College is usually a time of studying (and more studying), parties, friendships, mistakes, and maybe some dramatic romantic entanglements. On Hulu‘s Tell Me Lies, adapted from the (amazing!) book by Carola Lovering, college is when your complicated coming-of-age journey begins, and when your heart gets broken by someone who is horribly wrong for you. And as much as fans love dissecting the dark storylines, they also love that two stars are dating off-camera.
Stephen DeMarco has been manipulating college freshman Lucy Albright with his good looks and haunting charm since the pilot episode… but when the cameras aren’t rolling, the two actors are actually an item! Ever since they first learned that Grace Van Patten and Jackson White are dating IRL, Tell Me Lies fans have been totally fascinated by their romance. X users think Lucy and Stephen’s scenes are even better because of the actors’ real-life feelings.
Fans loved watching Van Patten and White answer questions about each other for Buzzfeed’s Co-Star Test and discussed how sweet the couple is in the Tell Me Lies SubReddit. One fan wrote “Stop I love them!! So cute!” Another wrote, “Their chemistry is SO GOOD.” Another called them “such a charming and lovely couple.”
Most of all, people are pleasantly surprised by how kind White seems when compared to his Tell Me Lies character. While of course actors, well, act, I don’t blame viewers for looking at White and only seeing Stephen. White truly inhabits his dark and intense character, and there are moments when the Hulu drama feels like a documentary since we’ve all fallen for the wrong person at one point or another. In another Reddit post, a fan summed it up: “I love this but also my brain can’t separate Stephen from Jackson White (the actor who plays him) so I’m scared of him lol.”
While Tell Me Lies is the latest in a long list of dramatic shows full of secrets, the series has a uniquely addictive quality because the characters aren’t fully good or fully evil (except for Stephen, that is). I agree with other fans that the feelings between White and Van Patten make each scene between them stronger.
Lucy and Stephen’s meet cute (or meet terrible?) happens at a college party, and they begin sleeping together right away while he continues to date Diana (Alicia Crowder). But White and Van Patten have had a smoother and happier time together than their fictional counterparts (thankfully!). According to People, the stars began their relationship in 2022. In a fun twist of TV fate, White’s mom is none other than Katey Sagal. The Sons of Anarchy and Married… with Children shared that the pair “had such great chemistry” when auditioning that they started seeing each other. It was only in August 2024 that the pair went public, according to E! News.
Although I wish the series had stuck a bit closer to the book, especially when it comes to the depiction of Macy’s (Lily McInerny) sad storyline, Tell Me Lies is an impressive meditation on love, intimacy, and maturity (or immaturity). Like the equally dark Hulu comedy The Bear, I’m with the fans, and I love watching Stephen and Lucy’s IRL love story… while also hoping the characters can finally leave each other alone.
Published: Sep 9, 2024 05:18 pm