Justine Lupe knows the power of agood rom-com. TheNobody Wants This star finds herself returning to You’ve Got Mail,When Harry Met Sally, and Sleepless in Seattle — basically all of the iconic films many of us nostalgia seekers love. Now Lupe, who cites Kate Hudson as the “perfect rom-com queen,” has found herself in a beloved Netflix series that brings back 2000’s romantic chemistry. And it’s reminding fans of those iconic Y2K storylines that still keep us glued to our television screens.
Hopper Stone/Netflix
In the series, Lupe plays Kristen Bell’s on-screen sister, Morgan, and the pair presents a fun, yet deeply loyal and caring dynamic. “I knew about her work, and I knew about her presence in the industry,” the Succession actress, who recently partnered with food brand Nature’s Fynd, exclusively tells Brit + Co of Bell. “She did a really good job of helping me not feel intimidated by that in any way.” In fact, the Frozen star slid into Lupe’s DM’s “very immediately,” asking her to go on a hike right when she got the job.
Lupe further described Bell as “so sparkly,” “really personable,” and an “easy person to feel close to.” The duo even carpooled to the first table read in order to build a “sisterly rapport” — and the bond most certainly came through on-screen. Despite the two characters hosting a successful sex podcast together, Morgan’s viewed as the “loser sibling” compared to Bell’s character, Joanne. Morgan strives to keep situations lightweight while maintaining depth in her relationships — which isn’t an easy feat as an actress.
Adam Rose/Netflix
“The writing was the first place that I went,” Lupe says. “I just loved the core story of Morgan — there’s this love story at the center of it all. But Morgan’s story is that she’s losing her soulmate [Joanne] of a sort.” Lupe explains that she kept the idea of “fighting against being the forgotten one” as her “North Star” in terms of Morgan’s slightly outlandish behavior (like busting out tequila to bond with mean girls during a basketball game, which we think was both totally hilarious and particularly genius).
Of course, the most-talked-about storyline of the first season was Morgan and Sasha’s “will they won’t they” relationship (which the creator, Erin Foster, recently told The Hollywood Reporter they’re going to “pull back” on in season 2). Lupe weighs in, adding that she enjoys playing into the “wired attraction” and boundaries of it all, but is ready to see that storyline wrapped up.
“I'm glad [Foster] went with that choice because to me, there's so much more fun to be gained from an oddball friendship between the two of them than there would be from destroying his marriage,” she says. As far as where Lupe would like to see Morgan go in Season 2, she says she’s putting her faith in the writers. “I’m excited for the surprise of it. I don’t really have an agenda for what I would like. I just want to be around.” She jokes that she felt the same with Succession, in which she played Willa Ferreyra for 32 episodes.
Hopper Stone/Netflix
Since Nobody Wants This season 2 is sure to solidify Adam Brody’s internet boyfriend status even more, we asked Lupe if she had an outright crush on him or his The O.C. character, Seth Cohen. But alas, she told us she’s only seen “maybe five episodes,” adding, “I didn’t ever get on that train. I always knew of him because he, of course, was a hugely popular star, and I thought he was so cute.” Us too.
Lupe was early in her pregnancy while filming Nobody Wants This (and is now currently caring for her newborn). So, naturally, we asked what her go-to set snack was. Lupe usually reached for apples, peanut butter, and, more surprisingly, sardines and hard-boiled eggs. She laughs, “I remember sitting in my chair and being like, ‘I’m so sorry,’ everyone. I was like the worst smelling cast mate ever.”
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actress put her love for interesting food pairings to good use due to her latest partnership with Nature’s Fynd, a fungi-based food brand focused on sustainable protein. “I got really excited by the environmental aspect of [the brand], first and foremost,” she says. “And then it just tastes great, and it has a lot of protein in it, which was also really something that I was interested in as a new mom who needs protein.” You can actually win an LA brunch in February 2025 with Lupe and highly-acclaimed chef, Stephanie Izard, by entering the sweepstakes online before December 31st.
What Our Full Interview With Justine Lupe Here!
While you’re waiting for that sweepstakes win though, we’ll be patiently watching every 2000’s rom-com, rooting for underdog characters like Morgan. That is, at least, until the next season of Nobody Wants This comes out
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We might just be getting into the holiday spirit, but for the Radio City Rockettes, it's been Christmastime since September! In addition to a very enlightening game of This or That, twins Caitlin and Courtney Sullivan gave Brit + Co an inside look at what it's like to be a Rockette — and what they do the rest of the year. Consider this the perfect trivia for your Christmas dinner after you've mastered that Rockette red lip ;).
Here are 12 surprising things about being a Radio City Rockette.
1. Rehearsing for the Christmas season is a full-time job.
MSG Entertainment
Once the holidays roll around, the Radio City Rockette shows might last 90 minutes, but prepping for the season is a full work week. "The rehearsal season itself is six weeks long, six hours a day, six days a week," Courtney says. "So it is a long process and I feel like the rehearsals itself are like a bonding experience for us."
2. The Radio City Rockettes get some serious bonding time.
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"You spend a lot of time with the girls around you and within Radio City, our dressing rooms too," Courteney says of the Rockette rehearsal schedule. "I feel like that's the time when you really get to form those bonds with your sisters and really create magic that can be seen on stage too."
"Yeah, once we move into Radio City, this becomes your family, truly," Caitlin adds. "We spend every day, day in day out together, we spend the holidays together. So you naturally just become very close with everyone."
Each Rockette dresses up her getting-ready station.
MSG Entertainment
"Everybody dresses up their station to make it feel very homey," Caitlin says. "I like lots of like decor and festive lights, candles, all that fun stuff."
The women love to have treats in their dressing rooms!
MSG Entertainment
I'm literally snacking on a chocolate bar as I type this, and I'm not the only one who likes to have sweets on-hand! "I love Christmas cookies," Caitlin says. "We will do something with our dressing room and bring in treats every day. I feel like someone's bringing in something new."
The Radio City Rockettes perform up to 200 shows at Christmas.
MSG Entertainment
"The Rockettes perform up to 200 shows in a season, and the way that each show feels so special and individual, it's just amazing how you never know who's out in the audience seeing the show for the first time," Courtney says. "And the way the ladies in the line put their best foot forward every single time is so inspiring and made me want to give even more."
"It just really amazes me how dedicated and how hard working all the Rockettes are," Caitlin agrees. "And I think we always knew that, but then once you're in it, you have a whole new level of respect for how hard all these women work."
And each Rockette can perform in up to 4 shows a day!
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"I think sometimes people don't realize we can do up to four shows in the day, which is unreal and amazing," Caitlin says. "That might be a surprise to people when they're coming to a show. They might think we just have that one that day, but we actually might have two, three, or four in the day, which is pretty amazing."
But the Rockettes also find time to goof off.
MSG Entertainment
The Rockettes might be known for their precision, but Courtney promises their smiles are real! "We are having so much fun," Courtney says. "It's really just an amazing feeling to be on stage and we find times to laugh and joke around, but really obviously give our all to our craft. And I think people don't realize like we are really having an amazing time on and off stage."
The Radio City Rockettes really support one another.
MSG Entertainment
As you can imagine, a career as a Rockette comes with its challenges, but the ladies on the line always support each other. "I was really proud last year was our first season together and just to complete one full season is such an accomplishment," Courtney says. "I feel like we're ready to take it on again and know like we absolutely can do it. And with the support of everyone around us too, you know, you're going to get through the entire holiday season and you're gonna come out even stronger."
The Radio City Rockettes can work a bunch of jobs during the summer.
MSG Entertainment
The Rockettes have a busy schedule during Christmas — but that doesn't mean they kick up their feet the rest of the year! "Every person on the line has a very diverse background and they go to different job opportunities throughout the year," Courtney says. "People are pulled in different directions when the holiday season is over. The Rockettes do work year-round [with] different opportunities."
"We're always looking to continue to dance and work on our precision," she continues. "The summer though, our favorite thing is to go to the beach. We're from New Jersey and the Jersey shore is like our home. So if we're not dancing, you can definitely find us relaxing on the sand."
The best thing about performing New York City can also be the most challenging.
MSG Entertainment
You know how, when people talk about New York, they say, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere?" That's because it's hard to live here y'all!
"This is just the city that never sleeps," Caitlin says. "There are people everywhere. It's always alive. There's just something magical about New York and I love that. And I think that could come with the biggest challenge as well: the city that never sleeps. You feel like you're going, going, going at all times. But that's pretty exciting to do at our age, living out our dreams. I feel like that will never get old."
"I feel like we have no complaints here!" Courtney adds.
Even as a Radio City Rockette, the work is never done.
MSG Entertainment
"I feel like there's always room for improvement," Courtney says. "Even today, as we're living at our dream, we're continuously working on our technique and our precision and going back to our foundation, I think the work is never done and you can continue to dream and accomplish some of those really major goals."
"Yeah, the work is never done is I think is kind of our motto," Caitlin adds. "Just keep, keep pushing, keep driving and just keep dreaming. And never give up."
The Rockettes are like one big family.
MSG Entertainment
Just like so many of our favorite TV show and movie casts, the Rockettes love to bond! "The Rockettes truly feel like a sisterhood and we are so lucky that we are real sisters on the line together," Caitlin says, adding that to dance "with your sister is everything we always hoped for."
And those connections make a magical experience like New York at Christmas even more magical. "[To] be welcomed with open arms has been such a dream come true for us," Courtney says. "We just love the holiday season and to celebrate it at Radio City, I feel like I can't imagine anything better."
Read 35 Magical Photos Of Christmas In New York To Inspire Wanderlust for even more holiday cheer!
Besides Princess Diana, I never kept up with the Royals until Prince Harry and Meghan Marklebecame one of media's new fixations. It seems like most of the world was shocked when the former bachelor announced he was ready to get married for a number of reasons — but nothing seemed more puzzling to others than learning who he was in love with: Megan Markle.
It didn't take long for inflammatory comments about her to find their way into public articles and online social platforms. There's been disparaging ideology tossed around about her attitude, the fact she's older than Harry, and more. As a black woman who knows she'll never marry into a royal family, I've always wondered what it is about her that makes people bristle. I'm not 100% sure, but I have a few theories about why she's such a hot topic.
6 seriously unfair reasons it feels like people can't stand Meghan Markle
1. She Had A Career In Hollywood Prior To Marrying Prince Harry
Unique Nicole/Getty Images
Before Meghan married Prince Harry, she was an actress in Hollywood. She appeared in episodes of 90210, CSI: Miami, and more notably, Suits. According To Business Insider, she was also one of the "briefcase girls" on Deal or No Deal. However, she didn't mind stepping away from her career once she and Harry got engaged.
While royals are born into their dynasty, Meghan worked to build hers. It almost feels like people have questioned, "How dare this silly American actress think she deserves to marry into the Royal family?" While she's a celebrity to us, they're treating her as less than because she had to earn it. Tell me how that makes sense!
2. Classism & Racism Give Way To Nasty Behavior
Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation
If you're still saying you "don't see color" in 2024 and refuse to understand race does matter, you're perpetuating a narrative that likes to ignore the reality of being considered a minority in the public's eyes. What's interesting is that Meghan is biracial — she's both black and white — and yet she's still subject to off-putting, racial comments about her.
Think about about it like this: British monarchy is incredibly antiquated (and some even think it should be abolished), where one (white) leader acts as a figurehead and inherits power over the whole country just because of the family they were born into. So, when Meghan revealed to Oprah that there were “concerns and conversations" about "how dark" their son's skin would be when he was born — it's both shocking and unfortunately unsurprising. Of course a system rooted in whiteness would seek to perpetuate that same whiteness.
Meghan's Blackness in a culture of white supremacy will always be problematic to those who haven't unlearned racism. And honestly? That's just the tip of the racist, classist iceberg.
3. The Media Treats Meghan Markle Differently Than Kate Middleton
Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
BuzzFeed News actually put together a list of 20 headlines that showed a stark difference in how the media treats them and it had my jaw on the floor. I knew there seemed to be a pattern with how the media likes to look at them, but seeing it in black and white genuinely makes me sick to my stomach. Just look at these articles from Daily Mail and Mirror:
- Prince William & Kate were praised for creating companies in 2014 while Prince Harry & Meghan Markle were accused of trying to "cash in" on their royal titles
- Kate gets brownie points for coordinating with the Queen while Meghan is basically called incompetent for an alleged style faux pas
Let's get one thing straight: Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton are two different women. There's nothing that indicates they're going to 100% mirror each other's actions, but people seem to love using Kate Middleton as an example of why Meghan Markle gets everything wrong. Not only is that unfair to Meghan, it's also tasteless to rope Kate into harmful opinions.
4. Prince Harry Chose To Publicly Protect Her
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
I still don't know why this is such a shock to people considering Prince Harry witnessed how awful the British media was to his mother. You know, Princess Diana? The same woman whose life was cut horribly short as she tried to get away from pesky paparazzi?
When it was apparent the media wasn't going to stop sharing harmful things about his wife, Prince Harry made sure to publicly speak out against it. He was quoted as saying, "I will always protect my family, and now I have a family to protect," and "Part of this job is putting on a brave face but, for me and my wife, there is a lot of stuff that hurts, especially when the majority of it is untrue" (via BBC). Unfortunately, people took it as an "us or her" kind of thing, creating a narrative that Meghan Markle forced Prince Harry to defend her.
I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I always assumed it's common sense for romantic partners to protect each other in situations where unfair treatment happens. I'm nowhere near famous and my fiancé has spoken up several times when someone's done something disrespectful in public. However, I think because people are used to the old guard's 'rules' that Meghan should put on a brave face and deal with it, rather than be the real, raw human that she is.
5. Meghan & Prince Harry Left The Royal Family
Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images
In an unprecedented move, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to leave the royal family in 2020. "After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen," a portion of their official statement read.
According to BBC, the couple didn't talk to anyone prior to making their decision which is believed to have caused an uproar. Yet, another BBC article sheds light on how difficult it was for them to navigate with so much negative attention from the press. Although Meghan knew to expect some pushback, she at least hoped "it would be fair."
6. She & Prince Harry Aren't Afraid To Reframe Their Own Narratives
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala
Still, Meghan and Prince Harry have been doing their best to take control of their own narratives despite the media's blatant attempts to paint them as villainous beings. In 2021, the couple finally opened up about life as royals during an interview with Oprah Winfrey— you know, where the famous "Were you silent, or were you silenced?" question comes from. After that, Meghan and Prince Harry decided to share their own documentary in 2022 to give their own perspectives about their lives with Prince Harry writing his own memoir, Spare, the next year.
Some people felt the couple wasn't doing a good job of escaping the press when they decided to publicly speak up, but it's important to remember two things can be true. The kind of privacy they requested stemmed from the invasive articles, opinions, and paparazzi photos — so it makes sense that they would use that same insatiable press to push their side of the story to the public at large. However, it feels like people assume this is the life Meghan earned by marrying into the royal family — one full of media and criticism and more — and it's upsetting when she actually addresses her perspective, shattering that illusion they've built about celebrity and royalty.
Also, it's not lost on me that one of their neighbors recently enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame by claiming Meghan doesn't provide anything to the Montecito neighborhood they live in (via Page Six). I'm not sure why people feel they're entitled to her time and energy so she can prove she's worthy of their positive opinions, but this feels seeped in "I need a real hobby." Her presence does not exist for your pleasure.
I'm sure someone will see the headline of this article and recommit to their negative feelings about Meghan Markle, but at least there's one less horrific and unfair article about her that exists online.
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If Gilmore Girls andThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel have shown me anything, it's that creator Amy Sherman-Palladino always has an incredible story up her sleeve. Her new show Étoile, which is coming to Prime Video, promises to be a beautiful and sophisticated look at the world of dance, and if the fact that it's from Amy wasn't enough reason to watch it, it's also Prime's first new show to get a two-season order! Here's everything we know about the series.
What is the next Sherman Palladino show?
Writer/Producer/Director Amy Sherman-Palladino, Writer/Producer/Director Daniel Palladino seen at Netflix's Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life premiere.Eric Charbonneau/Netflix
Following our beloved Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dan and Amy Sherman-Palladino's next series is Étoile, which is set at two world-famous ballet companies in New York City and Paris. When both companies run into some trouble, the decide to swap their most talented stars in a last-ditch effort to save themselves.
And based on the first set leaks from New York City, it looks like Étoile will definitely be packing on the drama. This short clip shows Luke Kirby standing outside Lincoln Center in a serious conversation (probably about the fate of his ballet company, TBH).
"Well, guess that plan for early retirement will have to wait," Dan and Amy said in a joint statement (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Instead, we’ve decided to embark on an international journey with an unbelievable group of players and the most talented ballet dancers in the world. We will sleep when we’re dead."
But this isn't the first time ASP has forayed into the world of ballet! Her ABC Family series Bunheads (which premiered on June 11, 2012) follows Michelle (Sutton Foster) who moves to her hometown of Paradise and starts working at her mother-in-law's dance studio The Paradise Dance Academy.
Who will star in the new show?
Photo via WB
The best part is that the role of Michelle's mother-in-law is played by Emily Gilmore herself, Kelly Bishop!
When does Étoile premiere?
We don't have an official release date yet, but considering THR recently revealed the show will finish filming soon, we're hoping to see Étoile in 2025. Just like Gilmore Girls is the ultimate fall rewatch, maybe Étoile will be the ultimate winter rewatch!
Who's in the Étoile cast?
Luke Kirby attends the The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Finale Celebration at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on Mon, May 22, 2023. Todd Williamson/JanuaryImages/Prime Video
So far, we know that Étoile will star Luke Kirby, Gideon Glick, Camille Cottin, Simon Callow, Lou de Laâge, and David Alvarez. Yanic Truesdale, who played our favorite Gilmore Girls concierge Michel, has also joined the series as a recurring character! I'm so excited to see Yanic working with Amy Sherman-Palladino again — it's like a Gilmore Girls reunion!
What does Étoile mean?
Étoile translates to "star," and there are so many different connections here! We have the ballet stars themselves, but you also wish upon a star and reach for the stars when you're working towards a dream. If you ask me, Étoile is the perfect name for this series.
How many episodes does Étoile have?
The first season of Étoile will have eight episodes total, but considering Prime Video ordered two seasons, we'll definitely be getting more episodes.
Are you excited to watch Étoile? Check back here for the latest news on the series, and stay updated on your favorite TV shows and movies on our Facebook!
This post has been updated.