Tom Durant Pritchard as Alexander Blake and Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet in ‘Miss Scarlet.’Sever Zolak; Miss Scarlet Limited and MASTERPIECE
Season 5 of Miss Scarlet is all about change, but newbie Tom Durant-Pritchard is just like Us rooting for Eliza Scarlet to find her happily ever after.
“We all need love, do you know what I mean?” Durant-Pritchard, 37, exclusively told Us Weekly while playing coy as to whether his character, the new Scotland Yard Inspector Alexander Blake, will be a new love interest for private investigator Eliza (Kate Phillips).
The actor is replacing Stuart Martin’s Inspector William Wellington a.k.a. The Duke in the upcoming season of the PBS Masterpiece Mystery show, which premieres on Sunday, January 12. (The early streaming release began on December 8, 2024, on the PBS App and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.)
Unlike William, who was in love with Eliza for years before taking a job in New York City at the end of season 4, Blake doesn’t like private investigators. That aversion to Eliza’s profession, however, might be short-lived, according to Durant-Pritchard.
“Blake doesn’t want any PIs working with Scotland Yard, but there’s that classic thing with Miss Scarlet is you can’t deny that she’s very good at her job,” he told Us. “And Blake is a sensible man and comes to appreciate the fact that as much as he doesn’t want Ms. Scarlet to get involved in any of the cases, she’s kind of too good to ignore.”
He teased, “So begrudgingly he has to allow her to take part.”
While the two butt heads right out the gate — during the premiere they cross paths on a tricky case involving stolen goods — Durant-Pritchard explained they have a few things in common that could bond them.
“He’s gone through his own heartbreak that is different to Miss Scarlet,” the season 5 star shared. “But they find each other at a time when they’re in their company. They need each other in a way.”
Durant-Pritchard noted that there’s a “reluctance” to Blake and Eliza “getting on” when he first comes to town but that changes as the seasons progresses.
“You see a sort of friendship building. There is something between them as much as they both don’t want it to happen,” he teased. “There’s a relationship building.”
Durant-Pritchard explained that even though Eliza wants to have a clean break from William — fans will see how the two formally part ways during the season 5 premiere — healing from heartbreak “is never that simple.”
The English actor revealed that Eliza’s feelings from season 4 will “feed into what happens in season 5.” When it comes to how she will connect with Blake and weasel her way into more cases, Durant-Pritchard said it will come down to proving herself at work.
Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet in ‘Miss Scarlet.’Sever Zolak; Miss Scarlet Limited and MASTERPIECE
“There are some great cases that are quite big that require quite a lot of mental strength,” he shared. “And the bond that Blake and Ms. Scarlet have to form to solve those cases, kind of allow the past to stay in the past and they have to start building their own relationship and future between them.”
Durant-Pritchard remained somewhat coy about whether Blake and Eliza’s dynamic will become romantic — but he didn’t rule it out completely.
“You can expect two, single people in a state of heartbreak, going about their business to the best of their ability,” he told Us. “And as much as they don’t want to spend time with one another as the season progresses, they end up having to spend more and more time together and get to know each other better and better as time goes on.”
While Blake and Eliza start off on a rocky foot, Durant-Pritchard had an easy time getting along with the show’s leading lady.
“Kate is a fantastic actor, and she’s a great person. It’s very easy to just hang out and have that,” he gushed about Phillips, 35. “I’ve come from a background of doing my fair share of comedies, and we share a love of comedy [and] rom-coms, all the work of Hugh Grant over the years.”
Durant-Pritchard revealed that he and Phillips connected over their love of movies and spent a lot of time getting to know each other’s ticks. (Durant-Pritchard picked Four Weddings and a Funeral and “all the Bridget Jones’s” as his favorite rom-coms.)
“We spoke, I think, every day from about 8 in the morning til 7 at night, and we spent every second together,” he recalled. “We just got on so well that it was just very easy on set.”
As fans gear up for new dynamics in season 5 of Miss Scarlet, Durant-Pritchard gave Us his vision for season 6 — assuming Blake sticks around.
“I would like to see how his relationship with Ms. Scarlet progresses through time,” he said, hinting that he too is team Eliza finding love. “To see if they can maintain a kind of working relationship and then anything else that happens is a boon, I guess.”
Season 5 of Miss Scarlet premieres on Masterpiece Mystery on PBS Sunday, January 12, at 8 p.m. ET.
Lala performs her sidekick duties by lounging in her tufted doggie bed alongside Cumming, 59, as he has one-on-one conversations with each cast member on the Peacock reality show, and she looks fabulous doing it, donning sumptuous cloaks and trendy tartans.
It turns out that Lala has a real rags-to-riches tale, with Cumming and husband Grant Shaffer adopting her in February 2016 before she made her debut on The Traitors during season 2.
“When we got her from @socialteesnyc she had just arrived from Costa Rica where she’d been taken off the streets by a kind vet because she was pregnant,” Cumming revealed in a 2022 Instagram post. “After her puppies were born and adopted, nobody wanted Lala (I know!!) until a very lovely American lady took her back to NYC where she was fostered for a week or so by another lovely lady until she found her forever home with me, Jerry and @granteepants. Alas, less than a week later she had to have emergency surgery as a piece of gauze had been left inside her when she was spayed!! But she is a fighter AND a lover and now an internationally renowned and beloved sensation!”
Scroll down to see Lala’s sensational style moments from The Traitors season 3:
Lala previously launched her Hollywood career when she appeared on Alan Cumming’s Edge of Scotland in 2017. Perhaps that's when she started her accessory collection, which seems to rival even Dolores Catania's closet.
Though she was born in Costa Rica and adopted in New York City, Lala is clearly proud to represent her father's Scottish heritage with her fierce tartan frocks.
"Lala, having been a street dog, never had toys. She's not interested in toys at all actually," Cumming told Masterpiece in 2024. "I mean, she'll occasionally chew a blanket or something, but she's not like that at all." Her chill demeanor makes her the perfect Traitors cohost.
Angelina Jolie's focused on helping her close friends and family affected by the Los Angeles fires right now ... but, she hasn't forgotten the community at large. The actress was out in L.A. Thursday night ... loading up supplies alongside her son…
Jennie Garth and Dave Abrams are unpacking their experience in the L.A. Fires.
After the Beverly Hills, 90210 actress shared that she stayed with her ex Peter Facinelli—with whom she shares...
Renée Zellweger’s blink-and-you-missed-it marriage to country singer Kenny Chesneywas so short-lived that even the actress herself sometimes forgets it ever happened — but at the time, it was one of the biggest celebrity dramas around. Twenty years on, let’s look back at what really became of Renée ‘n’ Kenny…
How it Began
It was at NBC’s Concert of Hope (a tsunami aid telethon) in January 2005 that Zellweger, now 55, and Chesney, now 56, first met — but this was no chance encounter. The Bridget Jones actress had already planned to pass a note to the country star after admiring him from afar. Chesney, meanwhile, had cited her as one of his top celebrity crushes in a 2002 interview with The Tennessean, saying “Here’s a country girl who’s still down to earth. You never see her coming, then — wham! — there she is. And that makes her really, really sexy. Plus she seems like the kind of girl who could fit in and be at home anywhere.” His 1999 song, “You Had Me From Hello,” was also rumored to have been inspired by seeing the actress utter a nearly-identical line in 1996’s Jerry Maguire.
The story, as told by entertainment expert and former People magazine Editor-in-Chief Jess Cagle, goes that after the telethon, where Chesney was performing and Zellweger was answering phones, he approached her and said “I hear you are trying to pass me a note — don’t let the principal find out!” and the pair promptly started getting to know each other.
“They had each other from hello,” said Cagle at the time. “At that point, they exchanged numbers and emails and started this sort of long-distance relationship that became a real romantic thing.”
The first public hint of a romance between the pair came in April, when Zellweger unexpectedly appeared on stage with Chesney at his show in Jacksonville, Florida, presenting him with a margarita and kissing him on the cheek.
How Long it Lasted
This is the part that got everybody talking.
After less than four months of dating, the couple got married in May 2005 in an intimate ceremony at Chesney’s private estate on St.John in the U.S Virgin Islands. Zellweger wore a Carolina Herrera gown and was walked down the aisle by her father, with 35 close friends and family members in attendance.
It all seemed dreamy, but after less than four months, Zellweger filed for an annulment, citing “fraud” as the reason for the split.
How it Ended
When news of the shocking breakup went public, there was fierce speculation about what “fraud” might mean, even leading to intrusive speculation about Chesney’s sexuality (which he later addressed head-on).
Zellweger released a statement to clear things up, saying she wanted to “clarify that the term ‘fraud’ as listed in the documentation is simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny’s character.” She added: “I would personally be very grateful for your support in refraining from drawing derogatory, hurtful, sensationalized or untrue conclusions and greatly appreciate your understanding that we hope to experience this transition as privately as possible.”
Chesney responded to Zellweger’s statement with his own words. “This is an incredibly sad time,” he said. “I just hope everyone can respect the privacy that I know Renée has already asked for.”
But still the gossip rumbled on, forcing the couple to issue yet another statement — this one, together, and via their reps. They said: “The miscommunication of the objective of their marriage at the start is the only reason for this annulment. Renée and Kenny value and respect each other and are saddened that their different objectives prevent the success of this marriage.”
Both stars mostly laid low in the immediate aftermath but in November 2005, two months after the annulment, Chesney was complimentary towards his ex in an interview on The View. “She and I fell in love like a couple of schoolkids,” he said. “I’m glad to know that can happen, that that exists and we still really care about each other. It would’ve been a bad thing if I hadn’t met her. She’s wonderful. I don’t want to sit here and go: ‘Poor me.’ I am totally blessed, and I’m grateful for it.”
What They Say Now
Now that more time has passed since the brief, some might say doomed marriage, both parties have felt more able to speak about what really went down.
“I think people need to live their lives the way they want to, but I’m pretty confident in the fact that I love girls,” said Chesney in a 2009 Playboy interview. “I’ve got a long line of girls who could testify that I am not gay. In order for us to get an annulment, the legal papers could claim either physical abuse, which wasn’t true, or three or four other things that also weren’t true. The best thing we could put in there was fraud. So I said, ‘All right, do it. Whatever’.”
In a 2010 interview, he gave a few more details — and it sounded like he simply wasn’t ready for marriage. “I look at my life as a box,” he said. “So everything that I put in — learn how to play guitar, put that in the box. The friends I made. I put that in the box, and my career grew. That box grew into this wonderful house… And you protect everything and all the relationships and all the people that helped you build that house. “It was out of the box. [Renée’s] a sweet soul, no doubt about it, but I just wasn’t ready…. This is the first time I’ve actually talked about it, but that’s what happened.”
In another Playboy interview, in 2015, Chesney was even more reflective about the turn of events, and the impact on his life. “Nothing positive at all in my life came from it, I can tell you that,” he said. “I didn’t have any clue as to what true marriage meant. I was so used to committing to one thing — music — and then I had to totally commit to a second thing, marriage. I didn’t know how. It was a scary moment for me. I had never really had any kind of attention from the paparazzi. It went from zero to the complete other end of the spectrum. I’d go to a concert and there would be helicopters circling, trying to get a picture of me and her together. I thought it would be like that all the time. I just totally panicked. I did the only thing I knew to do: I ran. I pushed her away, in every way possible—to the point where I just didn’t want to be married to her anymore. It’s that simple. I still struggle with it. Was it the right thing to do or not? I still think about her every day. Every day I wonder if she’s okay. I mean, you don’t just fall out of love with somebody.”
More recently, in a 2023 interview with Billboard, Chesney talked about how his experience with Zellweger had made him conduct his life more privately. “One of the reasons I’m so private is when my life started to change and people started caring at a different level, the only thing I could keep to myself was the intimate details of my life,” he said. “What is interesting is we were playing stadiums already, and after that … I didn’t have social anxiety before that, then you add our success and then you add that to your life and you have a little bit of social anxiety. And now, dealing with the way the world is today and how social everything is, and how information is transferred — yeah, you’d have to be crazy to want to be a celebrity today.”
Zellweger has also spoken about the tumultuous period of her life, and said in a 2016 interview with The Advocate that the speculation about Chesney’s sexuality really upset her. “It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences,” she said. “Of course, there’s the bigger-picture problem of why anyone had to make up a story at all. I’m an old-fashioned gal who doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to hang out your laundry on the lawn. I feel you devalue yourself as a human being when you share very personal things with a bajillion strangers who are making fun of you. I just don’t see that there’s any dignity in that.”
Zellweger added that she often forgot the marriage had ever happened, saying “It’s a pretty big thing to forget, isn’t it?”
Key Relationship Takeaways
Looking back, it seems like these two just got carried away with the romance and passion of falling in love after admiring each other from afar — but forgot to actually figure out if they were compatible. Both in their mid thirties at the time, getting married probably felt like the obvious thing to do.
Two decades later, both are in long-term relationships — just not with each other. Chesney has been dating model and dancer Mary Nolan since 2012 — and their relationship is extremely private — while Zellweger has been with British TV star and motor specialist Ant Anstead since 2021. Interestingly, though, neither party has ever married again; did those disastrous few months put them both off for life?
From “Magic” to “Right Round,” Pitch Perfect’s all-male a capella group the Treblemakers sang many hit songs in the 2012 comedy — but star Adam DeVine says one hit sticks out to him.
“My favorite song that I sang in Pitch Perfect [with the Treblemakers] was ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ by Rihanna,” DeVine, 41, reveals exclusively in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. “I still have the whole dance memorized. I destroy at karaoke with that one.”
The movie — which also stars Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin and Rebel Wilson — opens on DeVine (as Bumper) singing the 2007 Rihanna hit alongside the Treblemakers at the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella.
DeVine finishes the song in a split, which prompts ICCA commentator Gail Abernathy-McKadden (Elizabeth Banks) to exclaim, “Sexy man splits!” while her colleague John Smith (John Michael Higgins) replies, “His pain is our gain, Gail.”
DeVine — who cohosts the iHeartRadio podcast “This Is Important” with his Workaholics costars Anders Holm, Blake Anderson and Kyle Newachek — went on to star in the sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, and a Peacock spinoff series based on his character, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin.
Keep scrolling for more fun facts from DeVine, including why he considers season 1 of Workaholics to be the proudest moment of his career:
1. My favorite song that I sang in Pitch Perfect [with the Treblemakers] was “Don’t Stop the Music” by Rihanna. I still have the whole dance memorized. I destroy at karaoke with that one.
Julia Terjung/Peacock
2. I used to collect Pez [dispensers].
3. The most surprising thing I’ve learned since welcoming [my first child] Beau [last March] is that I don’t mind changing a poop-filled diaper. It’s no big deal when it’s your son. I’ll do anything to help out the lil homie. The better question might be what haven’t I learned. Becoming a parent truly changes your perspective on life and turns your priorities upside down.
4. A cheeseburger and french fries from In-N-Out is my favorite comfort meal.
5. My first car was a 1993 Cavalier Convertible. It was white with spray-painted red hubcaps and a salvaged title!
6. My most starstruck moment was meeting Kobe Bryant backstage at some awards show. I’m a basketball fan, and I didn’t know I would be seeing him. I lost my mind.
7. I could watch all three Lord of the Rings movies for the rest of my life.
8. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is my favorite book.
9. Jennifer Love Hewitt was my celebrity crush growing up.
10. My alternate profession would be a radio DJ. I love comedy too much to not be able to do it in some way.
11. When I was still in school, I was great in the passing periods. I really shined while walking to the next class.
12. Growing up, I always thought Green Day was the coolest band.
13. Zac Efron is probably the most famous person in my phone book. He’s so damn famous!
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Spike TV
14. My dream collaborator is Shaggy. I want to do a reggaeton album with him.
15. The proudest moment of my career was finishing season 1 of Workaholics. I knew I had just done something special with my best friends. I miss doing that show. I didn’t realize how good I had it.
16. My favorite way to spend the weekend is just by taking it easy with no plans. I’m at the age where a nice relaxing weekend sounds great.
17. I would like to travel more. This world is big and beautiful. I want to be on my deathbed and smile, knowing I saw it all.
18. I don’t binge-watch TV shows — I savor — but that being said, I just rewatched Narcos: Mexico in three days.
19. My first job was as a bag boy in a grocery store.
20. I took a bath for maybe the third time in my adult life last week [and thought to myself], “Why haven’t I been doing this all the time? It’s great.”
21. The childhood memory that makes me smile is fishing with my dad. I hope to create those types of lasting memories with my son. I hope he’s not expecting to catch anything, though — I’m a much worse fisherman than my father.
22. I learned how to act in a sitcom from working on Modern Family. The dialogue is so fast-paced and snappy — I learned how to keep it tight and right. I love that show so much.
ABC
23. I’m one hell of a hacky sacker.
24. The app I use the most is MyFitnessPal. By planning out my week and tracking my food, I can stay accountable and keep my long-term health goals in mind without letting setbacks — hello, beer! — discourage me. [This] is my year! I’m hoping to finally have abs… in my 40s.
25. My favorite place to vacation is Hawaii. I fell in love with it while shooting Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.
Fran Drescher‘s Golden Globes look was no doubt stunning, inspiring curiosity as to which products the age-defying 67-year-old used for the big night. Thankfully, celebrity makeup artist Gregory Arlt spilled the tea to Us — and we were taken aback by the fact that the “Italian movie star”-inspired look was actually accessible! The Nanny actress’ flawless skin was prepped with a hydrating primer from Laura Geller Beauty, which you can shop right on Amazon.
Laura Geller Beauty is a makeup line formulated with mature skin in mind, so all of its products complement women of any age. Arlt leaned into the old Hollywood glam trend seen everywhere on the Red Carpet, taking notes from Audrey Hepburn. He began with a fan-favorite, Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer Hydrate, using it to prep the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA) President’s skin. Arlt added that it’s “his go-to primer for Drescher to help blur any pores or fine lines while holding foundation in place to keep skin looking fresh for a long night out.”
We’ve been obsessed with hydrating primers lately due to their ability to make skin look like it has a real-life filter, especially in winter. A cross between skincare and makeup, Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer in Hydrate is infused with hyaluronic acid, glycerin and antioxidants that nourish skin while creating a flawless base for makeup. Many users even say they can skip foundation after using this primer!
Among the thousands of 5-star reviews, one devotee wrote, “Love this stuff,” noting that it’s “great that if I put it on and I’m in a hurry, I don’t even feel the need to put on foundation!”
“This has been a game changer for me and a mainstay in my makeup vanity for the last five or so years now,” a second shopper confirms. “It really does work to smooth out your skin and all your makeup, to set on it instead of settling into your pores.” They add that while “the hydrating version is my go-to,” they also find that the “Diamond is great for a more glowy look,” referring to the luminous version of the Spackle Primer.
Still, while the reviews are no doubt lovely, it’s worth seeing this pick in action — the before-and-after photos will make your jaw drop! And if the goal is to keep makeup in place all day or night, or you’re looking for a refreshing skin-perfecter on days you go makeup-free, scoop up this industry insider pick today.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass quickly glossed over stunning comments made about her Friday night by LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley ... calling her honor out big time. In her first appearance since a long, closed-door meeting after Crowley's comments…
Angelina Jolie and Knox Jolie-Pitt are stepping up.
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Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell in ‘Twisters’Universal Pictures
Let’s talk about sex … or the lack thereof. While the movies are still a way to escape the realities of life, it seems there’s no more fantasizing about what it’d be like to spend the night with an A-lister — unless they’re offering OnlyFans content.
Some of the biggest blockbusters from the past few years have made millions at the box office, but they’re missing one major thing: a steamy sex scene. Miles Teller only felt a rush flying an F-18 as far as 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick is concerned, and Tom Cruise didn’t even sleep with love interest Jennifer Connelly in the movie. Similarly, Twisters had audiences up in arms when it premiered in July because nothing romantic happened between leads Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Not even a smooch — unless you count the deleted kiss that was leaked on X.
Listen, Us is fully on board with a slow burn, but sometimes escapism in the form of two hot people getting it on onscreen is what we want — and need. When did the tides turn? And, more importantly, why does it seem like all the sex is gone? Let’s put the blame on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Of course, we’re kidding because who doesn’t love a good superhero movie? (Chris Evans, we miss you!) But there’s a point to be made about the 34 and counting films in the MCU. Mind you, the film franchise has been going on since 2008, and only one of the flicks features a sex scene (2021’s box office bomb The Eternals). Most of them don’t even have a kiss!
Are we really living in a “puritanical age” of Hollywood, as some have called it? Well, a study published last year by The Economist says yes, stating that sexual content in movies has dropped 40 percent since 2000. Previously, 20 percent of movies had no sex at all, and the same study revealed that number has now gone up to 50 percent. It has been argued, however, that the rare intimate scenes of today are more graphic than they once were — but that’s still up for debate.
Aidan Monaghan/Paramount Pictures
An added layer to this discussion is the actors who have taken a stand. A number of stars have been vocal about their distaste for filming (or choreographing, as some will say) intimate scenes. Henry Cavill, for one, bluntly stated that he’s “not a fan of doing them” in scenes “overused” in film. The younger generation, who favor TikTok over AMC Theaters, seems to agree — OnlyFans anyone?
Overall, it seems more fitting to say that technology is the cause for the recent decline in onscreen lovemaking. The internet age has made sex more accessible for Gen Z, thanks to OnlyFans and streaming services galore. The thrill of going to the movie theater and trying to fake-avert your eyes from an intimate moment between two actors doesn’t seem necessary anymore.
While sex scenes might be what the younger generation prefers to stream on their phones, studios are leaning into what audiences can only truly enjoy in a theater. Watching Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal fight it out in the Colosseum during Gladiator IIon an IMAX screen is never an experience we’ll get at home. Maybe movie theaters should make a permanent shift from intimacy to action movies? Because based on the box office receipts, it seems likely that those are the only kind of hot and sweaty scenes we’ll see on the big screen. We’ll take what we can get.
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Angelina Jolie and Knox Jolie-Pitt are stepping up.
As several Los Angeles wildfires—including the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst—continue to burn throughout the city, the Maria actress and...
