Jackson White & Grace Van Patten Dated Secretly Before Tell Me Lies S1
They kept up the act for “months.”
Tell Me Lies might be Hulu’s steamiest show yet. The series focuses on the complicated (see: hot, but really unhealthy) relationship between Stephen DeMarco (played by Jackson White) and Lucy Albright (played by Grace Van Patten). And although the duo’s on-camera relationship ventures into toxic territory, Van Patten and White’s IRL romance is as strong as ever.
Following lots of speculation and joint red carpet appearances, Van Patten and White confirmed their romance on Aug. 28. And according to Van Patten, the real-life relationship started before anyone thought.
The duo first connected while White was auditioning for the role of Stephen. “We were dating before he got the part. We started seeing each other, and we were like this is probably the worst idea ever, or [it’s] amazing,” she said on a Sept. 10 episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast. White wasn’t officially approved to play Stephen for “months,” so they kept their relationship under wraps.
“We did another chemistry read, and we had to pretend we weren’t dating,” Van Patten added. Apparently, the couple didn’t want their relationship to sway producers’ minds, one way or another.
When the duo initially confirmed their romance in August, they explained how playing out the toxic college romance worked for them. “We had our first fight on camera,” Van Patten quipped in a video posted by ABC News on TikTok. “It was great. We got it out of the way.”
“We get to do whatever we want with each other because there’s so much trust there,” White added. Van Patten agreed, “It’s so much easier to be vulnerable … because we’ve built such a safe, secure bubble.”
White added, “You’re screaming at each other, or manipulating each other at work. And then you go home and there’s nothing left. You get to relax.” Van Patten then compared it to “couples’ therapy.”
The duo’s relationship isn’t exactly a surprise to fans. Back in October 2022, DeuxMoi posted about them engaging in some major PDA. That same month, during an episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, White hinted at his crush on Van Patten, per E! “I have such a crush on her. I hope that happens," he said, when asked about a potential romance between the two of them. “Our lives are built in together. It's crazy, we have so much to do together.”
“She is the f*cking coolest, most grounded, amazing person IRL that you'll ever meet,” he continued. “She was the fearless leader on our show. She's 25 years old and runs a set like she's been doing this for 30 years. She's so consistent and good at this.”
Apparently, White looked up to Van Patten’s acting skills to help him better embody his character, Stephen. “Stephen is so intense, so manipulative, so crazy at times that I had a hard time being that guy,” White said. “Then when they cut, I would have to be myself and that was really hard for me. Grace was so good about compartmentalizing the character and herself and I just tried to follow that. She's the best.” Still, he wouldn’t share their label.
At the time, Van Patten was similarly vague about their relationship status. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on Oct. 25, 2022, she said, “Fans should just leave it up for mystery, keep it fun. Who knows?” She added, “It doesn't bother me at all. It's fun. It's fun like any other discussion about the show. It's engaging and it's hilarious. I love it.”
A few days earlier, on Oct. 22, Van Patten told E! that White was her “IRL” crush. “Yes, biggest crush ever,” she said.
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