Gracie Abrams and Paul Mescal. Getty Images for BAFTA
After three awards shows, all in Los Angeles, Hollywood’s A-list is heading across the pond. Yes, it’s time for the BAFTAs, the annual ceremony that honors the best in British and international cinema. Presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the BAFTAs are once again taking place at Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre tonight, Feb. 22, but with a new host. This year, Alan Cumming is taking over duties from David Tennant, who hosted the ceremony for the past two years.
A still from Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab.Courtesy BFI London Film Festival
The most challenging of times bring us the best art. Or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves, balancing the struggles of the modern era against the hope that something may come of them. This year’s crop of cinematic awards contenders suggests that our current trying times are inspiring varied, far-reaching responses to the quandaries that face us, yet there are thematic echoes resonating through even the most seemingly discordant films. Those themes felt especially poignant at the BFI London Film Festival, one of the final major festivals leading into the push of awards season. After opening with Rian Johnson’s Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man, a cleverly wrought meditation on faith, the 10-day festival showcased a diverse array of storytelling from around the world. At the heart of almost everything were reflections on two ideas: loss and isolation.
Loss manifested most obviously in films like Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet and Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams—tactile and beautiful stories about grief and how we continue to move through the world after the loss of a child (also explored in The Thing With Feathers). Kaouther Ben Hania’s essential film The Voice of Hind Rajab similarly explores the depth of sadness a young person’s death can manifest, but it acts more like a call to arms than a quiet meditation. Based on real events and using real audio, the docudrama depicts the killing of a six-year-old Palestinian girl at the hands of Israeli forces, confronting the viewer with the reality of the war, ceasefire or not. It is a film about what we have lost, but also what we will continue to lose.
Tom Blyth and David Jonsson in Wasteman. Courtesy BFI London Film Festival
Grief isn’t just for people, as several of this year’s films acknowledge. Father Mother Sister Brother, Sentimental Value, High Wire, & Sons and Anemone grapple with the tenuousness of familial relationships, while The Love That Remains, Is This Thing On? and even Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere face dissipating romances head-on. Some, like Bradley Cooper’s effortlessly charming Is This Thing On?, assert the possibility of reconciliation. Perhaps any relationship is worth another shot. Richard Linklater’s slight but compelling Blue Moon reckons with another type of loss: artistic identity. Ethan Hawke plays songwriter Lorenz Hart, mere months before his death, as he accepts his fate as a failure on the evening his former creative partner Richard Rodgers opens the successful Oklahoma!
Hart’s disconnect from Rodgers, the tragic core of Blue Moon, suggests that we may fear isolation even more than loss. Grief is often ephemeral, easing over time, but a lack of human connection can last a lifetime. Hikari’s thoughtful film Rental Family stars Brendan Fraser as an American living in Tokyo, far removed from both his culture and his prior life. He’s alone, which draws him to a job feigning connection for other isolated people. Pillion, a standout of the festival and filmmaker Harry Lighton’s feature debut, suggests that we can only discover real connection once we are honest about who we are and what we want. The film is aided by Harry Melling’s vulnerable performance as a young British gay man who finds solace in a submissive relationship with the leader of a biker gang. We are less far apart than we think, sexual preferences aside.
Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård in Pillion. Courtesy BFI London Film Festival
Isolation isn’t always solved by the presence of someone else, as examined by Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love, a confronting look at female mental health. As a postpartum woman with bipolar disorder, Jennifer Lawrence is feral and completely at sea, lost even when she’s with her husband and child. She tries to ground herself with sex, alcohol, and even violence, but she’s so disconnected from herself that there is nothing to hold on to. In The Chronology of Water, Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, Imogen Poots embodies real-life writer Lidia Yuknavitch, who also turns to substances and sex as a way of rooting herself in reality. It doesn’t work, but Lidia eventually finds writing as a means of connection and a way to absolve herself of a traumatic past. In Wasteman, another standout of the festival and the feature debut of British filmmaker Cal McManus, inmates share a forced connection but can only move on from their crimes by standing up for themselves. Shared circumstances may not unite us after all, as McManus explores through his lead character, played by rising actor David Jonsson.
Although Palestinian history and identity were prominently and importantly on display during the festival in The Voice of Hind Rajab, Palestine 36 and Hasan in Gaza, this year saw a distinct lack of overtly political films. It’s not a year for war epics or presidential biopics, but instead for more intimate stories that underscore the idea that the personal is political. Despite being united by the internet and social media, we often feel alone in our struggles and experiences. Films remind us of what we share and why we share it, especially in tumultuous times like these. Loss and isolation impact everyone, everywhere, as so many filmmakers and screenwriters are presently exploring. In the spotlight this awards season are human stories about human emotions and human fears, told in charming and sometimes hauntingly unique ways. As the BFI London Film Festival lineup underscored, this is a particularly good year for cinema. Ideally, it will leave behind a record of a specific thematic moment in modern history—one where we know what there is to lose and we’re willing to face it anyway.
Better Tagline: “This new Klondike Bar campaign sucks.”
Not So Brief Plot Synopsis: Every year, a young man from each of the 50 states embarks on the Long Walk. The boys assembled this year include Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), Pete DeVries (David Jonsson), and Art Baker (Tut Nyuot), who form a friendship of sorts, which complicates the fact that there’s only one winner. Any Walker who drops below three miles an hour gets three warnings before their “ticket” is punched. The winner is basically granted a wish, and Garraty has plans for his. “Critical” Analysis: Does dystopian fiction still work if we’re already living in a dystopia?
The alternative timeline The Long Walk is set in is no picnic. Perceived enemies of the state are taken from their homes and given a choice: service in the “Squads” or a bullet to the head. The postwar economy is in shambles, and the resident dictator (The Major, played un-memorably by Mark Hamill) promises to make the country number one again.
I trust none of this is disturbingly familiar.
Stephen King’s original novella was itself a barely veiled metaphor for Vietnam, written in reaction to the televised draft lottery, but the movie — while evidently set in the mirror universe1970s — reflects current events in other ways. Well-meaning people might say, “Society would never tolerate an event like this where young people are needlessly gunned down.” Some of those same people would still vote against regulating firearms even after kids were shot in a school or church.
Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, several of the Hunger Games…es) and screenwriter JT Mollner had to make some choices in adapting Stephen King’s story. They’ve truncated the number of kids from 100 to 50, for one, and removed many of the (meager) references to the wider world (shout out to Orange Julius).
As with most of King’s work, a fair bit gets lost in the translation from page to screen. Much of the novella takes place in Garraty’s head; thoughts of his girlfriend and mom, and loss, and patterns of life and death. It’s not very easy to shoehorn into a movie (or a miniseries, if the latest calamitous attempt to adapt The Stand is any indication).
And in going with fewer Walkers, certain characters are excluded, others merged (“lean Buddha” Stebbins gets Scramm’s pneumonia, for example). What hasn’t changed is DeVries’ role as Garraty’s garrulous companion, though Lawrence clearly didn’t have time for the character’s amateur theology). Jonsson is the high point here, as DeVries modulates the often hysterical Garraty and is given the most compelling backstory.
Hoffman, so disarming in Licorice Pizza, is fine here. But he isn’t a great fit for Garraty, even with the additional motivation Lawrence and Mollner give the character. However, they do delve into what we’ve probably all considered (at least I know I have): being the subjects of our own story. Bad things — tickets getting punched, etc. — happen to other people. The idea of being the principal protagonist has gotten more traction in the age of FPS games and online anonymity, but The Long Walk attempts to bring that unreality a little more immediacy.
The conundrum of how to consistently adapt Stephen King for the screen continues. Lawrence and company have condensed a meditation on mortality and the hopelessness of adolescence into a quest for vengeance.
David Jonsson is beaming with pride as he sits down to talk to The Hollywood Reporter.
It’s late August and the in-demand British actor has come to a local school in rural England to counsel the next generation of film creatives. He’s teamed up with BAFTA and EE for a new initiative, Set the Stage, where 16 teens have been selected to form a crew and produce a short film under the mentorship of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jonsson, 2025’s recipient of BAFTA’s EE Rising Star Award.
“I’m relatively quite shy,” the Rye Lane and Alien: Romulus star says to THR. “I feel like I don’t really have anything of use to say most of the time. But it’s just not true. And I think Set the Stage and their initiative with BAFTA and EE, it’s just so pivotal in getting the opportunities that I got as a kid that really helped me go: ‘Oh man, I can do this.’”
It’s this experience that made it a no-brainer when Jonsson was asked to get involved with Set the Stage. The hand-picked group of 17-year-olds are on site attending a seven-day immersive programme where they were joined by Jonson and Twisters actress Edgar‑Jones. The actors led Q&As and on‑set workshops with the aim of igniting confidence, creativity and collaboration before the teenagers took to set themselves to produce their project Setting Sail.
The movie explores the theme “growing up as a teenager in Britain today” and follows the main character, Hannah, and her younger self, Peanut, on a nostalgic treasure hunt that rekindles memories of her late grandfather. Featuring a cast that includes House of Dragons actress, Carol Ball, Setting Sail will premiere in early 2026 and be made available to watch on EE’s YouTube channel.
David Jonsson talks with young filmmakers about the craft and wider industry for BAFTA and EE’s ‘Set the Stage’.
EE/BAFTA
“I think staying playful is everything,” continues Jonsson, who also leads the forthcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk. “It helps you to just continue to understand what you really enjoy. Life is short, art is long. With art, you want to continue to find what feels right to you, because the truth is you make a handful of them that really, really matter. If you’re too rigid, you’re limiting that.” His biggest advice for the kids: “Remain playful and be passionate. Find craft.”
His mission with Set the Stage is about “actively finding” opportunities for new voices in the film industry. “I’m a working class lad. I got excluded from school several times and I found my way into film in a way that feels like I shouldn’t have,” says Jonsson, “which is partially why I feel grateful to be in these rooms and doing what I’m doing. We can’t expect them to make it to the table, because odds are there’s not enough seats.”
It was advice from his mother, he continues, that motivates his work with aspiring creatives. “There’s something about being vivacious in your belief and holding to it. My mum always used to say, ‘Don’t wait to be told. Go and do it.’ So from both sides, if we can find some form of synergy there, the industry will be way better for it. And I’m all for that. I think Set the Stage is doing that.”
His newly-founded production outfit with producing partner Sophia Gibber, greyarea, is about finding emerging talent and encouraging them to push the boundaries. “We just produced a play up in Edinburgh — [greyarea] is a film company but we had a story that I wrote that felt like it could work on a stage, and I wanted to workshop it and try it and play with it,” he explains. “It doesn’t matter really what discipline you’re in, I think storytelling is storytelling. You can be an actor one day, and then you can be the perfect producer. That’s what making movies is. You mustn’t ever get too set in your ways.”
Daisy Edgar-Jones for EE and BAFTA’s ‘Set the Stage’ initiative.
EE/BAFTA
London-born Jonsson still can’t quite believe he’s a BAFTA Award winner, let alone asked to usher in the next batch of filmmakers. “I grew up watching the BAFTAs,” he says. “My parents [and I would] sit down on Sunday night and we’d get Chinese and watch these glamorous people in dresses [at the BAFTAs]. It’s partially because my dad loved film and partially because my mum just wanted to watch glamorous people be glamorous,” he recalls.
“For me, it was escapism. It was everything that I saw and loved in movies, watching these actors be celebrated for doing what they love… I don’t think there’s any better job. To be where I am now, winning the Rising Star Award — which is really all about the people — and BAFTA championing me in that way, I am humbled.”
Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be another installment in the Alien franchise, “20th Century Studios” goes and releases Alien: Romulus. In fact, it was among the only “blockbusters” of Summer 2024 apart from Twisters and Deadpool & Wolverine (and no, Alien: Romulus still couldn’t even manage to topple the latter movie from its number one spot at the box office—such is the power of Marvel). So, in some sense, Earth was “clamoring” for a movie of this nature…being that Hollywood refuses to make anything new when it comes big-budget fare. Though they were at least “adventurous” enough to tap Fede Álvarez (known for another “quiet” movie: Don’t Breathe) as the director and Cailee Spaeny as the lead, Rain Carradine. The “Ellen Ripley replacement,” if you will.
Unlike Sigourney Weaver stepping right into Ripley’s shoes after a bit part in Annie Hall and the lesser known Madman, Spaeny actually had a few films under her belt before taking on such a weighty role—having already done so with the back-to-back release of Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla and Alex Garland’s Civil War. And yes, she’s been in a blockbuster before, even if it was one that landed with a thud: Pacific Rim Uprising. Later, she took a wrong turn with The Craft: Legacy in 2020 before correcting things with How It Ends the following year. In short, Spaeny has run the gamut of roles before Rain in Alien: Romulus. Which takes place two decades after the destruction the USCSS Nostromo that audiences witnessed in 1979’s Alien. The alpha and the omega of Alien movies. Which is, in part, why Álvarez is so committed to paying homage to it—in addition to remaking Ripley through Rain (another “R” name—and one that Ross Geller famously mocked when Rachel Green suggested it for their baby, replying to her with his imitation of a person with such a name: “Hi my name is Rain. I have my own kiln and my dress is made out of wheat”). Of course, everybody knows that no one can (or will) ever hold a candle to what Weaver did for the part of “leading lady” in Alien, and yet, they can try to present a new-fangled “badass” version of her. Only Rain doesn’t quite come across that way, instead exhibiting the sort of vulnerability and reluctance specific to the current generation. A generation that could never convincingly say, as Ripley does in Aliens, “I can handle myself.”
Rain’s intrinsic fear of, well, everything is revealed from the outset, when her ex-boyfriend, Tyler (Archie Renaux), has to vehemently convince her to join him and the “crew” he’s assembled to enter an abandoned ship with cryostasis chambers that will allow them to defect from the godforsaken planet they’re stuck working on in favor of Yvaga—a planet where the sun actually shines (side note: the planet they’re on has plenty of dystopian Blade Runner flair). The crew consists of Tyler’s sister, Kay (Isabel Merced), his cousin, Bjorn (Spike Fearn) and Bjorn’s adopted sister, Navarro (Aileen Wu). Of course, it isn’t that they really need Rain to come along, so much as her adopted brother, Andy (David Jonsson)—who just so happens to be an android old enough to know how to interface with an abandoned spacecraft that’s of “Andy’s generation.” Or close enough for him to understand it.
Still, Tyler does a good job of sweet-talking her into getting some balls by reminding her that Weyland-Yutani is never going to let her leave no matter how much she works, having just fulfilled her contract only to be told that she’s being sent to the mines now (essentially a death warrant), informed she must remain on the planet to work for another “five to six years” before she can again be given the consideration to leave due to a shortage of workers. Thus, as usual, this installment of Alien continues to serve as an undercutting commentary about the callous exploitation of the working class by their oppressive employers. And while Rain might be “Gen Z enough” to lack the same amount of grit as Ripley in the face of adversity, she’s not Gen Z enough to demand a “flexible work schedule” and a “work-life balance” if she’s to be expected to continue working for Weyland-Yutani.
After all, one of Alien: Romulus’ key goals appears to be to maintain as much of the status quo as it can from the previous films, including pronounced “homages” (even to the less beloved Alien Resurrection, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant). Obviously favoring Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens, what with everyone still thrusting so much undue hate upon David Fincher’s Alien 3—even though it yielded one of the most iconic images from the franchise: a xenomorph up close and personal with Ripley, who turns her face away from its dripping, drooling open maw. In fact, that’s the image Álvarez borrows from for his “nod” to Alien 3—even though, in this case, it doesn’t really work because Rain isn’t pregnant with an alien queen and, thus, there’s no way the alien would take its sweet time about appraising her instead of just snapping her up in its jaws.
Elsewhere, some of the exact same lines from previous Alien movies are used as “callbacks” designed to provide “fan service,” though it often feels a bit too heavy-handed. Take, for example, Rook: the same (or a similar) model as Ash (Ian Holm, regenerated from beyond the grave) saying, “I can’t lie to you about your chances, but you have my sympathies.” Or Andy echoing Bishop’s (Lance Henriksen) aphorism, “I prefer the term artificial person myself.”
Indeed, Andy gets far more venomous discrimination for being a “synthetic” than Bishop ever did—mainly from Bjorn, whose prejudice stems from an android not saving his mother from death in the mines, instructed to help twelve other miners instead by its supervisor, sacrificing the lives of two for the greater good of the dozen. It hardly makes Bjorn’s level of contempt justifiable, with the supervisor being the one to place his rage toward, if anyone.
And, speaking of rage, the perfect opportunity for it to arise (though it never quite does) within Rain comes after another cheesy callback to Aliens, when Tyler teaches her how to use a prototype of the M41A Pulse Rifle the same way Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn) taught Ripley to use an actual M41A Pulse Rifle. The latter reacts with far more titillation and gusto to learning than Rain, who still comes off as an overly cautious, scared little girl about the whole thing. In part, that “little girl” vibe compared to Ripley is likely because Spaeny is twenty-six to Weaver’s thirty-seven (when filming the indelible gun scenes for 1986’s Aliens). Granted, Weaver wasn’t much older than Spaeny in Alien, filming it when she was twenty-nine. Even so, she looks older in her twenties than Spaeny does in hers—in that way that all people who were in their twenties “back then” look older than people do now (chalk it up to “healthier lifestyles.” Though mental health has ostensibly been sacrificed as a trade for physical health…).
What’s more, because of the generational divide between the first two Alien movies and the present Alien: Romulus, it’s inherent that Weaver, a product of the time when the films were made (no matter how far into the future it was intended to be), would come across as, let’s say, more tenacious and less fazed by the proverbial horrors—including the ones specific to a human-killing race of aliens. Her coolness under pressure intermingled with unflinching badassery that also exudes an impenetrable “don’t fuck with me” air is something that no Gen Zer (whether on the “geriatric” side of that age group or not) ever stood a chance at emulating, let alone recreating.
Which is why, ultimately, the hardness of Ripley (even in name alone) can’t be usurped by Rain, a moniker that radiates the kind of hippie-dippy aura the aforementioned Ross Geller was talking about. Some might argue that this is a good thing, that it’s long been time for a heroine with “softness” and delicacy anyway. That women don’t always need to imitate the roughness of men in order for their strength to be taken seriously. Sure, that might be true—but it’s not true for an Alien movie.
The Xenomorph in Alien: Romulus.Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Like the Terminator, Alien is a franchise in which no new installment stands a chance of being the best. The fight here is for third place, behind Ridley Scott’s chilling original and James Cameron’s action-packed sequel. Most of the subsequent efforts have catered to different tastes, leaning more towards cerebral science fiction (Prometheus), bleak character drama (Alien3), or goofy action schlock (Alien vs. Predator). With his first swing at the franchise, Alien: Romulus, director Fede Álvarez makes the daring choice to aim at the dead tonal center between Scott and Cameron’s twin masterpieces. The result is an adrenaline-fueled slasher movie in space that sacrifices the subtlety and creeping dread of the original for more shock, gore and thrilling, fist-pumping violence. It’s a shallower product than either of its inspirations, but it also has its own, distinct energy. It doesn’t totally jettison the franchise’s 45 years of baggage, but when it does, what’s left is a damn good monster movie.
ALIEN: ROMULUS ★★★(3/4 stars) Directed by:Fede Álvarez Written by: Fede Álvarez, Rodo Sayagues Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu Running time: 119 mins.
The setup for Romulus is reminiscent of Álvarez’s own calling card film, 2016’s Don’t Breathe. A group of twentysomethings born into poverty on a corporate-owned mining planet seize on an opportunity to escape their miserable lot. It should be a simple heist—slip aboard a derelict spacecraft, steal the equipment they need to journey to a nicer planet, get out before it crashes. But the vessel isn’t as empty as they’d presumed. There are terrifying monsters onboard intent on either gutting or impregnating them. Will any of these young hard cases live to see their better tomorrow?
Leading this ensemble is Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine, the heist’s most reluctant participant and our obvious Final Girl. Spaeny gives a reliably solid performance, but the real star of the show is David Jonsson as Andy, a glitchy android who she sees as a brother. Andy was programmed to protect her when she was growing up, but now she’s become his caretaker. Their relationship is both charming and discomfiting. Andy adores Rain, but he’s programmed to. He’ll do what’s best for her at every turn, with a smile on his face, but is he also being exploited? It’s an interesting new wrinkle to the Alien franchise’s meditation on artificial intelligence, which has been depicted as either sinister or benign. As Andy, David Jonsson gets to play a little bit of both. The emotional core of Romulus is the way Rain and Andy are each transformed by their nightmare in space, and how it forces them to reevaluate each other.
Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson in Alien: Romulus.Murray Close/Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
This isn’t to say that Alien: Romulus is a predominantly cerebral or even emotional experience. Far from it. After roughly 40 minutes of establishing the characters and setting up potential future calamities, Romulus becomes an unrelenting thrill ride that fulfills every last one of its wicked promises.
Romulus leans harder into being a monster movie than any of its predecessors, and Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues seem committed to using the entire monster. Too many Alien sequels speed through the most viscerally terrifying part of the xenomorph’s bizarre life cycle, the “facehugger” stage represented by a skittering arachnid that latches to a victim’s head, forces its ovipositor down their throats, and implants them with their ultra-violent offspring. Romulus, by contrast, gives these little bastards nearly half the movie, allowing them their own chase and stalking scenes. As in Don’t Breathe, Romulus doesn’t move on to its next threat or premise until the last one is completely exhausted.
Cailee Spaeny in Alien: Romulus.Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Álvarez shows admirable restraint in the introduction of the more famous eight-foot-tall adult xenomorph, treating it as an obscure new threat rather than an iconic character whose action figure stood on your cousin’s windowsill. There is a (hopefully, justified) assumption that this will be many viewers’ first Alien movie, and the effort to wring maximum suspense from the premise is valuable even to a longtime fan. The film does eventually make the typical third-act shift from horror to action, but until then, “scary” is prioritized over “cool.”
Nevertheless. Romulus still indulges in some of the worst impulses of the “requel” or “legacy sequel.” An original Alien cast member is digitally resurrected for a small role, and they look absolutely awful. This is the first new Alien film under Disney’s ownership of the franchise, and it seems as if they simply cannot resist employing this technology at every opportunity, regardless of whether or not it adds any value to the story. There are a few other cringy, incongruous nods to the franchise’s legacy that distract from what is otherwise a fully satisfying and self-contained space slasher.
The past decade has convinced audiences to expect less from Hollywood blockbusters, not just in terms of quality, but from how much of a story is told in each movie. At multiple junctures, Alien: Romulus teases a development that seems like a hook for a sequel or spin-off, but Álvarez doesn’t wait until the inevitable next Alien to play all of his cards. Romulus leaves nothing on the table. It is, for a change, an entire damn movie.
Could this be a portent of the franchise’s future? Might the xenomorph—the perfect movie monster—become less like Michael Myers and more like a zombie or vampire, a terror that can be used to tell a variety of horror stories rather than as a foil to a handful of protagonists or as installments in a dense mythology? This possibility is as exciting as the film itself.
What is a white boy of the month? The term originated on the social media app formerly known as Twitter, as most ubiquitous pillars of stan culture do. The Twitter white boy of the month began as a joke poking fun at the cyclical nature of thirst on the internet. Almost every month, everyone’s feeds would erupt with photos and fancams of a new heartthrob — usually a young, white actor or musician with heartthrob hair — just to be replaced by the newest flavor of the month only weeks later.
Then came the ranking system. Stan communities pitted their white boys against each other, ranking them according to whether they were hot or not. But soon, as the term entered the mainstream, the internet seemed to come to a consensus: these are all our parasocial boyfriends. We should all just get along.
Thus, the internet boyfriend or the white boy of the month has become a fixture of being chronically online. The term has evolved so much that this flavor of the month doesn’t even have to be white. Often, his relevancy doesn’t even last an entire month in our minds. Blame our TikTok-addled brains but these heartthrobs are being cycled through like micro trends.
However, during award season, we are inundated with content from the same fleet of internet boyfriends — keeping them in rotation and lodging their gorgeous faces in the centers of our brain for longer. Don’t mind if I do.
We get red carpet content, heartwarming speeches, interviews, group photos — how can we choose just one white boy of the month under conditions like these? The sight of them keeps us entertained during peak Seasonal Affective Disorder months, and for that, I thank them for their service.
Callum Turner, Austin Butler, and Barry Keoghan at last night’s “Masters of The Air” premiere. Watch the series’ teaser at the link in our bio. #indiewire #fyp #austinbutler #barrykeoghan #callumturner #redcarpet #tvtok #tvtiktok
No matter who gets awarded the most statues by various guilds and academies this season, I just hope all my internet boyfriends have fun.
A Field Guide to Internet Boyfriends
If you’re overwhelmed and hot under the collar, look no further than this field guide to internet boyfriends. As talented as they are beautiful, this year’s slate of award season hotties is serving up more than a few white boys of the month and we’re eating good.
Callum Turner
If you’ve been paying attention to the indie scene, you’ve likely had a crush on actor Callum Turner for a while. This year, Callum Turner — Masters of the Air and The Boys in the Boat under his belt — he’s made it into the mainstream and straight into the running for white boy of the month. It also doesn’t hurt that Callum Turner’s girlfriend is none other than Dua Lipa. I want to be them so bad.
Notable Callum Turner Movies and TV Shows: Masters of the Air, The Boys in the Boat, The Only Living Boy in New York, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Emma
Austin Butler
If you’re an Austin Butler fan, he’s been your white boy of the month since Elvis — maybe even before if you remember him before his voice changed and took on the spirit of Elvis himself. Gorge yourself on Austin Butler photos because he’s been serving alongside Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, and Anya Taylor-Joy on the Dune 2 press tour. And if that’s not enough he’s also promoting Apple TV’s Masters of the Air alongside aforementioned white boy of the month, Callum Turner.
Notable Austin Butler Movies and TV Shows: Elvis, Masters of the Air, Dune: Part Two, Once Upon A Time … in Hollywood, The Bikeriders, The Carrie Diaries
Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet’s personal life has been my Roman Empire lately. Did Timothée Chalamet dump Kylie Jenner? And what about the Selena Gomez and Kylie beef? It’s gag city, and I’m enthralled. But watching Dune 2 reminded me that I’m also enthralled by his work. The boy can act, which is why he’s been a white boy of the month since 2017.
Notable Timothée Chalamet Movies and TV Shows: Wonka, Dune, Dune: Part Two, Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, The French Dispatch, The King, Bones and All, Don’t Look Up, Interstellar, Little Women
Charles Melton
Charles Melton, known for May December (and that May December prosthetic), has truly done the impossible and transcended from Riverdale heartthrob to art house film darling. Though he was snubbed for this year’s Oscar, his career seems to be shooting up and I can’t wait for him to be an enduring award season internet boyfriend for years to come. He’s proven he’s more than just abs and a jawline — but what fantastic abs and what a fantastic jawline.
Notable Charles Melton Movies and TV Shows: Riverdale, May December, The Sun Is Also A Star, Poker Face, American Horror Stories, Bad Boys for Life
Barry Keoghan
Short kings are so up. Barry Keoghan danced into our hearts to the tune of “Murder on the Dancefloor” in Saltburn alongside Jacob Elordi. After already being applauded for his performance in 2022’s Banshees of Inisherin, he’s finally become the leading man and heartthrob he deserved to be. Sabrina girl, I so see the vision.
Notable Barry Keoghan Movies and TV Shows: Saltburn, Banshees of Inisherin, American Animals, Killing of the Sacred Deer, Eternals, Chernobyl, Dunkirk, Masters of the Air, Top Boy, The Green Knight
Archie Madekwe
One of the sleeper stars of Saltburn was Archie Madekwe, who also starred alongside David Harbour and Orlando Bloom in Gran Turismo. I hope we see more of this rising star on our screens for years to come.
Notable Archie Madekwe Movies and TV Shows: Saltburn, Gran Turismo, Midsommar, Beau is Afraid
Jeremy Allen White
All I can say is: Yes, chef. Thanks to those abs, those biceps, and a particularly thirsty Calvin Klein ad, Jeremy Allen White is not going anywhere. Just the other day he was spotted buying heaps of flowers from a farmers market in Los Angeles. Peak internet boyfriend behavior. And after The Iron Claw and The Bear, he’s sweeping up awards and showing what a force he is as an actor. And a short king.
Notable Jeremy Allen White Movies and TV Shows: The Iron Claw, The Bear, Shameless, Fingernails, Fremont, The Birthday Cake, Homecoming
Paul Mescal
Paul Mescal, park running menace of East London (IYKYK), has quickly emerged as one of Ireland’s premier heartthrobs. Thus far, all his roles have made me ugly cry. But he’s preparing for Gladiator 2 so some pure heartthrob fodder is on its way soon. But if you ever see Paul Mescal running, watch out.
Notable Paul Mescal Movies and TV Shows: Aftersun, Normal People, All of Us Strangers, Foe, Carmen, The Lost Daughter
Ayo Edebiri
Okay hear me out. Though she’s neither white nor a boy, Ayo Edebiri has been receiving very white boy of the month flavored attention on social media during award season. She’s the people’s princess but she’s also giving heartthrob, especially whenever she steps out in menswear and proves she’s a menswear god. God bless the Irish.
Notable Ayo Edebiri Movies and TV Shows: Bottoms, The Bear, The Sweet East, Theater Camp, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Abbott Elementary, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
David Jonsson
David Jonsson’s versatility is perhaps why he’s everywhere right now. From reinvigorating the romantic comedy in Rye Lane to taking a turn at Agatha Christie in Murder is Easy, he’s just showing off at this point — especially after being one of the most compelling characters in HBO’s Industry.
Notable David Jonsson Movies and TV Shows: Rye Lane, Murder is Easy, Industry, Alien: Romulus, Deep State
Dominic Sessa
Imagine going from being a random theater kid to being Twitter’s white not of the month. He lived it! Dominic Sessa, Carnegie Mellon grad (or student???), has had a whirlwind year after he was plucked from his high school (Deerfield, the same one attended by former presidents and Connor Kennedy, Taylor Swift’s underage ex) theater department to star in this indie masterpiece alongside Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Good for him and theater kids everywhere.
Notable Dominic Sessa Movies and TV Shows: The Holdovers
Murder is Easy is a must-watch thriller this Christmas – it wouldn’t be the festive season without an Agatha Christie whodunnit – and the cast list is exquisite!
The story sees Luke Fitzwilliam heading to London when he happens across Miss Pinkerton, a woman who suspects a serial killer is operating in her home of Wychwood. She thinks she’s next on the list – and she’s not wrong!
When Miss Pinkerton is found dead, Fitzwilliam realises her suspicions were true. Now he must travel to the sleepy village of Wychwood to stop the murderer striking again.
Sounds intriguing, right? Here are all the faces to look out for in the Murder is Easy cast.
David Jonsson as Luke Fitzwilliam in Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
David Jonsson is Luke Fitzwilliam
British actor David Jonsson plays Luke Fitzwilliam, a Nigerian immigrant whose journey to London is interrupted by Miss Pinkerton. When she’s found dead, Fitzwilliam rushes to Wychwood to try to catch the killer.
To telly fans, David’s best known for his role as Gus Sackey in BBC Two drama Industry (2020 – present). Gus is a privileged young Oxford graduate starting work at London investment bank Pierpoint & Co. It’s a role that could not be more different to him – a shy young man who grew up in London’s docklands and was expelled from school. “I’m quite tame – a bit vanilla,” David told GQ. “I had to get advice from people on set about how to snort a line authentically.”
He also played MI6 agent Isaac Turner in season two of British spy thriller Deep State (2019).
Other roles include the lead in 2023 Hulu film Rye Lane, for which he received a British Independent Film Award nomination. He also had a small role in Endeavour in 2018.
David’s also had an impressive theatre career since he graduated from London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2016. He made his West End debut in Mary Stuart in 2017, and later that year starred in Don Juan in Soho alongside David Tennant. In 2021, he won Best Actor at the Black British Theatre Awards for his role in and breathe… at the Almeida Theatre.
2022 saw David make Evening Standard list of Londoners to watch and receive an honorary mention from British GQ’s Men of the Year. Meanwhile in 2023, he was named a Tatler Bright Young Thing as well as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow. So many prominent publishers can’t be wrong – David is definitely one to watch!
Morfydd Clark as Bridget in Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Morfydd Clark is Bridget Conway
Welsh actress Morfydd Clark plays Bridget Conway, a social climber with a penchant for reading people. Her skill makes her the perfect fit to be Fitzwilliam’s crime-solving partner.
Fantasy fans will recognise Morfydd Clark for her starring role in Amazon Prime Video epic Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022). Sporting a long blonde wig and pointy elf ears, she played Galadriel – a role made famous by Cate Blanchett in the Peter Jackson trilogy films. Morfydd’s Galadriel was younger, more impulsive, and maybe the reason the plot of Lord of the Rings had to happen at all. She’s confirmed to return in the second series, which is slated for premiere in 2024.
The 33-year-old’s other TV roles include Mina in Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat‘s 2020 recreation of Dracula. She also appeared as Sister Clara in season one of His Dark Materials in 2019.
Morfydd’s film work includes a BAFTA-nominated turn in psychological horror Saint Maud (2019). She also starred in The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019), The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), Interlude in Prague (2017) and Love & Friendship (2016).
This year Morfydd appeared in rural horror Starve Acre, playing Juliette.
Penelope Wilton as Miss Pinkerton with David Jonsson as Luke Fitzwilliam in Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Penelope Wilton is Miss Pinkerton
Dame Penelope Wilton DBE portrays Miss Pinkerton, an elderly resident of Wychwood who does not believe recent local deaths were accidents. Rushing to Scotland Yard to report her suspicions, she comes across Luke Fitzwilliam.
Penelope, 77, is a huge name in acting across theatre, film, and TV. So much so that she was elevated to Dame for services to acting in Queen Elizabeth II‘s 2016 birthday honours. For her work in theatre, she’s won two Critics’ Circle awards, an Evening Standard award and – the big one – an Olivier. She’s had six Olivier Best Actress nods in total.
Most recently, she portrayed Anne, a wise old lady on a graveyard bench who offers advice to Ricky Gervais‘ Tony in the Netflix drama After Life. The show ran from 2019 to 2022, with Anne’s scenes being praised for some of the show’s most powerful.
Penelope also played Isobel Crawley in Downton Abbey (2010-2015), the mother of heir to the estate Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens). Their arrival at Downton prompted the events of the drama. Penelope appeared in all six seasons of the drama, as well as two films.
A short but important TV role was that of Harriet Jones in Doctor Who. Penelope was introduced as the MP Harriet in 2005 during Russell T Davies‘ tenure, before progressing to uncompromising Prime Minister. Harriet later sacrificed herself for the good of humanity in 2008.
Other TV roles include Five Days (2007), Bob & Rose (2001), The Borrowers and The Return of the Borrowers (1992-1993), Jackanory (1984-1991), Ever Decreasing Circles (1984-1989) and The Norman Conquests (1977).
Her film roles include this year’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Operation Mincemeat (2021), The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011 – and the Second Best in 2015), Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Calendar Girls (2003).
Sinéad Matthews as Honoria Wayneflete in Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Sinéad Matthews is Honoria Waynflete
Coventry-born actress Sinéad Matthews plays Honoria Waynflete, a pillar of the local community. She’s someone everyone in the area comes to for advice, which she’s happy to dish out.
Most recently, Sinéad played one of the lead roles, Paula, in Lucy Beaumont sitcom Hullraisers (2022-present). Her TV credits also include Midsomer Murders in 2001, and the role of Marcia Williams – PM Harold Wilson’s aide – in The Crown (2019).
Earlier TV roles include Chewing Gum (2017), Toast of London (2015), Inside No. 9 (2015), The Smoke (2014), Way to Go (2013) and Black Mirror (2013).
On top of that, she starred in the BBC Three comedy Ideal between 2005-2011. She portrayed Jenny, the dimwitted girlfriend of Johnny Vegas‘ Moz.
Her film roles include He Knew He Was Right (2004), Vera Drake (2004), Pride & Prejudice (2005), Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010), The Smoke (2014) and Jellyfish (2018).
Tom Riley as Lord Whitfield in BBC One’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Tom Riley is Lord Whitfield
English actor Tom Riley plays Lord Whitfield, the richest man in Wychwood. As new money, he very much enjoys his wealth, believing he’s entirely deserving of it all.
Most recently, Tom, 42, starred in the Joss Whedon sci-fi The Nevers (2021-2023), which was quickly cancelled. He also starred in Netflix‘s The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window (2022).
Other roles include ITV drama Dark Heart (2016), in which Tom played the main role of DI Will Wagstaffe. He also played Leonardo Da Vinci in Da Vinci’s Demons for three seasons (2013-2015), winning a Welsh BAFTA. And he starred alongside James Nesbitt and Sarah Parish in medical drama Monroe (2011-2012).
Tom’s no stranger to Agatha Christie adaptations, either, appearing in Poirot (2008) and Marple (2007).
Elsewhere in 2023, he played Keith in the courtroom drama The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
Douglas Henshall as Major Horton in BBC One’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Douglas Henshall is Major Horton
Scottish actor Douglas Henshall plays Major Horton, a welcoming local who invites Fitzwilliam to a proper pub.
Douglas, 58, is another big name in TV. He’s recently best known as DI Jimmy Pérez, the face of BBC One’s BAFTA-winning crime drama Shetland (2013-2022). After 10 years in the role, Douglas handed the mantle over to Ashley Jensen in 2023.
Before he was Jimmy Pérez, he was Professor Nick Cutler in ITV sci-fi Primeval (2007-2009). The series received critical acclaim and became a cult hit.
His earliest big role was Lipstick on Your Collar (1993), alongside Ewan McGregor. He later played a psychologist in Glaswegian drama Psychos (1999). He was Levin in Anna Karenina in 2000, D.I. John Tolin in Collision (2009) and Taran MacQuarrie in Outlander (2015). Two miniseries, Black Work (2015) and In Plain Sight (2016) followed.
Film roles include Angels and Insects (1995), Orphans (1998), Lawless Heart (2001), Silent Cry (2002), French Film (2008), Dorian Gray (2009), The Eagle (2011) and Iona (2016).
Earlier this year, he appeared in Who Is Erin Carter?.
Mark Bonnar as Rev Humbleby (left) and Mathew Baynton as Dr Thomas (right) in BBC One’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Mathew Baynton is Dr Thomas
English actor Mathew Baynton plays Dr Thomas, a man of status in the Wychwood community. He does not enjoy Fitzwilliam shaking up the village status quo.
Mathew, 43, has a wonderfully quirky CV – excelling in writing, comedy and music as well as acting. He wrote and performed in five seasons of CBBC series Horrible Histories (2009-2013). Along with other members of the Horrible Histories cast, he formed the Them There comedy troupe. The troupe created and starred in Sky One sitcom Yonderland (2013-2016), plus the BBC’s Bill (2015). Their most recent creation is the BBC’s Ghosts (2019-2023).
Other prominent TV roles include Deano in Gavin and Stacey (2008-2009), Chris in Spy (2011-2012), Simon in Peep Show (2010-2012), Sam in The Wrong Mans (2013-2014), twins Jamie and Ariel in You, Me and the Apocalypse (2015), and William in Quacks (2017).
Mark Bonnar as Rev Humbleby (left) and Douglas Henshall as Major Horton (right) in BBC One’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Mark Bonnar is Reverend Humbleby
Scottish actor Mark Bonnar plays Reverend Humbleby, the local vicar. He’s concerned about the direction Lord Whitby is taking the village in.
Mark, 55, is yet another actor you’ll very much recognise from somewhere. First playing Bruno Jenkins in Casualty (2005-2006), he later landed a recurring role on The Bill in 2007. The BBC crime drama Paradox (2009) followed, alongside future Murder is Easy co-star Tamzin Outhwaite.
Another future Murder is Easy castmate, Douglas Henshall, was his co-star when he joined Shetland in 2013. He played Duncan Hunter until 2022, when both he and Douglas left the show.
He appeared in Line of Duty‘s second season (2014) as DCC Mike Dryden. Roles in Grantchester (2014), Midsomer Murders (2015), Vera (2015), Home Fires (2015), Jeckyll and Hyde (2015), Undercover (2016) and New Blood (2016) followed.
2017 saw Mark play major roles in BBC miniseries Apple Tree Yard and the second season of ITV’s Unforgotten. He began starring in Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe, a role he continued until 2019 when the show ended. He also starred in the revival of Porridge to mark the BBC’s Landmark Sitcom Season.
Next he starred in robot drama Humans (2018), then Summer of Rockets (2019) and Defending the Guilty (2019). He also played one of two brothers involved in a hit-and-run in Guilt (2019-2023).
Tamzin Outhwaite as Mrs Pierce (centre) in BBC One’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Tamzin Outhwaite is Mrs Pierce
English actress Tamzin Outhwaite plays Mrs Pierce, a nosy housekeeper who knows everyone’s business. She’s a working-class woman of the people who tells it like it is.
Tamzin, 53, first became a household name for her portrayal of Mel Owen in EastEnders in 1998. During her time on the show, Mel married Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and Steve Owen (Martin Kemp). She was also kidnapped by ex-lover Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass). Her first run on the soap continued until 2006, before she returned again in early 2018. This time around, Mel was involved in a shoot-out and later died in a vehicle accident in 2019.
She also appeared in BBC One drama Red Cap (2003-2004), as well as in Hustle (2004).
Following her first stint on EastEnders, she starred in ITV’s The Fixer (2008). Next she appeared alongside future Murder is Easy co-star Mark Bonnar in Paradox (2009).
In 2013, she took over the lead role in New Tricks, portraying Detective Chief Inspector Sasha Miller. She played the role for two seasons before the show was ultimately cancelled.
She appeared in menopause drama Dun Breedin’ (2020), alongside Julie Graham and Tracy-Ann Oberman. BBC One drama Ridley Road followed in 2021, as well as a role in The Tower‘s second season in 2023.
She also came fourth in ITV’s first season of The Masked Dancer in 2021, where she performed as ‘Scarecrow’.
Who else is in the Murder is Easy cast?
Pakistani actress Nimra Bucha plays Mrs Humbleby, the wife of Reverend Humbleby. Nimra has played plenty of roles in Pakistani film and television, including Manto (2015) and Churails (2020). Here, she’s best known for her performance as mum Najma in the Disney+ superhero show Miss Marvel (2022).
Nimra Bucha as Mrs Humbleby (left) and David Jonsson as Luke Fitzwilliam (right) in BBC One’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Phoebe Licorish plays Rose Humbleby, the daughter of Reverend and Mrs Humbleby. Phoebe is a recent graduate of Manchester School of Theatre, and makes her TV debut in Murder is Easy.
Jon Pointing plays Rivers. Jon played Charlie in Pls Like (2017-2021), Jason in Plebs (2018-2019) and Danny in Big Boys (2022).
Kathryn Howden is Mrs Carter, a friend of Mrs Pierce. Kathryn is best known for her role on Scottish soap River City, in which she’s played Maggie McLean since 2017.
Demmy Ladipo as Jimmy Amaike and Ngozi Ude as Gloria Obianyo in BBC One’s Murder is Easy (Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Mark Mainz)
Demmy Ladipo is Jimmy Amaike. Demmy’s played roles in 2023 Daniel Kaluuya film The Kitchen, as well as BBC Three comedy Dreaming Whilst Black (2023). He also starred as Wasim in 2021’s We Are Lady Parts.
Finally, Gloria Obianyo is Ngozi Ude. Ngozi’s appeared in 2021’s Dune and 2018’s High Life.
Murder is Easy premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from December 27 at 9pm.
