage ahead of the wedding, they are forced to see if their feelings for each other remain.
If you’ve never seen this Hallmark hit, prepare for cozy vibes, lots of Christmas decorations and a surprisingly adult breakup scene — spoiler: Lacey isn’t single when she arrives at the cottage! If this movie doesn’t make you want to escape to the mountains and rent a cabin for the holidays, we don’t know what will.
Why You Need to (Re)Watch: Amnesia, a wedding dress and a romance with Andrew Walker — ugh, we mean, Zach Callahan, played by Walker — are three reasons to rewatch this classic. Christmas on My Mind follows Lucy Lovett (Ashley Greene) after she bumps her head while holding a wedding gown. When she wakes up, she goes to see her fiancé Zach, only they aren’t engaged. In fact, they broke up two years ago, but Lucy doesn’t remember a thing.
Zach is a good guy, or so it seems, so he helps Lucy get home to her new fancy house and awkwardly meets her new fiancé, Brad (Clayton James). Lucy, however, doesn’t understand why she’d break up with Zach, so under doctor’s orders, she returns to their hometown to celebrate the holidays and try and spark her memory. Let’s just say, the moment Lucy’s memories come back they aren’t what she thought they’d be.
While there is a bit of deception on the part of Zach in this movie, we can’t help but love the destined lovers storyline. Lucy and Zach are perfect for each other — so who are we to judge how they are brought back together. Outside of the dream romance, the movie’s scenery, Christmas trees by the sea and snowman building competition keep Us coming back year after year.
The temperatures may be dropping as 2024 comes to an end, but this year’s sexiest movie scenes still have Us sweating.
From a sports drama about three tennis superstars in a decades-long love triangle to a movie musical adaptation of a Broadway show, every genre delivered steamy, red-hot moments to keep viewers swooning. For Glen Powell and Adria Arjona’sHit Man — a romantic thriller about a fake bounty hunter falling in love with a desperate woman trying to flee her abusive husband – that cackling chemistry was imperative to making their movie a success.
Luckily, Arjona had ideas. The actress, who stars as Madison in the film, came up with a Pinterest board where she and Powell could share images from their favorite movies to understand each other’s tastes.
“Everyone finds different things sensual,” Arjona explained to Varietyin a June interview. “It was interesting to see both of our perspectives, hone in and start molding it from that sense. It sparked conversations that you wouldn’t normally have, because we were in the process of creating it.”
Powell, for his part, agreed that connecting in other ways helped them become more intimate on screen, likening it to storyboarding the emotional journey the characters would take.
“So often, sex scenes feel almost divorced from the movie, like a marketing play or it feels icky,” Powell, who plays Gary — among other characters — explained to the outlet. “In [Hit Man], those scenes are crucial in the changing and seizing of identity. You have to see a guy who sees the world in such a binary, stale place checking logic at the door and becoming a whole new person. This romantic relationship is really expediting it. It’s the catalyst for everything.”
Keep scrolling for the sexiest movie scenes of 2024:
Ryan Gosling’s Slo-Mo Wet T-Shirt Moment in ‘The Fall Guy’
We’d like to personally thank Daivd Leitch for his contribution to this list. While the director could technically be credited for every Ryan Gosling scene in The Fall Guy — and for that matter, every Emily Blunt scene as well — a particular shoutout must be made to Gosling’s third-act rise from the ashes where, after viewers think his character, Colt Seavers, has just launched himself into a fiery pit of death, he uses his stuntman expertise to swim to safety.
As Colt picks himself up and rises from the water, bruised and battered and totally drenched in a tight white tank top, “I Was Made for Loving You” by Yungblud plays in the background and the camera catches every glistening muscle on Gosling’s body in slow motion. Leitch knew exactly what he was doing here and we’re not sure anyone has ever looked hotter.
Jonathan Bailey Dancing Through Life in ‘Wicked’
We could spout off a million words to describe Jonathan Bailey’s rendition of “Dancing Through Life” in the Wicked movie, but we really only need one: swoon. The actor had Us — and all of Shiz University — totally mesmerized as he glided, flipped and flirted his way through the iconic song, proving that his sex appeal is undeniable in any universe.
The hair, the smirk, the voice, the blue contacts — not to mention the fact he did his own stunts and sang live — are more than enough to send Us over the edge. Is Wicked Part 2 out yet? We’ve never been attracted to a Scarecrow before, but we’re willing to try new things.
All of ‘Gladiator II’
Sorry, you expected Us to watch a movie starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington and pick its sexiest moment? This entire movie is sizzling with (often shirtless) attractive men making grand speeches in various accents, and it is all worthy of this list.
And while we are absolutely positive there is a plot happening in this Ridley Scott-directed sequel, it’s admittedly hard to think straight while staring into Mescal’s baby blues. We’re pretty sure we were supposed to root for him in the movie, but truth be told, we’d follow him into any arena. Actually, villains or not, we’d do the same for Pascal and Washington, too.
Challengers’ 3-Way Kiss
The makeout scene between Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor’sChallengers characters was one of the most hyped-up movie moments of 2024 and it did not disappoint.
The film centers on a love triangle between three professional tennis players over the course of multiple decades. If you asked the actors or director Luca Guadagnino, they’d likely say that tennis is the sex of the sports drama. But with the chemistry between the three leads and the intense electronic-disco-type score, it’s hard to ignore the moments where the sex is all about, well, sex.
The three-way kiss — which takes place in the first act of the film before things truly get deeply messy between the three friends — never goes any further, but the tension is what makes it so successful. It lays the groundwork for the mutual attraction (and at times, hatred) between all involved, something that continues to build throughout the movie.
It all culminates to a final knockdown, drag out match between O’Connor and Faist, with Zendaya — much like their kiss — sitting sandwiched in the middle. The only downside? Challengers unfortunately ends before viewers ever really get what they want, which is for this trio to leave the fighting behind and just live happily ever after as a throuple.
Hit Man’s Sexy Sting Note Operation
You probably thought we were going to choose Glen Powell and Adria Arjona’s steamy roleplay montage for Hit Man’s sexiest moment — and we get that. But nothing was quite hotter than watching Powell and Arjona’s character’s come together in the climax of the film and successfully get away with (literal) murder via the use of the iPhone Notes app.
When Powell’s Gary, fully wearing a wire, comes up with an on-the-fly, surprise plan to shake off the cops, Arjona’s Madison doesn’t miss a beat as the two concoct a fake blowout in order to look innocent. The pair remain fully clothed, but something about their undeniable sparks — and ability to read each other’s minds — is sexier than any moment where they’re actually getting naked (which is also very hot, to be clear).
Austin Butler and Jodie Comer’s Sexy Meet Cute in ‘Bikeriders’
There’s nothing sweeter than watching two people lock eyes across the room and form an instant connection. Make those two people Austin Butler and Jodie Comer and things are taken to a whole new level. The couple’s tumultuous romance endures its ups and downs throughout the entirety of Jeff Nichols’Bikeriders but their first night together — where Comer’s character Kathy has a very relatable reaction of being speechless at the mere sight of Butler’s Benny — is pure perfection.
As Benny saunters over to Comer and spins his chair around to gaze into her eyes, the two stare longingly at each other so intimately it feels like the viewer is intruding. While Kathy tries to play it cool, she still ends up riding off with Benny on the back of his bike — despite having a serious boyfriend at home. If Austin Butler looked at Us like that, we’d follow him anywhere, too.
Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine’s Hot Hotel Rendezvous in ‘The Idea of You’
Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine sizzle from start to finish in this age-gap romantic drama which follows Soléne (Hathaway) as she embarks on an unexpected and passionate tryst with boy bander Hayes (Galitzine). Based on the book of the same name by Robinne Lee, the movie is total wish fulfillment and fantasy, which only adds to the overall sex appeal.
However with all due respect to Galitzine’s perfectly played rockstar vibe, the real sexy standout of this film is Hathaway, who, after her character endures a painful divorce, reclaims her sexuality, self and power. Watching her explore new adventures and realize that, yes, women are allowed to still feel pleasure and be desired at any age, is as sexy as it gets.
Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brien’s ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Stretch Session
There is toxicity up and down all of Rose Glass’ erotic thriller but that doesn’t negate the undeniable red-hot moments that also exist between Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brien’s Lou and Jackie. When they aren’t fighting, the two deliver an endless array of steamy moments just by their natural magnet-like chemistry together.
However, nothing beats Lou saying she wants to “stretch” Jackie to “see how far” she can go. Between puffs of her joint, Lou enters the bathroom and makes her declaration, showing a true understanding of her partner’s competitive spirit. The pleasure that the two experience from there is something you’ll just have to see for yourself.
Wolverine Ripping His Shirt Off in ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’
We’re sure that a lot of important information and plot was revealed during the climactic scene of Deadpool & Wolverine but don’t ask Us to explain it. Truth is, we were too mesmerized by Wolverine a.k.a Hugh Jackman’s suit exploding off his body exposing an array of rippling, glistening muscles to follow along all that closely.
We mean no disrespect to the superhero flick, but at age 56, Jackman looks better than any of Us ever will and it was impossible not to marvel at his perfectly toned physique. Something tells Us director Shawn Levy would understand — he did shoot the scene that way for a reason — and even the canonically bisexual Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) can’t help but take a moment to drool over Jackman’s eight-pack.
Chad Michael Murray’s ‘Magic Mike’ Moment in ‘The Merry Gentlemen’
Let’s keep this last item on the list short and sweet. The Merry Gentlemen follows Chad Michael Murray as he joins a all-male revue to help his love interest’s (played by Britt Robertson) failing bar stay afloat. Yes, his character is a small town handyman named Lucas (One Tree Hill fans, IYKYK) with a heart of gold who spends most of the movie showing off his six pack doing body rolls while shirtless on stage. Any questions?
“I geeked out with you on set.” The duo are ensconced in director’s chairs, interviewing each other for Us Weekly’s first In Conversation feature — and the person making that confession might surprise you. The two costar in The Order, which hits theaters on Friday, December 6, and it turns out that Law is a massive fan of Smollett, thanks to her Emmy-nominated role in HBO’s Lovecraft Country. Her delighted response to his praise? “That was so sweet!”
Smollett is no stranger to Law’s filmography either, and she can’t help but gush over his role as Dickie Greenleaf in 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. “It’s classic. That contribution to the cinematic cannon is huge,” she says, calling the Oscar-winning film the epitome of “old Hollywood.”
In The Order, Law and Smollett play Terry Husk and Joanne Carney, a pair of FBI special agents who eye a white supremacist (Nicholas Hoult) in a domestic terrorist plot.
Watch the video above for Law and Smollett’s full conversation, which ranges from Law sharing how he took The Talented Mr. Ripley for granted to Smollett’s recollection of being “called out” on set by Denzel Washington. Or keep scrolling to read the interview in full:
Jurnee Smollett: I’m going first!
Jude Law: Go for it.
JS: Who is [your character], Terry? What is he looking to accomplish in our film, The Order?
JL: Terry Husk is a special agent that I play in the film. He’s had a very successful career but it’s taken its toll. He’s carrying war wounds emotionally, physically. He’s left behind a marriage, possibly in [kids]. He’s had heart surgery and he’s drinking too much, not looking after himself. He’s a wreck. And he’s actually initially sort of looking to take it easy and to rebuild his life. And instead he lands the biggest job of his life in his back garden.
JS: He’s looking to take it easy and slow it down, you say? [laughs]
JL: Take his foot off the pedal [laughs] and then once the case develops, he becomes obsessive and all in and passionate to resolve this case and to bring this single figure, this fugitive Bob Matthews, to justice.
JS: Well done. Can I ask you a follow up question to that?
JL: Yeah, sure.
JS: Your process. Walk us through your process, like, when you’re building your character, where do you begin?
JL: It’s always different. It’s kind of always fun to look at the empty canvas and think, like, “OK, where, where do I begin?” And what pops up initially is always a surprise to me. This particular project was really interesting because it actually came to me and my production company [Riff Raff Entertainment]. So I was looking at it as a producer, and I just thought I saw this potential, what an amazing story to be told. The relevance to now, spoke so clearly. And then there was this whole genre, this propulsion to it. And I didn’t really have my eye on Terry Husk.
JS: Don’t bulls—!
JL: No, I’m being serious!
JS: Really?
JL: Yeah. Yeah. It was my partner, Ben [Jackson].
JS: So you would’ve let another actor step into that role there?
JL: There was a time when I nearly did. They had to go ahead with it, and then something happened and it came back. Never told anyone that.
JS: Wow. I’m getting the [exclusive].
JL: So with this it was different because [writer] Zach [Baylin] made the choice to create Terry. He was an amalgam, but he was more than that.And he was really open, like he was with you, to our input. And so it was early doors for me that I could really influence the character. And it was super important that he was, like, busted and broken. So the process was really just working out this background. And that’s somewhere I usually start. I’m like, “Where were they born?”
JS: Do you work with coaches?
JL: Yeah, I work with a coach, and then I do a lot of work on my own. And to me it’s all about, like, where were they born? Who was their mom? Who was their dad, and what happened to them up to this date? And then you kind of go off on tangents. And the physical aspect becomes a kind of later. A later addition.
JS: Yeah. Yeah.
JL: OK. My turn.
JS: I wanna ask more questions!
JL: Well, it’s my turn! What’s [your character] Joanne looking to accomplish? Carney. I don’t think I ever call you, Joanne [in the movie].
JS: You never do. It didn’t feel right when you said that. I was like, ‘Who the f— are you?’
JL: Carney. [laughs] Who’s Carney and what’s she looking to accomplish?
JS: I play Special Agent Carney, who was a mentee of yours.
JL: That’s right.
JS: Which was part of what we built out in her backstory. Which is so awesome, because when we meet up, there’s that real history between us. In which I’ve now risen in the ranks. And you’re coming to me for information. And help. And I love it. [laughs] The dynamics have shifted. When I first got the script, they had recently changed it to a woman. It was originally written as a man as you know.
JL: Mm-Hmm.
JS: And this is the second time this has happened to me recently. The Burial, the film with Jamie Foxx —
JL: Oh yeah. The lawyer.
JS: Yeah. Originally written as a man too. And when I got the script, I immediately googled Black women in the FBI. Just to kind of understand how many were there in the 1980s. And found a very sobering fact that it wasn’t until the mid-1970s that a Black woman was approved to serve in the bureau as a special agent. And so that opened my world up into the loneliness and the otherness of Carney and how she approaches life in general, but also her work. Her work is everything to her. Like, Terry, we don’t really have much of a life.
JL: Yeah.
JS: That lone wolf mentality, she’s on the hunt. And in interviewing some of the former special agents who were women of all kinds, one of the things they said was they were battling that feeling of loneliness. Sometimes you’re the only one in the bureau. Or in your workplace, you know? And so what does that feel like? Well, you gotta be the best. You gotta be the best at your job. You can’t slip up. There’s no, there’s no room for error. So some of those scenes when Terry veers off, when [he goes], “I’m gonna follow my instinct and make a left turn,” … I’m not just like, ‘Oh, you screwed up the mission,’ or, “You put yourself in danger,” but secretly there’s an envy that [Terry] can do things and get away with things that I never could. So yea, I love research. Do you love research? I feel like you do. ’cause we were exchanging a lot.
JL: We shared a lot.
JS: Yeah. We shared a lot.
JL: But what, what I loved also about that there are so many interesting dualities in this piece. People that are weirdly mirroring each other and shared different ways of doing it, but with a shared passion. And what’s interesting is Carney has that. Once she hones in, she’s in. And I think that is something I picked up from a lot of the agents I spoke to, this absolute commitment to the cause.
JS: To the mission.
JL: I mean, they’ll do anything.
JS: Give their lives, blood sweat and tears.
JL: Yea! Yeah.
JS: You’re right.
JL: Let me ask you one other thing then. What’s one thing playing [Carney] that you took away?
JS: It was such an education process for me. I knew about the Turner Diaries, but I didn’t know, really, about Bob Matthews.
JL: Me neither.
JS: Yeah,. I mean, I knew about the Aryan Nation, and KKK, you know, these hate groups, these domestic terrorists. But I didn’t know the connection between Bob Matthews and Timothy McVeigh.
JL: Right. That breadcrumb trail.
JS: Yeah. And unfortunately the ideology wasn’t invented by Bob Matthews. This level of bigotry and hatred also didn’t die off with him.
JL: No.
JS: And it’s only flourished since then. And that was one thing we talked a lot about. A lot of the special agents dealing with him, the conversation was, “Well, we don’t want to make him a martyr.” We don’t want this ideology to flourish and stuff. And yet here we are, you know? What one thing did you take away [from playing Terry]?
JL: I think there was a sense of uncovering in Terry, this need to keep finding fuel, to keep going and fight the fight. And in finding his kind of weariness, it reminded me a little bit, perhaps of a state of mind I’ve been in. You know, as I’ve reached middle age 15 years ago, 10 years ago, I kind of thought we were all living this great life. And I thought the world’s in a pretty good place, you know? And I took my eye off the path. And suddenly now [I’m at] an age where I feel like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be retiring,’ but it’s like, ‘No, no, no, no. The moral battle is in front of all of us who have the opportunity.’ But it invigorated me too. I thought, “Well, if Terry can find that, I can find that. Now’s the time to make the right choices. Now’s the time to have those conversations and call people out. And, you know, just be bold.”
JS: I love that. I love that Jude.
JL: So is it my go again. [What’s a] project that’s one of your favorites from the past that has a special place in your heart and in your memory.
JS: Oh, that’s a good question. Lovecraft Country.
JL: I was hoping you’d say that. [laughs] I geeked out on Lovecraft with you on set, which was so sweet. Tell me what it was like being a part of Lovecraft; why was it a happy time?
JS: Just a good team, a good workplace, great people. Creatively challenging and creatively stimulating. You know, the best combination. Great writing. It all starts with the words, we know that.
JL: Mm-Hmm.
JS: Misha Green created and wrote that project. I love the poetry of the metaphor of the monster, who’s the bigger monster? Racism, or this shoggoth standing in front of you? And the irony of flipping the genre on its head, Lovecraft himself being who he was for horror, but also being so horrific when it comes to being a bigot and racist.
JL: I mean, I geeked out with you on set.
JS: That was so sweet.
JL: I loved that.
JS: That was very sweet.
JL: I loved that series so much for all the reasons you said. I mean, there’s just nothing better than that kind of brilliantly intelligent, but entertaining storytelling. And we can get lazy. So we think, “Yeah, this thing’s all right.” When something’s really good, it’s gotta be celebrated. And that was, it was just dynamic and complicated. Just so well executed. I loved It.
JS: Was one of your favorite projects you’ve done that holds a special meaning to you?
JL: Honestly, the last couple of years I feel very blessed. I feel like I’m in a really good place with how I approach my work and what I get out of it, and the relationship I have with the directors. So [The Order] was a very happy experience for me and felt really fulfilling and complete. A film I made a couple years ago called Firebrand. … But if I look back I would have to mention, because it’s been 25 years, The Talented Mr. Ripley. I kind of took it for granted. I was, like, a 25-year-old kid thinking, ‘Oh, this is just what films are like.” And of course, I’ve never had the same experience again, sitting on a yacht drinking wine in the sun.
JS: It’s a classic. Like, that contribution to the cinematic cannon is huge. There have been so many films after that that you could directly say, “Oh, they’re, they’re copying it.”
JL: Several recently. Yeah. [laughs]
JS: I remember seeing it. … I didn’t see it in the theaters. I was too young to see it in the theaters, but I just remember that, it felt like old Hollywood. It felt like I was watching a Hitchcock film.
JL: But you know what, it’s been funny looking back all these years later, genuinely remembering the youthful energy and optimism and sparkle of all these actors. … Amazing, amazing actors and just so funny, it makes me laugh thinking of memories I have of us rehearsing. We were all, like, 25, 26.
JS: Well, what were the rehearsals like?
JL: We really went for it with rehearsals. [Director Anthony Minghella] loved full on rehearsals, and we were rehearsing in the famous cinemas where [Federico] Fellini used to work these movies.
JS: Wow. Come on. So you had the energy in the walls.
JL: We were there acting it out. Like it was a play, really. Blocking everything and learning to ride scooters. So yeah, it was fun times.
JS: Do you find that rehearsal frees you up? Or does it stifle you?
JL: I love rehearsals, but I trained in theater, so for me, rehearsals are vital. But the difference with rehearsing for film is you’ve gotta know when to go, “That’s enough.” Because you’ve gotta stop a little. You can’t get there.
JS: Yeah, get over rehearsed! I’ve had that experience where I’ve over rehearsed.
JL: You get yourself out of it. So have I, by the way.
JS: I was doing a film [where I got] to set and you go, “I got lost and I got nothing.” And I was called out, I was called out for it. It was Great Debaters, Denzel Washington was our director.
JL: And Denzel called you out for it? What’s that like?
JS: He absolutely freaking did. It was amazing. It was like a masterclass. I was, like, 19. And it was a big debate scene. It was the first debate we had shot. The film’s all about debate. We’d gone to debate camp. He had us in rehearsals, debating each other.
JL: Wow.
JS: And so in my head I’m like, “I’m gonna crush this man. I’m gonna kill this scene.” I get there and I was stale. I was over rehearsed, and he knew it. He came to me and he said, ‘You over rehearsed.’ And I was like, ‘I know. I got nothing. What do I do?’ And he said, “It’s OK, we’re gonna shoot everyone else and we’ll shoot you last and by then you’ll loosen up.” And by then, I wasn’t loose, man. I wasn’t. I was freaking out. … They do like this special shot around me and everything [and] I still know I’m not in the pocket. And he comes to me — and this is why actors who are directors sometimes are the best — and he simply says, “If you’re gonna ask a question, get an answer,” and walked away. It opened my head up. My character was debating whether or not people of color should be able to attend certain universities. [My character] wanted to be a lawyer, so I would have to be able to have access to certain universities. It was personal. … [I was] fighting for your life. That’s how high the stakes are, is what I realized in him saying, get an answer.
JL: And it just clicks.
JS: And it clicked. And the take that’s in the film now, I get emotional, [because it’s] the freaking take after he whispered that in my ear.
