#also i've talked about actor eddie before but we need to talk about him more plssplss

[steddielations]

nsfw, actor eddie, hair and makeup artist steve, sub top

The downside of Eddie having a bunch of tattoos is that he has to sit in the makeup trailer longer than anyone else getting them covered, along with his character’s makeup. 

The plus side is he gets more time with Steve. 

They have this game. It started on Eddie’s first day. He was all wired up with nerves because it’s his first time in a lead role on a big production like this.

Every nightmare scenario of how he could screw up was running through his mind. He couldn’t sit still enough for Steve to give him the wavy hair and facial scars that his character has. 

Eddie kept apologizing and Steve was great about it. He asked Eddie about the heart on his arm with “Wayne” across the ribbon and distracted Eddie from over-practicing his lines, busy telling Steve all about his uncle who raised him and where they’re from. 

Eddie killed it on set that day, and pretty much every day since then. He loves acting, he loves fully immersing himself in the story he’s telling. This role is the biggest of his career so far, but it’s not even about that, he loves the character he’s playing, he meshes well with the director and has chemistry with his co-stars.

But Steve is his favorite part of this whole deal.

Eddie ran out of tattoos for their little game of telling Steve the story behind a different one every day. They never ran out of things to talk about though.

But Steve takes his job seriously and he’s good at it. He explained once why he likes doing this. It’s an art, getting the right look for the right character, or the right person, connecting with and taking care of whoever’s in his chair.

He explained it all while he was running his fingers through Eddie’s hair in those perfectly practiced strokes. Steve’s very good at his job, that’s why it feels so nice when he touches Eddie, even if it’s just work, because Steve cares about this. That’s why it’s easy for Eddie to be lulled into bliss when Steve’s fingers are so gentle on his scalp.

And, okay Eddie’s not made of stone, and he has eyes so he has a thing for Steve. A crush, but there’s a line there. This is work. They’re co-workers, despite how many pretty smiles and lingering looks are exchanged. Eddie won’t cross that line.

Until he does. 

It’s an accident. He never would have done it on purpose. 

Steve’s fingers are just so talented. Eddie’s eyes are closed, he was having another fit of nerves earlier so Steve took extra time with his hair. It put Eddie in a space so relaxed that he feels like he’s floating when Steve’s hand twists in his hair with the perfect amount of tension. It feels so intentional. The moan just slips out.

Eddie apologizes like crazy afterward, he feels terrible. Steve is a picture of professionalism, he’s charming and fun but he runs the makeup trailer like it's the navy and he takes his shit seriously and Eddie crossed a line. 

But Steve just shushes him, guides him to sit back in the chair and says it’s alright. 

Eddie blinks in disbelief but Steve just looks at him. 

It’s a look. 

A look that Eddie can’t stop thinking about for the rest of production.

It’s a look he sees again on his last day on set.

Eddie already shook everyone’s hands and said his goodbyes. He's just stopping by his trailer one last time to make sure the assistants got all his stuff cleared out. 

When he opens the door, his stomach flips, finding Steve waiting inside for him.

“You wrapped filming today,” Steve says in place of a greeting. But his smile and the way his arm is languidly stretched over the back of the couch is inviting. 

Something tells Eddie to lock the door before he goes over to sit next to Steve.

His gaze is even more intense up close. Eddie feels Steve’s eyes on him everywhere, like he’s just eating Eddie up. 

“Yeah, I did,” Eddie says, a tad nervous.

He doesn't want to make a move he can’t take back in case he’s wrong about why Steve’s in his trailer looking at him like that. He doesn’t want to be one of those douchebag movie stars that assumes everyone wants him and he has a free pass to hit on the crew. He’s sure Steve’s had enough of that bullshit.

“We don’t work together anymore,” Steve simply states.

“I know, it sucks,” Eddie laughs a bit sad because he really is, “Sorry if it’s weird to say, but I’m gonna miss you.”

Steve’s eyes shift between Eddie’s and then down to his lips, making his heart stutter in his chest.

“No it’s a good thing,” Steve says and Eddie’s brows knit in confusion. “It means I can do this finally.”

Eddie thinks he’s watching his daydreams play out the way Steve starts leaning in. 

It’s only real when Steve’s lips press softly to his.

Just once, so light, long enough for Eddie to catch on that it’s happening, then Steve pulls back before Eddie can reciprocate.

Steve chuckles faintly at the dramatic frown Eddie’s pulling. 

Then Steve’s hand cups Eddie’s cheek, his thumb stroking Eddie’s face as he tells him, “We can stop there and keep it professional and say our goodbyes. Or I can climb on your lap and give you something to remember me by.”

Eddie gulps. Steve’s offer and his silky voice and his perfect touch that Eddie’s already so addicted to is such a heady mix, making it hard to form words. “Yes, climb me— I mean, option B.”

“Yeah, honey, you want that?” God, Eddie always blushed hot when Steve called him that casually in the makeup trailer, now he’s melting hearing Steve say it like this. “Well, go on and take your pants off for me.”

It happens in a syrupy warm blur. Eddie sheds his jeans and underwear like he’s told and he’s rewarded with a gorgeously naked Steve Harrington in his lap. He’s allowed to touch, only after Steve has threaded his fingers through Eddie’s hair more reverently than any time before, like something precious in his hands, and kisses Eddie deep and hard. 

Then Eddie gets to nuzzle the chest hair that’s been driving him crazy peeking out of Steve’s shirt every time he leaned over. Eddie gets to touch Steve’s soft strong thighs, feeling the smatter of hair leading up to his ass that’s been driving Eddie even more insane trying not to stare at. Then he slips his fingers in and moans into Steve’s mouth when he feels the hard bulb of a plug nestled inside Steve.

Steve pulls back from the kiss, smiling and smearing his thumb over the spit on Eddie’s lips. “Yeah, I’m so ready for you, Eddie, baby, you have no idea.”

Eddie’s practically drooling watching Steve take out the plug and get a bottle of lube from between the cushions and a condom, oiling up his hand. When his fist wraps around Eddie’s cock, Eddie helplessly bucks into it, but Steve’s solid thighs pin him down. That makes his mind lust-foggy and his eyes flutter up at Steve, who bites his lip watching Eddie as he lines up to his hole.

“Mm... you know how bad I wanted you?” Steve sounds relieved as he sinks down on Eddie’s cock. “You know how bad I wanted to climb on your lap when you were sitting in my chair. You know how starry-eyed you get when you’re drifting? Just from me touching your hair, so fucking cute.”

Eddie’s just a mess of moans, Steve is so hot and tight around him. It’s too much with all the sweet praise to really comprehend that Steve knew all those times he was getting spacy.

“It’s so easy to put you down.” Steve’s breath comes harder, not letting Eddie move as he starts to roll his hips. “Such an actor, high strung all the time but that’s okay. It’s your passion. That’s sexy. Been dying to hold you down and ride you until you can’t think about anything but me, though.”

Eddie gasps out a groan when Steve tugs sharply on his hair, being right about everything that Eddie’s into so far. It’s no secret that Eddie’s intense, just a different kind of intensity in the bedroom than with his craft. 

Steve seems to get it, seems to know that Eddie needs everything hard and relentless with the way he’s bouncing on Eddie’s dick. He can feel the strength in Steve’s hips, dying to feel them fucking into him too, mouth watering at the sight of his thick cock jumping with all the movement.

“You’d let me tie you down and use you, hm?” Steve asks, drawing Eddie by the hair into a biting kiss that just barely grazes the surface of what Eddie would let Steve do to him. “I know. I’d fuck you up so good if we had time, baby.”

“Steve, holy shit,” Eddie practically sobs, fingers digging into Steve’s ass.

“You close, honey?” 

“Fuck, yeah.” 

Steve suddenly cups his face, just a tad rough and Eddie thought— hoped for one hot moment— that Steve was going to slap him. Just the thought is enough to make him do what he's supposed to, “Can I?” 

“Mh-hm just keep looking at me,” Steve strokes Eddie’s face as he circles his hips and takes Eddie deep. “Wanna see those pretty eyes when you come inside me.”

Eddie does as he’s told, his gaze falling half-shut as he lets go, spilling into the condom like he’s pumping Steve full.

It’s the hottest thing that’s ever happened to him, followed by the second hottest thing when Steve kisses his slack mouth as his warm heavy spurts of come land on Eddie’s belly.

While Eddie’s coming down, he lets Steve shift him onto the couch. He gets some tissues and then pulls Eddie to lie on his chest because of course he would, he’s Steve.

“Was that enough to remember me by when you get all big and famous?” Steve asks after a while, trailing his knuckles down Eddie’s bare arm.

Eddie looks up, seeing the first glimpse of hesitance in all of Steve’s practiced smoothness.

So Eddie leans in and assures him between pecks on his lips that slowly turn to smiles pressing together. “Nope, think we gotta do it again. And again. And again.” 

[buddiebeginz]

If they are keeping Lou around for any part of season 8 the show has to put an end to the cameo nonsense. Some of the Buck/Oliver takes that are starting to make the rounds are next level insane. I saw one scolding Oliver for making Lou do all the promoting of the ship. Another post said the writers needed to up Buck's game because he's not at the level of commitment yet that Tommy is being written (wtf when were these episodes). And yet another post scolding Oliver for promoting Buddie and Buck for continuing to spend time with Eddie.

They are taking these PAID (you paid him to say this shit) videos and making them canon. No part of anything he's saying is canon. Firstly, he wouldn't be allowed to tell them any actual canon facts and secondly Oliver/Buck is the character/actor the show gives a shit about. He's encouraging this nonsense and it's gross. Him promoting himself is fine, it's low-key cringe given the fact the other half of the ship is silent but you do you, babe. Oliver's silence is what's pissing his fans off. Seriously tell me you're new to Captain Starks ways without telling me you're new. He promotes no ship but the Buddie ship, canon or not. These people are here for Lou. When he goes, happy for him to take them with him.

I'm not sure why they keep letting him do those cameos especially after he pissed people off when he said T*mmy being homophobic and racist to Hen and Chim was just teasing. He also talked about people recognizing him in Thailand in the AH interview and did this fake stereotypical asian accent. 🤦‍♀️He really needs a better agent and some media training because they'd for sure tell him to knock that shit off.

I could see the cameos being fun to do a few times when he first came back to the show even to garner excitement about B/T and T*mmy but the fact that he's done so many now and has even raised the price just makes him look desperate for attention. And like you said he gives all these headcanons about T*mmy in his videos that his obsessive fans have taken for absolute fact. We would never hear the end of it if Buddie fandom was paying Ryan for videos like that.

I agree with you that a majority of B/T stans are here first and foremost for T*mmy and Lou not Buck and Oliver. I still can't believe that a lot of them used to be Buddie shippers. I think everyone should be able to ship what they want including multishipping but I don't get how some of them dropped a ship they were seemingly invested in for years for the nothing that is B/T.

That part of fandom also loves to call us delusional and say we're seeing only what we want to see but a lot of times we're just pointing out what's actually happening. Like in the recent episode T*mmy was being a downer to Buck's enthusiasm (which has basically become the norm for them). The camera also paned to Eddie after Buck got his award not T*mmy. Buck chose to run off to Eddie's after work not to T*mmy's. These are things the show is literally showing us not just stuff we're imagining.

It's similar with Oliver. They can come up with all the reasons in the world why he's never promoted B/T through this entire season but it doesn't matter because he still hasn't and likely won't. I've seen them say Oliver doesn't post anything about B/T or Lou to avoid dealing with the hate or to not upset Buddie fans or to protect Lou. The thing is though Oliver has left social media before when he's had issues and could again if he wanted to. He's also been dealing with homophobic comments since Buck came out but he's never shied away from talking about Buck coming out and has even addressed the hate on his insta.

Oliver liked a couple of B/T pieces of art when the story first happened but I think that was more to support the bi Buck storyline and the artists than anything else. Multiple times during this season he's liked Buddie art (including a tattoo which he commented on three times) he's also posted Buddie related and Ryan stuff on his stories. If he wanted to show support to Lou or B/T he could easily post on his stories where people can't comment. B/T stans can think what they want but it's clear Oliver doesn't promote any of that because he's rooting for Buddie harder than anyone. I think he knows B/T isn't going to be around forever and he's trying not to lead people on about it as he's said in the past he hates to do that.

I really hope we can get rid of T*mmy at the end of s7 although knowing Tim he'll probably keep him for added drama until s8. Unfortunately even when B/T ends I expect those fans to do a lot of complaining because they've concocted this whole idea in their head that T*mmy is Buck's endgame soulmate. They even want T*mmy to be added on as main character and get a begins episode. So I fully expect some of them to riot when he inevitably gets the ax. The rest will probably run back to Buddie the minute it becomes canon and try to pretend they never left. Jokes on them though because a lot of Buddie shippers have blocked them for how awful they've been this season especially towards Eddie.

[gigigazelleloves]

Ok now that I've had time to process the first episode and read some post-episode 1 articles, I have some theories about where the storyline is going for each character in season 8a.

Athena

I have a strong feeling that we're going to have a lot of Athena focus this season. I think it's going to contrast the heavy Bobby focus we got last season. I feel like this trial is going to not be just for the 3-parter premier but instead for the entire part of season 8a. We also have the great B plot of Bathena house hunting and seeing in this first episode how they have different tastes, I have a feeling we'll have some lighthearted moments for Bathena this whole season.

Bobby

Bobby is totally going to return as Gerrard might have kicked the bucket or gotten permanently injured. But I also have a feeling we will be seeing more of the "hotshots" actors appearing at Bathena's doorstep because Bobby can't help but adopt strays. I feel like Bobby is also going to feel some guilt about the whole fiasco that happened last season such as leaving the firehouse and also dealing with his house burning down as I feel like those things have still not been emotionally resolved. Overall though hoping that Bobby has a more lighthearted season.

Chim (and Maddie)

I know that everyone is manifesting that Chim and Maddie are going to decide to have another child but I have a feeling that Chim and Maddie might be forced to adopt Mara as I feel like something wonky is going to happen with Henren's trial. However I have a feeling they are not going to be a main focus until season 8b.

Hen (and Karen)

Basically the same thing I said for Chim and Maddie and that this who Mara and Councilwoman Ortiz. I also feel like that storyline will also transfer over into season 8b.

Buck (and Tommy)

Buck and Tommy is where I feel like we'll see the main plot come in for season 8a. From interviews Oliver has stated that Tommy and Buck are in the honeymoon of their new found relationship. But Oliver has stated that there are some uncomfortable truths they're going to have to face. I think from what he said it could be one of three things (realistically). 1. Tommy's racist past, as Chim is Buck's brother-in-law and Buck is going to maybe struggle to wrap his head around Tommy's past actions 2. It's going to be related to Tommy's father who if is anything like Gerrard is going to cause some havoc in the relationship directly or indirectly. I also think there could be a lot of insecurity with Buck feeling like Tommy is hiding things from him in the relationship which has happened before in his past relationships. 3. I think that Buck will have panic that he's doing something wrong and do a full Buck and avoid Tommy until he talks to someone about it (hopefully someone who is apart of the community like Hen or Josh). I feel like this could address the issue of maybe Buck feeling like he's late to the party when it comes to discovering his sexuality. I feel like it can also resolve the issue Buck has had when it comes to his relationship issues. I think overall this arc can show him becoming more comfortable and confident with his sexuality, solve his past relationship issues, and maybe establish him and Tommy as a solid couple.

Eddie (and Christopher)

All in going to say is I think Eddie is either going to find himself inside of a confession room or inside a therapy room. I hope they don't give him a new love interest as that would low key ruin his arc, I just want to see him become more secure with himself. I have my doubts though about him getting Chris back before the end of season 8a, but there is a slim chance it could happen. I just need him to figure himself out before he gets his kid back. I hope we see more Chris though in season 9, cause I doubt we will this season.

Overall I'm excited for all these arcs but honestly I'll be happy if there's just more Bathena 😝

[reasonsmandy]

With love, Eddie Roundtree

Eddie Roundtree x Fem!Reader

✧.* requested by anon — saw you're taking requests for eddie roundtree x reader so i wanted to ask if you could do something inspired by either tear in my heart (twenty one pilots) or lets fall in love for the night (finneas)!! love ur writing btw!!

✧.* you're reading part one, here's the sequel — Dear Eddie Roundtree

✧.* summary — Your life in the acting business has been very stressful, but in one night Eddie makes you forget about it all.

✧.* warnings — Extremely fluffy content, mentions of drinking and drugs.

✧.* word count — 2.2k

✧.* 🎸 — Eddie's masterlist

✧.* mandy's notes — I tried to mix a little bit of the two songs, I don't know if I managed to do something very good. but i hope you like it 🫶🏾

"We'll send Harold to your set more often, the gossip magazines will start planting the idea that you two are together." Your manager said excitedly, he insisted on the idea that you should fake a relationship with actor Harold Schmidt. "I can already see the headlines: Y/N L/N and Harold Schmidt the Hollywood lovebirds"

"That would be the most ridiculous thing I've ever read!" You say rolling your eyes with a glass of water in hand.

"Well, I don't care!" Your manager says, getting a little mad. "You know you need these rumors to boost your name, and you're lucky that Harold agreed to fake this relationship with you."

"I don't need anyone to get my name to boost Adam!" You say irritably. "And besides, no one will believe I have something with this guy, we never talked before!"

"Stop making things more complicated Y/N." He says. "You know it's going to be the best for your career, now rest … tomorrow we have recording early"

He leaves you alone in your apartment, you put your face to the pillow and let out a scream in it. Being an actress was amazing, but there were things that frustrated you a lot in the profession like what you were experiencing now, you had never exchanged a word with this Harold guy and now you had to pretend to be madly in love with him for everyone. Just thinking about it sounded crazy.

Despite all this fake dating mess Adam wanted to shove you down into, you couldn't stop thinking about what happened a few days ago. You received an invitation to attend the party of the band Daisy Jones and the six. It was a really fun night where you finally managed to distract yourself a little and it was also the night you met Eddie Roundtree, one of the nicest people you've come in contact with in such a long time.

Let's say you had gotten along quite well…

You weren't really in the mood to leave your apartment, but you felt that if you stayed another two hours listening to your manager talk about absurd things about how you should fake a scandal for your name to go up you would go crazy. So when Daisy Jones' invitation reached you, you thought: Why not?

Which was exactly why you were now in Billy Dunne's backyard, having a beer and smoking a joint. Nothing very interesting seemed to happen around you and there wasn't anyone very interesting to talk to.

Well, at least the music is good... You thought.

As you traveled in your thoughts and watched the unknown people around you, Eddie Roundtree watched you too, he stared at you trying to remember where he knew you from.

"I'm telling you man, she must have stopped by the studio sometime." Warren says to the bassist.

"I'm sure that's not it, otherwise I wouldn't remember her" Eddie says frustrated.

"Eddie, man!" Warren changed his expression, he looked amazed at something. "Rollerball!!! She was in the Rollerball movie!"

"Holy shit, that was it! I knew I knew her somewhere." Eddie beams, overjoyed that he finally remembered. "I didn't remember she was so beautiful, man…"

"Go talk to her!" The drummer says, pushing his friend towards the actress.

You notice the two best friends laughing and pointing in your direction, not understanding you turn to look behind you but no one was there. You arch your eyebrows hoping they'll notice that you saw them, which takes a few minutes to happen.

The blonde approaches you, with a smile on his face and two beers in his hand. He sits down next to you, handing you the drink.

"I have a challenge for you." he says, catching your attention. "Tell me a song you like and if I get a part of the lyrics right, you spend the night talking to me."

"Look, I didn't even need the challenge, I really would have talked to you without a problem" You say laughing. "But since you offered…"

Eddie Roundtree: I was so lucky that Camila showed me this song *chuckled*

Y/N L/N: He had changed 50% of the words in the song but he seemed like a nice guy, so I pretended he got it right.

"Y/N that's my name" you say while taking a sip of beer "You are?"

"I'm Eddie" he smiles, taking a closer look at your face.

You spent a few hours talking about everything, it was impressive how he managed to talk about any subject you proposed. He really seemed to be interested in what you had to say, something you missed. You told him that since you moved to Los Angeles you haven't been to any of the tourist spots in the area, which he found absurd, and that's why you were in Roundtree's car going through the city streets with no final destination.

"I can't believe we're doing this" you laugh at the situation, probably the beers you had had made you a little happy. "I don't even know you well and I'm in your car going to unknown places."

"Ouch!" He pretends to be offended. "I told you my whole life tonight, what do you mean you don't know me?"

"Oh yes, of course I apologize" You laugh looking deep into his eyes, something inside you wanted to be closer to him.

"Wanna get a swim?" he says, parking the car close to the beach, you could hear the waves from afar.

"That's a terrible idea..." You say getting out of the car, alarmed he gets out too. "I'm in!"

You take off your shoes leaving them near the car, running wildly towards the dark sea. Eddie shakes his head in disbelief, taking his shoes off and chasing after you, or at least trying to.

You wait for him where you could just feel the water on your feet, he approaches holding you by the waist and going with you into the sea. Would it be crazy to feel so connected to someone in one night? You didn't know, and you didn't care! When the icy water came into contact with your body and his body heat kept that feeling more intense, nothing else mattered.

Trying to fix the locks of your hair, you looked at him in disbelief with everything you were experiencing that night, it's been so long since you've felt alive like this, free from any pressure.

"I feel like I've known you since forever, Eddie Roundtree." You whisper, kissing the blonde's lips intensely.

He holds you tighter, as if he wants to remember this moment forever, the fear of forgetting what he was experiencing in the morning was intense. After all, with all that they had both smoked and drunk, it was probably that the passion, that love, would fade from their memories during their rest until tomorrow.

The early morning wind hits your bodies making you shiver with cold. You soon decided it was better to get back in the car and go somewhere else. Eddie didn't care that the car would be wet because of your clothes, nothing else mattered to him, that night was so intense and wonderful that he just wanted to stop time to have you there with him a little more.

And logically, after smoking so much, the munchies hit, so nothing more plausible than changing your destination to the nearest bar. It was hard to find anything open at that hour, but after several turns you finally managed to spot one.

There were just the two of you and one other man who was clearly begging for you two to leave as soon as possible, so he could get to sleep.

"I don't think I'll remember anything tomorrow, my head is already exploding" You say, drinking some of the juice you ordered.

"Is that so?" Eddie asks, stroking your hand across the table.

"Uhum" You mumbled, and he could tell that you were getting tired and needed some sleep. "But don't worry, I promise you that if I forget about you tomorrow I at least fell in love with you tonight."

Your words made him feel butterflies in his stomach, he looked at you with affection and without containing the smile that grew on his face. He didn't want to settle for the idea that he wouldn't see you anymore.

"Did you fall in love with me too Eddie Roundtree?" You say sleepily, slurring your words as you struggle to keep your eyes open.

"I for sure did, Y/N L/N." He says, getting up to pay the bill. A few seconds later he comes back. "Can you tell me where you live? I will drop you off at home."

"No please, I want to spend more time with you." You whisper, closing your eyes with long blinks.

"I promise you will see me again" He says, stroking your hair. "Now tell me pretty girl, where can I drop you off?"

You tell the bassist the address of your apartment, so soon after he takes you to the car trying his best to avoid making you feel the wind with wet clothes, afraid you might catch the flu or something.

As the sun slowly rose, you fell asleep in the passenger seat. Roundtree slowed the car down so as not to wake you up with the potholes in the road leading to your house. Admiring you in the moments when he didn't have to keep his eyes on the road, a smile appears on the blonde's face as he observes how much prettier you look with the sunlight on you.

He wakes you up when he arrives at the scene, you mumble something he doesn't understand and you hide your face in his neck, he feels butterflies in his stomach with the contact and already misses you when he finally has to say goodbye.

"So I think that's it…" Eddie said, holding your hands. "Take care, pretty girl".

"You too baby." You place a peck on the blonde's lips, then hug him for a few seconds. "You better not forget me huh."

"How could I?" He smiles, letting go of your hands. "I'll see you."

"I hope so." you say, walking into your apartment and soon falling asleep on the couch.

…

The sun was already setting and you were ready to spend the rest of the night watching anything on television. When Adam shows up opening your door like he has an emergency going on.

"Adam what the fuck!" You exclaim, trying to calm down from the fright, he came in with a box in his hands and a magazine in the other. "What the hell is going on?"

"Y/N L/N you naughty girl, if you were dating you should just have told me!" He says sitting next to you, handing you the magazine. "Now it makes sense why you rejected my fake dating idea"

The magazine had a picture of you in a bar, an orange juice in front of you. You had the straw between your teeth smiling at the man in front of you. Your hair was wet and your clothes looked soaked too, as did the man in front of you in the photo, Eddie. He was looking at you with a smile, his eyes were closed if you looked fast, but as you knew that smile very well you knew that when he smiles his eyes shrink. The headline read: Y/N L/N and Eddie Roundtree the romance of the Stars.

You quickly open to the indicated page to read what it said.

Sub Rosa

AUGUST 9, 1977

Eddie Roundtree and Y/N L/N! they are the definition of a star couple

No, your eyes are not deceiving you! Last night after one of the parties given by rock star Billy Dunne, our Hollywood star Y/N L/N was seen with the bassist of Daisy Jones and the six: Eddie Roundtree, leaving the party.

The charming bassist was rumored to have been with L/N throughout the event and he was even seen with our favorite actress in a bar a few hours after the party. Although this is the first time we've seen these lovebirds in public together, you must agree that they make a great couple.

Would that be the end of Y/N's single life?

You finish reading in disbelief, bursting out with a hearty laugh at the last sentence.

"They basically called me a spinster!" You say when you're done laughing, taking a breath to compose yourself. "Look, me and Eddie we-"

You are interrupted by Adam again, who hands you the box he had in his hands when he entered. Curious you take it, seeing a note on top that you decide to read later, inside the box there was a cassette tape, a rose and a napkin with a phone number.

You are still confused and decide to read the note.

Hey pretty girl, I hope you're doing well.

As I promised you, through these things I decided to earnestly ask you to let me have more wonderful nights by your side.

On the tape you'll find my attempt to sing that song you told me you loved, the rose is for pure chivalry and the phone number, well... I think that's clear.

I hope to hear your voice soon…

With love, Eddie Roundtree.

...

Hi, I hope you enjoyed it... If you wanted to ask for something my requests are open, and if you want to ask and don't have any ideas check out my prompt list :) xoxo

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[bi-bi-bi-bakugo]

Can we just talk about the quality difference between season 6 finale and season 7 premiere?

Season 6 as a whole was pretty lack luster with poor writing that peaked in the worst way in its finale. I was completely disappointed in the quality of the finale (no fault of the actors, it was a writing issue) it felt rushed, and while a lot of the emergencies in the show are far-fetched, this one felt way too out there. It felt too far-fetched even for 9-1-1. The show known for stupid emergencies that make no sense. Like the meteor girl. Or the car being thrown into the building's like 11th(??) floor.

Season 6 left a bad taste in my mouth and I was worried for season 7. I've seen a lot of shows get worse as time went on, their time having passed and having needed to be ended seasons ago. I was worried that was happening with 9-1-1 but I have new hope after watching the season 7 premiere.

It's new. I could feel that it was different, for obvious reasons. But it wasn't bad. Natalia is fine. I'm happy for that. Not just because of "Buddie" but because Buck deserves someone who will love him just as fiercely as he will love them and Natalia isn't that. She just was obsessed with death and Buck had died so she had like a death fetish or something.

With Chris's issue- at first I hated it. I was worried they were ruining his character, until I thought about it more. They're making him more like Buck, on purpose. The two share similar traumas and not just the tsunami. As Christopher gets older, it makes sense his trauma manifests in more mature ways. He isn't the little 8 year old we met. He is still a kid of course, but he's also slowly becoming a teenager. Once I thought about it, I liked it. I feel like it showcases the importance of Buck in the Diaz family. Even if you don't like romantic Buddie, anyone who watches the show can see how important Buck is to Eddie and Chris. I think Chris's trauma response is meant to be a literary parallel to Buck, how Chris is Buck's too. Even if not biologically but emotionally. I believe this is really important in a story telling point of view.

The Diaz family aside, I really liked this episode. The writing was distinctly better than it was in season 6. It made me excited for this season! I can't wait for season 7. I'm excited instead of dreading it! I can't wait to see what we have in store!

I pretty much loved the entire episode and I didn't feel disappointed by it. There was such a drastic quality change between season 6 finale and the premiere. I re-watched the finale before watching the premiere which just highlighted the quality difference. The writing isn't poor. The emergencies don't feel rushed. The pacing is better and the connections between the characters and the events flows better and makes more sense. I'm not going to lie, I lost trust because of season 6. But I think season 7 is going to build that trust back.

I'm really excited for this season!

[nilletellsstories]

My stance on Buck, Tommy, Buck and Tommy, and Buddie.

This is about to become an essay so... yeah, you've been warned!⚠️

So, I am a big Buddie shipper. I wasn't always, I must admit. I've been keeping a distance if you will from Slash-shipping and voicing my opinion about shipping after some sh*tty bullying from Sterek fanatics for being a big shipper of Stydia. But eventually i started reading Buddie fanfics and i was sold.

Now, with all these new developments with Buck, Tommy, and Eddie, I would now like to give my opinion about it.

Buck

Buck's bi! Or he likes boys too and kissing them! But he's queer! As a bi-curious girl, seeing this happen for him and reading the interviews with Oliver Stark about Buck's sexuality, have solidified something for me and helped me accept that it's okay to not have a label on my sexuality, that it's okay to be fluid and have opinions change, it just has to be YOUR truth. Not another one's truth. So, yeah, I'm bi-curious, not bisexual. That is my truth. If you wanna know more about it and me, my ask and messages are open! I would love to talk!

Tommy

I love him. I love the character. Even from the flashback episodes with Hen, Bobby and Chim. I like the actor a lot from his other works, especially Sgt. Rocker from S.W.A.T., though there, I had to warm up to him, tbh.

But, Tommy. Tommy is good guy. I genuinely believe that. Of course, we don't know much about him, other than he's formerly been apart of the 118, now at the 127, he's someone who likes to help out (when chim called him to help out the 118 with a fire in a neighbourhood and with flying the team out in to a HURRICANE to save Bobby and Athena), and apparently he likes Twilight 😉

I know that we found out in the latest episode that he was also in the army, knows muay thai, but you know that I mean. Bottomline (so far), I love Tommy Kinard!

Buck & Tommy

Buck and Tommy as a pairing is a surprise that i didn't see coming, but a happy and welcoming one. I love this ship. For me, it makes sense. Tommy is the right person for Buck for right now. I hope that they get the rest of the season together, where Tommy can guide, teach, cuddle, show Buck "the ropes" and just be there for him through this new stage in Buck's life. Buck needs that, in my opinion. Buck needs Tommy.

This relationship with Tommy is what I believe to be a part of Buck’s discovery and journey towards Buddie.

The Buddie of It All

For me, Buddie is endgame, no doubt about it.

But, while it's been a long time already, I don't want it to happen RIGHT NOW. Buck only just realised that he likes boys too and kissing them. Eddie is DEFINITELY not there yet.

Which is why, again, I think Tommy is good for Buck now. If they went with Buddie straight away, something would just be not right. It wouldn't make any sense.

Eddie needs to have his own discovery and journey.

In the Future

I hope The Powers That Be make it so that this season (season 7) is about Buck and his discovery and journey, with the season maybe ending with Eddie having his and then season 8 (YAY!! Thank you ABC!) can be his journey, so we end season 8 with Buddie actually happening.

This, for me, should absolutely NOT be rushed. There needs to be a journey for both Buck and Eddie before Buddie happens. Tommy will be a part of Buck’s journey and I actually hope that Eddie will get his own Tommy to help him through his journey.

Yes, it's been 6 seasons already, but neither Buck nor Eddie are ready for Buddie yet, no matter how much us fans are.

If you guys are still here reading, thank you. If you wanna talk about something I've written here or just ramble about other shows, movies, pairings, etc., my asks and messages on here are open!

[usercelestial]

airing out my personal grievances with this show and this storyline here both to just get it and clarify why i'm mad before i get any saying that i'm just mad one of my ships sunk

1) buck is never gonna get a long term love interest that makes sense because the two that do make sense, tommy and eddie, are either not queer or cut from the show. the writing is lazy and they have zero direction for this show or its character's plots.

2) eddie isn't going to be gay, maybe im wrong about this but i've held out hope long enough and i just feel tired waiting and analyzing. he said he was straight this episode for the first time and we know tim was talking directly to the audience. plus ryan guzman has been blasting the hetero gun for a while now in interviews.

3) if they wanted buck and tommy to just be casual, they should have built it to be casual. including him 8x01 is unnecessary now if you were just going to get rid of him, having buck look at tommy when he says "our people is what makes life worth living" or whatever he says doesn't make sense if they weren't going to last, and ultimately bringing tommy back at all past season 7 or really past 7x06. they still could have dated but they needed to make it clear that they are not sticking around outside of tommy getting buck basketball tickets and buck not knowing tommy is gay in 8x06, which doesn't hint at a whole lot when interviews made it clear they still getting to know each other at this point. that doesn't strike me as odd in the moment if "they're relationship is deepening" still. even if you do notice it, you should have established it in previous episodes, instead of introducing two scenes before they break up.

4) the reason buck and tommy broke up is biphobic. im not going to rehash that but yes, telling a bisexual man that he shouldn't fall in love with the first guy he dates because he hasn't "explored other options" is biphobic.

side note: if the issue is that buck still doesn't feel comfortable with his bisexuality, then i think they missed a few chances to have buck make that clear, namely having him react or correct maddie at all when she called him gay. the only scene i can think of where it seems like buck may not feel comfortable if the scene where a girl flirts with buck and tommy tells him it's okay to look but i don't think the point of that scene is communicated effectively if it was supposed to be buck dealing being on a date with a guy but also knowing he's still attracted to women and maybe still not understanding himself fully

5) this fandom is toxic and horrible, b/ddie is the only thing that anyone is allowed to like and every other relationship just exists to bolster and uphold it. im tired of being in a fandom doesn't care about lesbians (which ive run into with a few bucktommys but still) and it feels like no matter how much the actors/actresses get harassed and bullied, no one stands up for them because i dont think tim minear or really even oliver stark wants to double down on telling toxic fans to fuck off

that's mostly it i think. if they didn't want people getting attached, then they shouldn't have included bucktommy scenes where they were unnecessary. most of episode 5 feels like we're building buck and tommy's relationship up so much. i would have been way more okay with this break up if (1) they didn't make it seem like buck was falling in love tommy and vice versa ie. all of episode 5 and buck's conclusion in episode 6 where he decides that he could see a future with tommy and (2) the reason for the break up didn't feel so insidious.

[alvin-draper]

Was looking for a post that said what I was thinking but no such luck so here I am.

Bucktommy break-up: as a writing decision and as a character decision

As a writing decision: it makes perfect sense. Buck's life's been smooth-ish since he got with Tommy and shaking it up by giving him break-up angst and maybe a few ill-advised one night stands again is no bad thing. If you're a buddie truther then you can see this as him spiralling before falling back on Eddie. If you're me then it's just the writers trying to insert some more drama after wrapping up most of the other subplots this season.

As a character decision: Tommy did the deciding here. Was it in character? I think so. We don't know how many serious relationships he's had since Abby but that was at least 5 years ago for him so it's likely he's had a couple. I reckon he's got some baggage. He's clearly trying to protect himself, and Buck actively making a move to further their relationship which has freaked him out into backpedaling way too far. We don't know anything about Tommy's support system, or if he even has one. Is someone gonna give him some good advice, or is he gonna spiral off the back of this? I understand why he made the decision but equally I'm not sure it's entirely justified in character just because there were absolutely no warning signs. It still works, because sometimes there aren't any, so I buy it pretty well.

Buck going to Eddie's after? He's his best friend and honestly the show could do with reinforcing their relationship a bit. I do not think Buddie canon is gonna happen anytime soon if at all, but I do think they need to bring back Buck and Eddie being close friends the way they were doing seasons 2/3/4/5 and bring Chris back into it as well. We better find out that Buck and Chris have been calling this whole time because the other option is they're just drifting apart as Chris gets older, which is entirely plausible but I don't like it so no.

And Chris still not being in this season? I think probably twofold: some angst/not being able to resolve the Kim thing any other way, and a practical decision because the actor's busy with life. He's 18 now I reckon he's just got shit to do. That doesn't seem to be what they're saying in interviews, but honestly I'm not sure they let the Eddie angst hit a low enough point to justify the decision to leave Chris out. He's had his little comeback arc (rip the moustache u will be missed) but I think he could've done with more of a focus on his struggle in the episodes. Hopefully now we get a healing thing where he's determined to better himself to be a better dad for Chris, and he'll work more at reconnecting. And spend time with Buck and help him out and not leave him wayside in all this. Helping Buck could bring Chris and Eddie closer again? Because they both care. I've hit the rambling point of the post where I've said everything I meant to and am just going on a bit.

Where will it go from here: I don't think this is the last we'll see of Tommy this season. I reckon They'll either get back together or part more amicably than that. Maybe not, but honestly Tommy's pretty popular and I think him and Evan worked and it's be a shame to dump him now. I think (hope) we'll get some more buddie friendship scenes over the next couple episodes, and I think we'll get Eddie talking to Tommy. Baseline thoughts but that's where I'm coming from. I do not think we will get canon buddie because I am familiar with this song and dance and also pretty much believe them when Eddie says 'oh sorry im straight' because that checks out to me.

[fromkenari]

i don't watch 911 and you're my only 911 mutual so i'm messaging you something i've noticed through tiktok. i think a lot of bucktommy hate is because they don't care about buck being queer unless it leads to buddie. he can be queer - for buddie. if it's for another relationship, means anything to his character, it's irrelevant. i would not be shocked if they started to say they were queerbaited by buddie if it does not become canon. queerbaited by a queer man's friendship with an assumed straight man!!

It's weird because I wasn't even necessarily into Buck and Tommy for most of the season. I was so happy they finally gave Buck his epiphany, and I didn't care about anything else and was willing to wait and see what happened. I wish we had gotten more. I wanted more before I decided if I liked the relationship.

Then, the homophobic hatred of Tommy became on such a frothy level of magnitude in such a short amount of time that I have not seen since fans of color on OFMDTWT got hate mongered with such an overwhelming swept-up force because they dared to call out a white grown actor for posting something that was blatantly racist?

Like. Yeah, okay. I like Tommy now. Peace out, y'all.

ETA: Man, Lou is out here making me want to eat my words with his social media behavior. I'm still not happy with how people have reacted to Tommy in general, and I think that aspect needs to be talked about, but I definitely do not stan Tommy, and Lou has a long way to go to get my trust back. Just like Ryan did with his Instagram fiasco. And I still, on some level, haven't completely forgiven Ryan because it's not my place to forgive him, and the same goes for Lou. It took me years to come back to enjoying Eddie. Tommy is whatever. We barely know him. However, the absolutely aggressive, violent hate of Tommy, the character, is also unacceptable. This is why I don't get involved in this fandom anymore. There are just so many gross things people do, and I don't have time for it.

[manicpixiedreamcurl]

i dont even like stranger things that much, but eddie has a grip on me like noooo other lmaooooo

he reminders me of a lot of rotties ive met who look like scary dogs, like they dont know their own weight/play rough, but are also the single goofiest dogs you'll ever meet, super dramatic if theyre not getting attention from their favourite people, only rough with people who can handle it but very gentle with those who cant, super protective, eager to please and so so sweet (so yea thats basically eddie)

he reminds me so much of that, like he just wants to be loved for who he is, and openly love someone else without being seen as just a casual one night stand, or an interesting couple dates, or too scary and different to even be approached yknow. i bet he daydreams about commitment ahkshdkjflfj

i think thats why i like your eddie so much cause he's protective of others and knows how to use his image to protect himself, but is also the silliest, sappiest, sweetest person ever and you write that side of him so well!!

i dont know where im going with this qukdhdkgd i just really like how you write eddie!

Thank you!!! Show opinions and rambling about my sweetest goofy feral boy Eddie under the cut 💖💖💖

Stranger Things is a questionable show, that's the truth of it. I think the first season was brilliant and part of the reason I liked season 4 so much was because it got back that sort of scooby doo vibe that was so fun about the first one, that the Hawkins gang were trying to work everything out and getting into hijinks ahaha. But the whole Russia storyline? Simply could have done without it. There was a post going round a while ago that was like st 1 was good because it was about things but now stranger things is just about stranger things and I think that hit the nail on the head.

I think it benefits from interesting characters and very good casting all round. The young people in the show are (or were now?) uniquely good child actors (Gaten, Caleb and Sadie in particular imo). Also think Joe Keery was an inspired choice for Steve. He brought such brilliant vulnerability to Steve, so great to watch the scene of him seeing Nancy and Jonathan through the window and just before Nancy slaps him how sad he looks when he's trying to put on a tough front; 'I was worried about you.' My god. I DIGRESS.

Eddie <333 EDDIE <3333333 I think I've established I could talk about him for a million years. He haunts me. First just the thought of somebody being treated poorly by God knows how many people, and ending up as someone who collects bullied kids and gives them a safe place 'we showed you that high school didn't have to be the worst years of your lives' JESUS FUCK IF ONLY. Would have been nice. Idk if I've mentioned but I'm PRETTY SHY irl so...yeah. Would have been nice.

And THEN I think about the fact he used his last words to make Dustin promise to look after the group...to tell him that he loves him!!! Can't think about it too much but my God. That's so important. That's his priority in that moment. His little group having somebody to look after them fuck I'm crying.

AND that he tells Dustin to never change!!!! This little bullied boy!!! Like Eddie himself was when he was young!!!! AaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhHhhhhhHHhhhhHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

And also he's so sweet to Chrissy. Just like the sweetest. Sees this girl silently screaming for help and puts the effort into making her feel SAFE!!! Giving her a little GIGGLE at HIS EXPENSE. FUCK.

So yes I think you are exactly right. I think he plays up to what people think of him when he knows he's not going to be able to change their mind and he thinks well fuck it hate me more then. I think he could swing a punch if he had to and if he was being hit he'd keep being provocative but I feel it in my BONES that he flirts with straight boys who are bullying him to make them wildly fucking uncomfortable I JUST KNOW IT cause I think he loves pushing buttons.

But yes, the sweetest around people who need it. And desperate to be loved and accepted. I think you're right I think he might have a go at one night stands cause he's a horndog it can't be denied but he thinks about somebody just adoring him and wanting him all the time and doing things for eachother and them not being ashamed of him or wanting him to change him and man...I must stop.

In summary, anon. Agreed. And thank you very much. Thinking about how kind and wonderful a relationship with him would be makes my chest pang. Sweetest goofiest boy, owner of my heart.

[buddiebeginz]

I wanted to bring up something I haven't seen anyone else talk about recently and that's the fact that Oliver and Ryan are two (presumably) straight actors who are playing two characters who will likely come out as queer soon. The reason I bring this up is because in the past I've seen people hate on straight actors who play queer roles. Saying that lgbtq roles should always go to lgbtq actors and that it's not right for straight actors to play those parts. As someone who is bisexual I strongly disagree with this. While I absolutely think we need more queer rep both on an off screen I think roles should always go to whoever is best for the part. I don't want to live in a world where actors are required to disclose their sexuality before they can't even go up for a part. Plus this kind of thinking also gives people on social media motivation to attack actors who haven't disclosed their sexuality (if you know the show Heartstopper you likely know what I'm talking about).

Like I get that a lot of the discourse around this kind of stuff comes from a good place. From people just wanting to make sure that our stories are being told correctly and with care and also wanting to see people who truly understand those stories play those parts. And also to see queer actors get opportunities they often don't get because even our stories get told by straight actors sometimes.

Still as an older millennial I've been watching queer media for years and years. Some of the best lgbtq media I've watched had straight actors playing gay roles. Queer as Folk is one of my all time favs. Most of the cast were straight but the show runners/writers were gay so the stories never felt disingenuous. I also never felt like the cast was just playing a part for a paycheck. They always felt like they were trying to tell these stories with as much care as possible, in fact it feels like they cared about their time on that show in some ways even more than a lot of their other roles.

I can't imagine anyone else playing Buck or Eddie besides Oliver and Ryan. They are what make Buddie so captivating and the biggest reason why we are all so invested. Chemistry like theirs is like lightning in a bottle it doesn't come along on every show and it wouldn't be there if they didn't care about the stories they were telling.

I know that most of the Buddie fandom wouldn't hate on Oliver and Ryan but I just needed to rant about this because I'm sure I'll see people bring this up at some point on twitter when this storyline starts to unfold. I just wish people would realize that an actor doesn't have to live an experience to tell it well that's what the job is. And you can tell when Oliver in particular talks about the show how much it matters to him that he tells Buck's story with authenticity even more so now that Buck is likely to be coming out.

As someone who is bi I can't tell you how important it will be if when that happens. Having a character like Buck who is a little older and fits into a lot of the heteronormative stereotypes come out will be huge and I know Oliver is the best person to tell this story.

Same with Ryan and Eddie. Even more so in some ways because if we do get a coming out story with Eddie we'll get to see an older Latino man figuring out his sexuality and having to deal with all of the cultural and familial pressures than could bring. Queer rep respecially for characters of color isn't something we get a lot of in mainstream media but even less for a character like Eddie and if it happens it will be incredibly important. Ryan has already proved how much he cares when telling Eddie's story especially with things like his ptsd and being a veteran so I know he'll put the same love into a coming out story for Eddie.

[strangertheories]

but joseph quinn’s intention with the scene in the forest was for eddie and chrissy to be flirting. he said in an interview he would like to see them as a couple. the duffers wanted to see them as a couple and regret killing her off so soon, grace van dien wanted them to be a couple too. the music, the lighting all indicate a cute flirty moment. people aren’t just seeing a boy and girl interact and going omg they should date, the show is TRYING to get you to root for them as a couple. their acting was amazing throughout and shouldn’t be discredited like that! and regarding the age issue, all that we know about eddie’s age is that he’s older than dustin. it’s never stated he is older than steve. he could still be 17! it’s also never confirmed he failed two years, in fact he could have just been planning what he wanted to do at the graduation ceremony for two years with his friends, which is why they’ve made a joke. he’s not stupid, he’s actually show to be very intelligent just maybe not applying himself like he should. the tattoos mean nothing because he’s never been supervised by an adult he could have don’t them himself or gotten them done by a tattoo shop that didn’t care he was 17. people need to stop spreading headcanons as canon. all we know for sure from canon is that he’s 17 (according to his uncle). maybe it wasn’t a mistake at all? maybe he’s always been 17. i mean joseph quinn even talked about playing a ‘teenager’. 20-21 is not a teenager!

Sorry for not responding to this ask sooner, I've been super busy lately. But yes, you're probably right. I didn't really view that scene as romantic but that's not because I don't think the acting and directing was good. I mean the chemistry was off the charts. I just didn't feel like that chemistry couldn't be platonic. Not saying it is! I'm also rubbish with tone, even whilst watching TV sometimes, so I could've not picked up on it. The reason I talk about people shipping it because they're a guy and a girl is less about them as a couple but more about how people are willing to accept they like each other after one scene but people shipping a same sex pairing have to spend ages justifying it. I also ship Steddie (not passionately but it's a nice ship) so I'm probably biased against it being romantic anyways.

In terms of the age thing, I'm really not sure. But I always got the vibe from him saying he's going to graduate this year and them saying he's said that for two years before that has me inclined to believe he's repeated his senior year and is around 19, which is still a teenager. Someone was telling me about credits and extra classes meaning that's what he could be talking about which I'm not going to comment on as I have no idea how the American schooling system works. The 17 thing feels like a plot hole (same with them getting Chrissy's birth year wrong). But I still don't think that makes the age gap iffy. I mean he's probably 19-ish and she's 17-ish (the file is a plot hole because she is graduating in 86) which is just not that big of a deal to me. There's also no power imbalance, no maturity gap and they're at the same stage in life. And as you've said, the actors ship it.

Thanks for the ask (:

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

"Eddie Redmayne Transforms (Again)" Vanity Fair (09/12/2022)

"In a wide-ranging sitdown in Toronto, the Oscar winner goes deep on his process, his tensely brilliant turn in The Good Nurse, and changing his priorities going forward"

"Eddie Redmayne came into The Good Nurse, his first non-franchise film since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, knowing that he needed to pull off a tricky role: Charlie Cullen, the real-life serial killer whose reputation as a compassionate nurse belied a sociopathic, murderous habit of killing dozens, maybe hundreds of patients. In Tobias Lindholm’s deliberate Netflix thriller, which costars Jessica Chastain as Charlie’s close colleague-turned-adversary and premiered Sunday night at the Toronto International Film Festival, Redmayne is disarmingly sweet and affecting in his loneliness—and then, in a corker of a final scene, completely frightening.

It’s another transformation for an actor who’s made a habit of them—winning Oscars (The Theory of Everything) and Olivier Awards (Cabaret) for comprehensive inside-out work. Redmayne has balanced these rich kinds of roles, of late, with the Fantastic Beasts franchise, the third film of which was released earlier this year. As he comes off what he describes as a career-best experience in The Good Nurse, with another performance likely to court some awards attention, the 40-year-old actor knows he has some options and has come to a new kind of conclusion for himself. As he tells me in a wide-ranging interview from his Toronto hotel: He’s finished compromising.

Vanity Fair: It’s safe to say you’re associated with relatively heroic roles. Certainly not ones that are this dark. Did The Good Nurse appeal in that way, or feel like going to a darker place than you typically do?

Eddie Redmayne: The truth is, you do a load of work before anyone sees any of the work you've done. So I did all these films for years: I did a film called Savage Grace with Julianne Moore, in which I played a guy called Anthony Bacon who killed his mother. I did a film called Hick that has 5% on Rotten Tomatoes, in which I played a Texan meth addict pedophile.

That's dark.

[Laughs] So I've done all these films, no one's seen them—in some cases, fortunately. But then of course you do a film that you become known for and then that's the world. Without you knowing it, that's the trajectory you get taken on for a while. The truth is I hadn't been looking for something specific—every script, I just react to what is presented in front of me. But I do like the idea that a lot of the characters I played have empathy as something inherent to them. What I found intriguing about Good Nurse is this was someone who seemingly had empathy and then weaponized that empathy in a way that was terrifying.

When I spoke to the real Amy [Loughren, a coworker of Cullen's who acted as an informant to law enforcement, played in the film by Chastain] she said this is two different people—“I only met the murderer Charlie Cullen once.” We’d talk endlessly about his humanity and his kindness and his gentleness and his self-deprecating humor. How he would slag off his own sort of existence. Having someone tell you that—like, the audience should never think, “How did Amy not sense this?”

It's exactly that balance—understanding how she did get so close to him, but also not necessarily sympathizing too much with him, which is a tricky line to walk. Did you think about that?

A lot. That was something Tobias and [screenwriter] Krysty Wilson-Cairns were thinking about at length. We had a month of rehearsal, which was wonderful—Jessica and Tobias and I. You can do that thing that's gotten rarer and rarer, which is just work through a script. Particularly with a character as delicate as Charlie, you need that. It's something I find inherently easier in theater, when you have months of rehearsal and it's the director's vision and you are telling their version of the story. More and more with film, when you come in for a day or you have no rehearsal and you meet the person, basically you've created these things in a vacuum.

So with that time, and I imagine some prep beforehand as well, how did you find your way into Charlie? Once again for you, there’s the physicality, the voice work, the facial expressions.

I love this question! It's the part that I enjoy the most. You had Charles Graeber's book called The Good Nurse, which is encyclopedic—and 70% of it is about Charlie Cullen before you even meet him in this movie. You have his upbringing, you have his damage. You have the fact that he first tried to kill someone, one of his sister's boyfriends, who may or may not have abused him when he was seven years old, and then tried to kill himself when he was seven years old. The fact that he, when he was 15 years old, his mom died. Then he went and joined the Navy and passed all the rigorous psychiatric tests.

It's not documentary and you're never going to get there. Often, other artists' interpretations are quite interesting. With period pieces, I used to go to the National Portrait Gallery to look at paintings or glean anything you can from anywhere. So, Charles Graeber described Charlie as looking like a “question mark.” That was so revelatory to me because it was not only a physical thing, which you can see in all the footage; it's just this blankness that's there. Then Michael Buster, who's a brilliant dialect coach I've worked with for years, he and I worked listening to Charlie's voice, trying to get a little of that sort of New Jersey-specific way of speaking. There are a few phone calls and things that we had that we could reference. Alexandra Reynolds is this amazing dancer that I first worked with on Theory of Everything—she came and I spent a day showing her all the footage I had. She does this brilliant thing of helping with the physical through something emotional: It felt like all of his tension was being held up by the nape of his neck, as if he's being held up.

I imagine you’ve done this kind of intensive work before. What about the discipline, that particular process, did you need to learn along the way? Because obviously it’s very involved.

Yes. When I was cast in Theory of Everything, [director] James Marsh said, “This does slightly live or die in your performance.” I remember having the confidence to go, “Okay, that's terrifying. So if that's the case, I need help. And this is what I need. I need a movement coach, I need a voice coach, and I need to spend four months prepping.” Beforehand I’d never have had the audacity to ask for that. What it's made me realize over the years is that's what I need. I have friends who can go from job to job and they're fucking brilliant in every single one. The ones where I do that, you see my need, unfortunately, for that long runway. What it meant with this one was that I felt like I knew what the building blocks would have to be. One of the things I enjoy about acting is that constant conflict between control and chaos. And that's what I also think Charlie is. He was incredibly control-freaky and precise, mixed with just erupting out into the world. I find in acting, there's an element of that.

With all that work you’re going completely outside of yourself, and you’re known for doing that as an actor. You’ve said the choice to do The Danish Girl, in hindsight, was a mistake. In terms of the notion of any actor can play anything, where do you see that limit now for yourself?

Very good question. The answer is, I don't have an answer for it. Every part that I'm offered at the moment, I take at face value. I wrestle with the decision myself. I hold two separate ideas that I believe should be able to be held in the same conversation, which is that I hate the idea of limiting artists or actors, because that's what we do, while at the same time realizing there are many marginalized communities who have not had a seat at the table in our industry. Until there is a rebalance, these conversations will continue and should continue happening. I can't give you a hard and fast answer because each role, I now sit and look through that prism.

You mentioned valuing the rehearsal time for Good Nurse and finding that increasingly doesn’t happen in movies. I, of course, think of your other 2022 movie. Based on just what you've shared with me so far, it does sound like your kind of process would not be as conducive to the system of studio moviemaking, necessarily.

On the first Fantastic Beasts, I went in with that same process and said, “Look, this is how I like to work,” and [director] David Yates was all for it. And he allowed an openness of process. For example, traditionally on these film sets, the visual effects department is kept well away from the actors. For me to interact with these creatures, I need to know what these artists creating these things are thinking. If we're kept at arm's length, then that's not helpful. David was wonderful. Rather than him going, “Oh, Eddie, the way we're going to do it on set is there's going to be a man with a tennis ball,” he was like, “What do you want? What do you need?” So I think if the creatives behind it are up for keeping that sense of camaraderie, that is possible on big scale films. The problem is time, and everyone’s time, and money.

This was the first time Tobias had made a Hollywood film, and every week he would assemble the Good Nurse cast and the crew, and talk through what had happened in the script that week. Someone on the crew or the cast would give a small gift, a box of chocolates or something, to someone else on the crew that had helped them that week. A costume supervisor giving something to a gaffer. It reminded us of this sense of company. It made us all feel like we were working on something for the same purpose. Now, of course, on the scale of Fantastic Beasts or something like that, you just can't have that. Sometimes you don't meet the rest of the cast until it's the premiere or you don't meet a load of the creatives. And I have missed that.

So is this kind of experience what you want to have now going forward?

Yeah. My experience through The Good Nurse, creatively, and then through Cabaret, which I've just finished in London and was a passion project for years and I helped put together—it was fucking hard work, but I loved every minute. It was going from playing this very introverted character in Charlie to this sort of extroverted, placeless character. Both experiences were very fulfilling creatively. [Pause] It made me not want to compromise.

I did see, at the Zurich Film Festival, you're receiving their version of the lifetime achievement award.

I read the words “lifetime achievement,” which made me go, “Oh, fuck. I knew I was old, but really?” [Laughs] But I'm very grateful.

But it's a huge thing for an actor who is 40 years old.

Stop laughing!

I mean it in a positive way! You’re young!

[Laughs] Yeah, I'm not sure, though, if I have a vast amount of achievement. I’m so excited to go back to that festival because I went with Savage Grace which was another passion project for me and it was one that I fought really hard to get made. I remember going. It was the first film festival I'd ever been to and it was very, very special. So to go back, having not played a serial killer for probably about 15 years, will be interesting.

You’ve brought up that project a few times now—does it feel like a full-circle moment?

I found myself in the press the past couple of days talking about how the Good Nurse book was our bible, going, “I remember…”—like I heard myself say those words before. That was a line I used during Savage Grace because there was an excellent book about that. Then two phenomenal red-headed actresses, Julianne Moore and Jess Chastain. And I do remember the night at the Oscars when Julianne and I both won. I remember the frenzied craziness of that night—you can't really take anything in because there's too much adrenaline—but Julianne was like, “Maybe someone will watch our film now!”

Savage Grace was also a few years before Theory of Everything, so it was before you learned what to ask for, in those kinds of parts, as you said.

And the only time I'd worked close to someone who was playing a real person that was sort of transformative had been Michelle Williams, when we'd done My Week with Marilyn. Michelle had chosen to work I think specifically the way that Marilyn had worked: She had a voice coach, a movement coach. I thought that was interesting. So I'd seen something in the process of being active as an actor rather than just going, “I've got the job and I'll do what I do.” You can actually ask for these things that may feel old-school, but they're worth it.

📸 "Vanity Fair Studio" by Sebastian Kim

[halinski]

how does ryan feel about buddie? i've seen oliver's comments and i saw one video where ryan called them a 'really good bromance' or whatever but is that all he's ever said on it?

Mhhh that's a difficult one. I'm not always fully up to date on the actors, especially since I don't use Twitter, and don't always check Instagram and I don't go out of my way to read interviews. That disclaimer aside, I do know a bit, but anyone can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Ryan has said that Buck is a "brother" to Eddie, a "wingman" and stuff like that so he's trying to sort it into the best bro category.

He did mention once I think that he really appreciates the close friendship between Buck and Eddie bc it's not something we get to see a lot on TV between two men.

In his live though, beside saying they're brothers, he did make a joke in reply to a comment (that was about Abby's return and how someone didn't want Abby back bc Buck has Eddie now), saying something like "bye Abby, you've been replaced by Eddie" and when someone requested "just a kiss" for buddie, he laughed and said "we'll see what Tim writes" in a way that made it seem like he'd be open to it.

So... In conclusion, we don't have much intel from Ryan on Buddie. I personally don't think it's his focus, since he's more about the playing a dad part bc he recently became a dad (and possibly also the ex-soldier thing, which isn't my favorite storyline ugh) so I don't think he necessarily thinks about it a lot? Ryan was in a movie with Tyler Hoechlin once so I've known him since then, and they lived together and all, and back then I was nearly sure Ryan's secretly gay but I really don't care about speculating and real life really doesn't matter.

I've read a post about someone saying maybe only Oliver knows so far that Buddie /could/ be Canon, or well, that Buck is in love with Eddie, that that's why he's acting Buck out that way, and that Ryan just has no clue whatsoever, bc he hasn't been told. Which- is a thing writers/producers do sometimes, withhold bits and pieces of information from certain actors to like make their acting and reactions or genuine or whatever, so that's also an option.

So, Ryan might just be playing the straight ex-soldier guy bc that's what he was told so far. We need to remember that actors in Hollywood and their real lives, they aren't confronted with shipping as much. They don't know fandom like we do, they don't necessarily read the scenes like shippers might. They get a script, they get the orders from the producer, and they get told what kind of image they're supposed to hold up in the business. This all also depends ontbeir agents, management, the show, the network, etc and of course the shows want the audience to be involved, they want all the fans. But, it's still their story, and they might or might not see Canon buddie happening in their universe. The actors have to do their job and play their characters as they are told. They don't have much wiggle room, necessarily. It all depends on how they mesh with the producer (& writers).

So it's all really a calculated game. With the internet and social media like we have today it's harder, bc they can easily make a slip of the tongue, they can make mistakes in the moment, they might be caught off guard or forget or who knows. The truth is it's really hard to tell how Ryan personally feels, how he feels about it as an actor on the show, how he feels about it specifically about acting it out, how he's supposed to feel about when he's talking about it for his fans.

Regardless though, it's just a tiny part of his life. actors have many roles, many characters, and if I daresay, I don't think they tend to get just as invested as some fans (I really don't mean that in a bad way). It's just because we get to take the characters and make them what we want them to be in our minds but actors have to be careful to display the character as they're being paid to portray them.

...sorry for the long reply but I just think we as fans could be a little more thoughtful how we take this stuff. I've fallen into the trap before, trust me, I've gotten overinvested and hurt by what actors say about their characters and about ships. So, I just want us all to remember that sometimes we have to just look at it a little differently before we get swept away!

Thanks for bearing with me, and for the ask!

[strangertheories]

Hello! I've come by here before (asked about the Mandela effect of the Jonathan scene being edited but it actually wasn't, thanks again btw)

I don't have as much to ask as last time and it's not really about the ST content itself (I mean the stuff we watch) but more a question about the recent Twitter poll of the Stranger Things writers on Twitter.

if you aren't on there, here's a link

I voted on lumax (cuz idk, i thought they'd have more to gain and more depth added rather than the other options but to be fair same could be said to the byers brother talk).

Anyway, what I was wondering about was why the boobies scene the second most voted on (at the time of typing this out)?

I wanted to know your thoughts on this because I really wasn't expecting that and my gut reaction was asking why anyone would vote for this over the three other options.

No offense to the people who voted for that scene tho, I just meant that what hellcheer had going for it (I assume) is it being a ship, and I state that being a reason cuz fandoms love ships. The byers brother talk has the very deep emotional connection shown between the two characters there. Lumax has the being a ship as well (and being a super cute and endearing scene). And when I think about the boobies scene I don't see much of it having legs to stand on to be placed in the poll.

(Idk why I'm particularly questioning it tho, maybe it's cuz Steve is there and I'm not as enthused by him as the rest of the viewers are, although Robin is in the scene and she's my fav character lmao)

P.S.

I'm looking at the numbers on the poll again and the distance of each contender isn't very far so this whole ask is kind of unecessary.

P.P.S

Disregard the last P.S., just saw the polls again and now lumax is 29% and boobies scene is now 28% while the byers brother talk is 24%, I'm back to being slightly questioning it again.

P.P.P.S

I realize the poll is ending in 4 hours (at the time of typing this) so I'm sorry if by the time your reply is sent it's kind of irrelevant, I swear I didn't mean for this to be so long!

Yeah, I have the exact same thought. Also why there's no Ronance or early season Byler stuff because I've seen that be requested tons although I'm also in a bit of a bubble online so who knows. Either way, I do not get why people are voting for that scene. Maybe it's their favourite? But like... How will a script add anything to that scene? It's the same with the Steve and Eddie scene; it's the actors' performances that make the scene special, the dialogue is pretty self explanatory.

Whereas the Johnathan and Will scene will make the scene sadder and also give some gay Will proof for the idiots who don't already believe that. And the Lumax scene... I need the Lumax scene. It's such a sweet and retroactively heartbreaking scene and I want to see what was originally planned and what was added by the actors. I know this is hypocritical with my point about how prior scripts added nothing, but Lumax makes me feel angsty. The boobies scene makes me snort but I doubt a script could do that. The Chrissy and Eddie script would be better see than that scene although in my opinion a lot of the flirting in that scene isn't from the text but from Grace van Dien and Joseph Quinn.

I need to go check the final poll I think, but I'm praying for Lumax! And then Johnathan Will next week. Fingers crossed and thanks for the ask (: