Milly Alcock has sparked debate after offering an uncertain response when asked about the sexuality of her “Supergirl” character, suggesting Kara Zor-El may operate outside traditional romantic labels.

The actress’s comments divided fans online, while also adding to wider discussion around her casting in the upcoming DC Studios film.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and co-starring Jason Momoa and David Corenswet, the Milly Alcock-led project has already generated mixed reactions ahead of release.

Alcock recently raised eyebrows after giving a candid and somewhat uncertain response when asked whether her “Supergirl” character is queer.

The Australian actress, who plays Kara Zor-El in the upcoming DC Studios film, was questioned during promo interviews about the character’s sexuality.

She noted that the story does not center on a male romance or traditional love arc, adding that she herself wasn’t sure how to define it.

“I don’t know,” she said repeatedly, before suggesting the character “probably goes both ways.”

Alcock went on to explain that “Supergirl” exists outside conventional expectations of femininity or relationships, which she believes is part of what makes the role appealing to some LGBTQ+ fans.

In another interview, she echoed that interpretation, saying she personally viewed the character as someone who would “do what she wants” in that regard.

Her comments quickly sparked debate online. Some fans criticized her wording and questioned the framing of the character, while others defended her response as open-ended and appropriate given the film’s focus.

“Kara is straight, she’s in love with Jimmy Olsen in every iteration lol,” a fan of the comic book character noted.

However, another person argued, “DC doesn’t really lean into it like other characters, but I think it’s been implied a few times in the comics that she’s bisexual.”

One critic stated, “Pathetic what films are nowadays, back in the day, characters’ [sexuality] was not even talked about or mentioned.”

Defending the actress’s comments, a fan wrote, “Why are we talking about sexuality when the movie is about loss and trauma and finding a place to call home? The interviewer is actually so weird for asking that.”

A separate group of commenters said they were unconcerned with the character’s sexuality altogether.

Alcock’s remarks come amid fears over the movie’s box office performance after its release due to weak tracking data.

Former ‘Superman’ Actor Took Aim At The ‘Supergirl’ Star With A Viral Meme As Casting Controversy Continues

Alcock’s remarks also come amid wider online debate surrounding her casting as “Supergirl” in the upcoming DC Studios reboot.

The film, directed by Craig Gillespie, features Jason Momoa alongside Alcock, with David Corenswet set to appear as Superman. The supporting cast includes Eve Ridley, Emily Beecham, and Matthias Schoenaerts.

Tension also briefly escalated after former “Lois & Clark” Superman actor Dean Cain drew backlash online for reacting to a meme that compared Alcock’s appearance to Cha-Ka, a character from the 1970s series “Land of the Lost.”

The post, which included a laughing reaction, quickly circulated on social media and prompted criticism from fans, some of whom accused Cain of undermining his legacy.

“What a fantastic way to kill your legacy. And what a glorious way to lose the respect of millions of kids that looked up to you three decades ago. What a disgrace,” one fan wrote.

Cain later clarified that he never directly called Alcock ugly, though he largely brushed off the controversy.

Milly Alcock Shrugs Off Online Criticism While Admitting Fear Over Global Fame

Alcock has also addressed criticism surrounding her casting, saying she is largely unbothered by negative comments online, particularly those coming from anonymous or troll accounts.

She noted that many critics appear to be “burner accounts, or someone’s name and then ‘Dad of four, Christian,” and said she does not place much weight on that kind of feedback.

Alcock added that she is comfortable with the reaction if it means “p-ssing the right kind of people off.”

Separately, the actress has spoken about the pressure that comes with fame ahead of her superhero debut.

Advertisement

In an interview with SFX Magazine, Alcock admitted she feels overwhelmed by the prospect of increased public attention, saying she is not ready to be “idolized” on a global scale.

She described the idea as intimidating, explaining, “I think it’s because I know all of me. You guys only know a certain part, and that’s a frightening thing, to be met with that.”

Early Reactions To ‘Supergirl’ Praise Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa But Call Film A ‘Mixed Bag’

Meanwhile, early reactions to “Supergirl” have begun circulating online ahead of its June 26 theatrical release, with critics offering mixed but largely enthusiastic impressions of the DC Studios film.

Chris Killian of ComicBook.com described the film as a blend of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “True Grit,” and “Mad Max,” calling it a “grimy, funny, yet surprisingly somber space adventure.”

He praised Alcock’s performance, particularly during moments tied to the character’s tragic backstory, and said Momoa appears to be “having the fraggin’ time of his life” as Lobo.

Advertisement

Killian also highlighted the film’s practical effects and described Corenswet’s Superman as “peak casting,” noting that his scenes bring a strong sense of charm.

Film critic Tessa Smith described the movie as somewhat uneven, calling it a “mixed bag.” While she praised both Momoa and Alcock for their standout performances, she noted that certain adaptation choices and a less compelling villain prevented the film from reaching its full potential, summarising it as “just fine.”

Erik Davis offered a more upbeat comparison, likening “Supergirl” to a mix of the “underdog rock’ n’ roll energy” of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the harsher, grittier tone of “Mad Max.”

Advertisement

Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for The Vampire Lestat Episode 3.

AMC’s Interview with the Vampire set a distinct tone when it premiered back in 2022, but with the show’s official transformation (and retitling) into The Vampire Lestat, there’s also the sense that a completely different perspective has taken over the story. Lestat de Lioncourt’s (Sam Reid) decision to finally sit down with journalist and newly-made vampire Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) for his own on-camera interview starts more straightforwardly than you’d expect, with Daniel attempting to wring out the truth through a series of increasingly provocative questions and Lestat deftly evading honesty at every turn.

Yet the real story, as we’ve seen, always lies somewhere between public performance and what goes completely unspoken. When it comes to the tragic culmination of Lestat’s relationship with his first love, musician Nicolas “Nicki” de Lenfent (Joseph Potter), as well as his own traumatic turning by the vampire Magnus (Damien Atkins), “Toronto” is as close to an instance of soul-baring as viewers have ever earned before — even if, as Potter reflected on in our interview ahead of the episode’s premiere, it’s delivered through a “lens of deceit.” Below, Potter and Atkins discuss Episode 3’s emotional Nicki and Magnus flashbacks, how manipulation and betrayal shape their characters’ narratives in the series, the experience of playing ghosts who literally haunt Lestat’s story, and more.

COLLIDER: Joseph, Nicki is one of the few characters who actually knows Lestat before he’s turned into a vampire. How did that unique foundational knowledge impact your and Sam [Reid]’s approach to their relationship?

JOSEPH POTTER: It’s interesting because, obviously, we meet them when they’re in Paris for the first time. There’s a level of, like, “Oh, how much did they know about each other in Auvergne?” It was such a privilege to have that little meet-cute in that scene. I think when Nicki and Lestat first meet each other, they’re very down on their luck. They are poor. They’re both these tragic souls, which, for Nicki, really unites them, which makes the difference when they get to Paris, and Lestat starts flying high. That makes the change just that much more devastating. So, that kind of shift was really fun to toy with.

‘The Vampire Lestat’s Damien Atkins Reveals Magnus’ True Motivation for Turning Lestat

“He was an alchemist. He’s looking for gold.”

Image via AMC

Advertisement

Damien, we’ve known very little about Magnus until this season apart from what Lestat has divulged, per Louis’ recollection. “Your Biggest Fan” paints him as this twisted fanboy, but from your perspective, what do you think really drew Magnus to Lestat and drove him to want to turn Lestat into a vampire?

DAMIEN ATKINS: Oh, my book is upstairs, because I was just looking at it yesterday. I mean, he says, “brave little wolfkiller.” What we see in the book is that he has killed dozens or hundreds of blonde men. It’s a really strange Aryan something, like he’s looking for the perfect heir, and then he finds one that has spunk and bravery. You know what I mean? He’s looking for the perfect son. It’s twisted.

Magnus does know [Lestat] before he’s turned, as well, but from a distance, so it’s probably distorted, not real knowledge of him. But he does see that Lestat has got an effect on people. I will say, when you think about the arc of the universe of it, I think Magnus is looking for the chosen one. He’s looking for the guy to lead the revolution. Somebody who has something very special, which has to do with bravery and charisma, I think, as well as beauty — which, all of that is nasty and gross, but I do think that’s where he’s coming from. He was an alchemist. He’s looking for gold.

Joseph, it feels like Nicki’s decline in this episode, mentally and emotionally, doesn’t happen overnight. Do you feel that there was any major tipping point for him, or was it really a series of lies, omissions, things that Lestat was clearly telling him before doing the exact opposite?

POTTER: In Lestat’s recounting of events, we track it from Season 2, Episode 3, when Nicki’s turning happens with the coven and Armand. Then we get to the moment where he snaps. In our episode, when I say “a month ago,” we’re tracking back from there. Like you said, it’s this gradual building of deceit. You never know what’s real and what’s not in this show sometimes — memory’s a monster. But I feel like we see the gaslighting happen, and we’re watching that, and so Lestat is kind of honest in how he’s betrayed Nicki in that way, which is why he still carries that music box with him.

Yeah, it’s a consistent repetition of lies, is how we’ve got to where we’ve got to, but the way in which we see it, it feels like it happens quick, and that he dives into mania quite quickly. I love Nicki, and I think he was hard done by at times. [Laughs]

Damien, I was so compelled by how this episode frames Magnus, and there are two very different lenses through which we see him. The first time he shows up, it’s the music video, the version that Lestat is publicly telling in “Your Biggest Fan,” but then later on, there’s a very different version of events, set against the voiceover of Louis reading from Claudia’s diary. Which version did you film first, and did one sequence unexpectedly inform the other?

ATKINS: Oh, that’s such a good question. We did the music video stuff late. So, on some level, it was very considerate, a sort of organic process of trying to start with the… It’s not really a small reality, it’s quite already a pungent reality, but a kind of vulnerability, which I think is what you’re referring to. Certainly, that was my experience, of love. You’ve got to go inside, without judging [Magnus], to this sort of tremulous love, and then let it kind of explode through. There’s violence, and there’s all that stuff, too, and we did the music video quite late, so it felt like a natural blooming, a ridiculous blooming of what had been quite a small, tender thing.

Honestly, this is one of those questions where my perspective will be entirely different from everyone else’s, because for me, it’s all of a piece. That was an awful night, shooting that scene. You have to keep grounding yourself in, “I think I’m doing the right thing. I think I’m doing the loving thing,” and letting the show and letting Sam make it into what is the real story for people who are watching, and what is Lestat’s story. For me, I’ve got to insulate myself from all of that, so I did. The car, that scene, the music video, it was all a kind of expression of love — twisted love, but you know.

‘The Vampire Lestat’s Joseph Potter on Whether Lestat Is Being Honest About Nicki’s Death

“It’s telling that we get the truth through this lens of deceit.”

Image via AMC

Advertisement

Before, Joseph, you brought up the “memory is a monster” tagline, and that was something I wanted to mention pertaining to Lestat’s very emotional confession to Daniel about Nicki’s death — followed by the twist that it’s a telepathic prank, and Daniel’s the only one who’s made privy to that story. How honest do you think Lestat is being about what really happened?

POTTER: This is a question for Sam, this is a question for Rolin [Jones], this is a question for Hannah [Moscovitch]. [Laughs] It is interesting, because when I read it, and upon watching it, the recounting of how Nicki dies, of Armand holding him down in the fire, it’s so open. It feels so profoundly there and present. Then, when you hear that it’s a trick, you just feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you. That kind of juxtaposition is exactly what Lestat is all about, for me.

I think it’s telling that it does happen. I think there’s a level of vulnerability within Lestat that hasn’t quite fully dealt with, regarding his place or position in Nicki’s betrayal or descent. So, it’s telling that we get the truth through this lens of deceit. And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll get the whole truth. Maybe he chopped off his own hand. I have no idea.

What do you both remember most about the experience of getting to literally haunt the narrative, especially at the end of this episode when we see the two of you in the crowd, among all of those screaming fans, during the “Loneliness” sequence?

ATKINS: It’s so fun. It’s so tricky to talk about because it made me feel powerful. It made me feel important. So gross, right? So gross. But shooting that concert scene, everybody’s sort of rocking out around me, and I’m standing there very still, feeling fatherly. [Laughs] It’s so gross. It was wild. It was great.

POTTER: On the other side of that, that scene was the first time that I’d seen Sam in the band, so I’ve got two things running through my head: “Haunt the narrative, haunt the narrative,” and also, “Holy shit, that’s so good!” [Laughs] But it’s interesting being the muse or a ghost, and I was trying to ask Rolin wherever I could, because without spoiling anything going on, there are a couple more moments where things pop up, and Muse Nicki or Ghost Nicki is different to who he actually is. It’s that kind of provocateur, and a way of guiding Lestat’s dealing with his trauma. It’s a different beast altogether.

New episodes of The Vampire Lestat premiere Sundays on AMC.

SZA isn’t here for AI music or her fellow artists who support it. The “Snooze” singer unleashed on them in a new social media post, calling them “disgusting” for helping fuel the “degenerate” product. And this isn’t the first time she’s spoken out about the matter. In 2025, SZA, along with other mainstream artists, blasted an AI artist who signed a multimillion-dollar record deal.

On June 20, SZA shared a screenshot of an AI platform and revealed that 238 of her songs have been used to train different AI models. “I’m certain some (are) unreleased,” she wrote.

SZA then slammed her fellow musicians for supporting “this degenerate sh-t,” calling them “disgusting.”

The 36-year-old Grammy winner didn’t stop there. She said those advocating for AI in the music industry are “disgusting,” adding, “There’s NOTHING YOU COULD EVER SAY TO ME TO MAKE THIS OKAY.”

She concluded, “I hope u have the life u deserve.”

SZA Has Called Out AI Models In The Past

This isn’t the first time that SZA has criticized AI models. According to Complex, the singer slammed the product online, saying, “AI is killing and polluting Black and Brown cities. None of you care ’cause [you’re] codependent on a machine. Have a great life.”

In April 2024, a group of artists, including Billie Eilish, J Balvin, Nicki Minaj, Stevie Wonder, and others, condemned the use of AI in the music industry, claiming the tool could potentially undermine or replace human artists.

“We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem,” the public letter read, per The Guardian.

“Some of the biggest and most powerful companies are, without permission, using our work to train AI models,” it continued. “These efforts are directly aimed at replacing the work of human artists with massive quantities of AI-created ‘sounds’ and ‘images’ that substantially dilute the royalty pools that are paid out to artists.”

Artists, Including SZA, Speak Out After An AI Artist Signs $3 Million Record Deal

In September 2025, SZA blasted Xania Monet, an AI artist who rose to the top of the Billboard charts after releasing several AI-generated tracks that drew widespread attention. Her popularity spawned a $3 million record deal with Hallwood Media, according to Ebony, which got the “Kill Bill” artist fired up.

“Hey I hate AI. If you f-ck w me PLEASE don’t make any AI images of me or songs,” she wrote. “Ppl and children are dying from the harm n pollution AI energy centers are creating. A stupid photo is not worth polluting and harming underserved communities. Thank you.”

Kehlani also criticized the move, calling the signing “beyond out of our control.” And while AI may be beneficial in some instances, she said she could never “justify” it.

“I’m genuinely sad for people who are trying to come up and their space is being taken up by a computer program. IT, not she, is taking all of the data it’s collected on us and what we want and is tailoring to us. Even down to the voice,” she said.

Teddy Swims Faced Backlash After Admitting He’s Used AI In His Music

Although SZA didn’t mention names in her post, one popular artist has confessed to using AI to help with the creation process, according to The Blast. Teddy Swims revealed in November 2025 that he found the product to be “truly amazing,” revealing that he’s used AI to help him create lyrics.

Swims, known for his chart-topper “Lose Control,” also said that AI has helped him and his producers reimagine songs in new ways. “What we’ll do is maybe just take an acoustic and write the melody and the lyrics and just get the song done and upload it into it and say, ‘OK, I want to hear this song as a country song’ or ‘I want to hear this song as a rock and roll song,’” he said.

There Are Rules Around AI That Swims Doesn’t Support

There’s a part of AI that Swims doesn’t support, he said, and that’s when creators make videos or sounds using his actual voice. According to him, he’s run into legal issues in the past when a content creator used his voice on a track that he wanted to recreate but couldn’t.

“And I was like, I could probably just maybe take this chorus and rework it and write some verses to it,” he said, until he learned his team was running into copyright issues. “And I was like ‘well, that just sounds like b-llsh-t,” he said.

Editor’s note: The below interview contains major spoilers for the House of the Dragon Season 3 premiere.

Originally, the devastating sequence known as the Battle of the Gullet wasn’t meant to serve as House of the Dragon‘s Season 3 premiere. Based on how the second season wraps up, with Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Aegon’s (Tom Glynn-Carney) respective armies advancing on the stretch of sea between Dragonstone and King’s Landing, fans may have expected one more episode depicting what is arguably the bloodiest naval conflict in the so-called Dance of the Dragons — yet it never came. Showrunner and executive producer Ryan Condal later admitted that the decision to push the battle to Season 3 was made in an effort to “rebalance the season” with an ultimate destination in mind, citing a lack of “infinite time and resources” while reiterating that the series’ creative team wanted to give this highly anticipated event “the time and the space that it deserves.”

Any lingering concerns that House of the Dragon wouldn’t deliver on what Condal also described as “arguably the second most anticipated action event” of author George R.R. Martin‘s Targaryen chronicle, Fire & Blood, will likely be put to rest after tonight’s episode. Clocking in at over an hour of runtime, “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood,” written by Condal and directed by Loni Peristere, is the culmination of two years’ worth of preparation and design efforts, as well as months of actor training, to make it appear as if everyone onscreen was actually navigating the real Gullet.

Condal has also previously revealed that the sequence was shot mostly “in camera,” relying heavily on practical effects outside the obvious moments when a dragon or two was involved — and unfortunately, when the dragons do show up this time, the devastation they leave in their wake will undoubtedly have very personal consequences for Rhaenyra’s side of the Targaryen civil war. Before the Season 3 premiere, Collider spoke with several House of the Dragon cast members about the experience of filming the Battle of the Gullet and its most devastating losses.

Sharako Lohar Pursues Her “White Whale” Corlys Velaryon — at a Deadly Cost

The Battle of the Gullet, as depicted in House of the Dragon‘s Season 3 premiere, is best broken up into two sections — what plays out in the Gullet itself, between Corlys Velaryon’s (Steve Toussaint) ships and those of the Free Cities’ Triarchy, and what transpires in the skies above. While Corlys’ prowess as a mariner overseeing a great navy has earned him both a formidable reputation and the moniker of the Sea Snake, viewers haven’t really been able to see him in his element yet, so to speak. For Toussaint, getting to portray this long-awaited aspect of his character, which included both filming on a ship and swordfighting with pirates, was an absolutely “joyous” experience. “You’re a kid on the playground, but you’ve just got these incredibly expensive toys, and that’s what it felt like. All the stuff that I did when I was a child on the playground.”

If there is one regret that Toussaint does have from filming, it’s that he didn’t have the opportunity to duplicate one of his personal favorite moments from a much-beloved epic war movie. “On Master and Commander — and I know that the actor did this, that the actor suggested this — there’s a moment when the ship’s going through the whatever, and Russell Crowe is on the bow of the ship.” Toussaint even goes as far as to mime the scene in question, letting his hand trail into an imaginary sea. “He’s sort of hanging off like that, and he puts his hand in the water.”

Toussaint’s enthusiasm is readily echoed by his co-star Abigail Thorn, who first joined House of the Dragon last season as Admiral Sharako Lohar, an unashamedly brash pirate who also commands the Triarchy’s fleet. “It was the most fun I’ve ever had,” she says, citing the “months and months of prep and training” that went into bringing the Battle of the Gullet to life. Onscreen, their dynamic is significantly less complimentary, but the truth about Lohar’s intentions doesn’t come to light until she’s already agreed to pledge her ships to Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) and the Greens.

Once the Sea Snake’s banner is directly in her sights, Lohar informs Tyland that she’s sailed across the Narrow Sea not to help turn the tide for Aegon, but to seek revenge on Corlys for the devastation he previously inflicted on her people. Not only does she plan to direct her fleet to sack High Tide, the official seat of House Velaryon, but she’s also going to hunt down Corlys personally — even if it means throwing Tyland and other armored men overboard to make her ship light enough to close the gap. From Thorn’s perspective, Lohar’s actions aren’t a consequence of sudden tunnel vision, but the pursuit of an incredibly important mission of vengeance.

“I think it does outweigh everything else. She’s Captain Ahab in this episode. I studied every version of Moby-Dick I could get my hands on: both the original novel and also the Gregory Peck performance as Ahab, I went into it a lot,” Thorn says, before citing another character she drew further inspiration from: Ricardo Montalbán in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. “Khan has that charm and that fun on top, but then there’s the brutality and the vengeance underneath it. I think Corlys is her white whale, and she is willing to risk everything and sacrifice her own men, her relationship with Tyland, and ultimately her own life, just to get a chance to be right in close and look in his eyes when he dies.”

By the time Lohar and Corlys’ ships finally collide, anticipation for their ultimate confrontation has risen even higher, and Thorn reveals that she and director Loni Peristere had discussions about how to approach the characters’ knockdown, drag-out fight: “We called that the Captain Ahab moment, because that is kind of, ‘From hell’s heart, I stab at thee. For hate’s sake, I spit my last breath.’” One version of the scene, which wound up on the cutting room floor, saw Thorn embracing that quote more literally. “There was a take that we did that we didn’t end up using where I do, in fact, spit at Steve. I remember we did that take, and I was like, ‘Steve, would you mind if I spit at you?’ And he went, ‘You do what you got to do.’”

Both parties land several devastating hits on each other, but what takes Corlys out of the fight occurs completely by chance. One moment, he’s standing on the deck, ready to deliver the final blow, and the next, he falls into the sea as the ship runs aground, his fate ultimately left unknown by the episode’s conclusion. Yet that’s not where the fight ends, because Corlys’ right-hand sailor and secret bastard son, Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), is ready to tag in where his father left off. After previously stripping off the armor that was weighing him down, Alyn launches himself at Lohar, believing her responsible for Corlys’ death, and the two tumble off the ship into waist-deep water.

According to Salim, the original version of Alyn and Lohar’s fight to the death was intended to be “flashy,” but once cameras started rolling, what was planned as a more choreographed stunt sequence was changed into something much more visceral. “On the day, as we were in this water, we’d taken into consideration everything that had happened, the sheer brutality, these people being absolutely exhausted, and it just became brutal and just horrible. Actually, that fight, I think we did it in two or three days because it was so… not necessarily simplistic in its nature, but simplistic in its intention, of just to kill or be killed.”

While the actors’ approach to the overall fight may have been more straightforward, Thorn says she found more nuance in smaller reactions that exposed Lohar’s range of emotions while the character is fighting for her life. “That sequence was such a delight for me because, on the page, it’s very simple. It’s just two sentences, like, ‘They’re fighting, and she’s killed.’ So I got to choose throughout every single moment of the fight how she feels about each moment, and I got to decide the exact moment where she realizes she’s going to die and how she feels about that.”

Despite Lohar’s fate being written, it’s unclear, at first, who’s going to triumph — but then Alyn holds her underneath the water, never allowing her to take a full breath, and then hoists her above the surface to finish the job with a literal twist of a knife he plucks right off her belt. Thorn confirms that Lohar’s death is likely her most illuminating scene, but the actor is only willing to divulge so much about the history she personally crafted for the character. “This isn’t Sharako the Storm, the fighter — I know in my head what her real name is. In the final moment, she’s just this scared little girl.”

Salim is quick to praise his scene partner for her willingness to wholly commit to the sequence that reveals so much about both Corlys’ biggest foe and his most reluctant heir. “Abigail is, again, such a trooper because she threw her all in every single take, and so it almost forced me to really throw my all into every single take. It was an interesting sequence to see how it evolved, especially taking into consideration just what these two characters have been through the whole time.”

Thorn also notes that the version of Lohar’s death that made it into the final cut of the episode speaks to some of House of the Dragon‘s most important themes, chief among them the reminder that this battle is going to be only one of many that exacts a terrible toll on the characters. “There was this amazing, lucky moment where, as he lifts me out of the water, all the blood and grime washes off her face, and… you see the woman she could have been were it not for Corlys, if he hadn’t done what he did, and I have the answer to that in my head, too. If he hadn’t done that, we see what she could have been, and it’s this beautiful moment that says so much about the whole season, actually, and the cost of war and of vengeance.”

An Unexpected Clash of Dragons Ends in a Devastating Loss

Meanwhile, as the battle continues to rage, the arrival of dragons might initially be seen as a point in Rhaenyra’s favor, especially since their riders are firmly on the side of Team Black. Yet the audience also knows that by this point, Rhaenyra’s oldest son, Jacaerys (Harry Collett), has taken his mother’s place at the Gullet against her objections, locking her in her room in an effort to protect her. Initially, it seems as though Jace has everything under control, especially since he and his dragon, Vermax, are reluctantly accompanied by his betrothed, Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia), on her own dragon, Moondancer. Yet neither of them could have predicted what viewers have already learned — that Baela’s sister, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), has just successfully bonded with a wild dragon in the Vale named Sheepstealer and is already flying to High Tide.

Campbell, who finally became a card-carrying member of House of the Dragon‘s most unique club this season, likens the experience of filming the show’s dragon riding scenes to “the best kept secret on-set,” and at first, Rhaena and Sheepstealer’s bond (which does serve as another distinct change from Fire & Blood) seems to be off to a good start, including a scene where Sheepstealer obligingly spits up and barbecues a goat to feed his desperately hungry rider. But any viewers who thought they were in for a heartwarming sequence à la How To Train Your Dragon are in for a rude awakening, especially once Rhaena and Sheepstealer officially join the battle. Initially, the presence of another dragon seems like it’ll give Rhaenyra’s side an advantage over their enemies, but Sheepstealer is entirely untrained and completely unpredictable — and what’s worse is that he can’t tell the difference between friend and foe.

Naturally, when Jace and Baela notice another dragon indiscriminately burning ships, they leap into action, but Antonia points out the obvious detail that prevents either of them from really recognizing that Rhaena is the rider desperately trying to regain control of her new mount. “All they can see in the war is this huge beast of a thing in the air. The size comparison is so hard to even describe, but Rhaena looks like the tiniest little figure in the distance.”

Sheepstealer changes tactics to target Baela and Moondancer instead, much to Rhaena’s horror, so Jace and Vermax fly to their aid — which enables him to get close enough to make out his own cousin as the rider, but his approach has also turned them into Sheepstealer’s new target. When Jace directs Vermax to fly lower in an effort to evade the wild dragon, the consequences are tragic for both of them. Although they were previously able to survive an attack from Lohar herself thanks to Baela’s quick action, a second strike is what ultimately proves fatal. As Vermax slowly sinks toward the water, Rhaena is left reeling, gasping out Jace’s name while Sheepstealer retreats. “I think she feels the entire weight of responsibility of Jace,” Campbell admits, when teeing up how their character will be grappling with her role in events as Season 3 continues to play out. “I think, rightly so, she feels dreadful, and she knows that because of her appearance into the fight, that is the reason that has caused all this, and that doesn’t pass her by.”

The episode’s conclusion is slightly different than what’s recorded in the pages of Fire & Blood; there, Vermax is hit by a grappling hook and crashes into a burning ship, but in House of the Dragon‘s version, fans are forced to watch as the dragon is slowly dragged down into the sea while Jace tries, with all his might, to get Vermax up in the air again. Reflecting on the scene, Collett confirms that his character isn’t necessarily considering that he’ll meet his end in this moment. “In Jace’s mind, there’s always a way out of everything. He is quite smart, so to speak.” In the same breath, the actor acknowledges that the show’s changes to Vermax’s fate are intended to convince the audience that survival is still possible. “I think it makes it 10 times more tense, as well, because you see him try to unbuckle everything. He’s trying to get the dragon up. It just makes people want to scream at their TVs and go, ‘Just get up!’ or whatever they’re feeling at that point in time.”

Even after Jace is able to unbuckle himself from Vermax’s saddle, there’s no indication that this is truly the end for him, Collett adds. “Because even before he gets hit, he grabs onto a piece of wood in the sea. There are boats around. He can wave someone down.” Any remaining hope is instantly extinguished, however, when the first arrow from a nearby ship carrying Triarchy pirates hits its mark — and then a second, and then a third, delivering a major blow to both the series and Rhaenyra herself, who currently has no knowledge of the fact that she’s just lost another son. As far as Collett is concerned, though, Jace was more than aware of the danger that awaited him when he chose to fly to the Gullet so that his mother wouldn’t have to. “I think it was a true shock when he got hit by that first arrow, and it’s sad, really. But he knew he was going into battle.”

New episodes of House of the Dragon Season 3 premiere Sundays on HBO.

Dwayne Wade is always in Gabrielle Union‘s corner—and the same is true for her. In a new interview, the 3x NBA champion boasted about his wife and shared the one thing she does that can “arouse” him.

Speaking with PEOPLE at the Fragrance Foundation Awards in New York City in early June, Wade praised his wife, Union, and opened up about the little things she does that typically turn him on. “I love that she will mix different scents and different lotions,” he said.

According to Wade, Union “knows” what he likes, and she usually leans in to that. “She knows what I like to smell. She knows like the scents that kind of arouse me a little bit,” he said.

Wade, who married the “Bring It On” actress in 2014, said he loves it when his wife shows up and has that special smell about her.

“I love when I smell it, I know that it’s going to be a good night for us. Like we’re going to go out to dinner, we’re going to have a good night, and she got that scent on she knows I love, and I can’t keep my hands off of her,” said Wade.

Dwayne Wade Wants More Men To Embrace Fragrances, Says It’s For ‘Stylish’ People

Wade’s comments about Union’s scent come amid his tenure as global ambassador and face of Intuition—a men’s fragrance line by Aramis.

Wade takes his role seriously and said his goal is to help men feel more confident wearing the product. He also shared who the fragrance is for.

“You want that person to be stylish, you want that person to be confident,” he said. “You want that person to be someone that can move throughout the day and understand that the scent follows them.”

In his post as ambassador, Wade said he wants to encourage more men to use fragrance to avoid smelling “musty.” He added, “It’s actually smelling really, really good and being really, really fresh.”

Fragrance Has Always Been Part Of Dwayne Wade’s Routine

This isn’t the first time Wade has discussed the importance of fragrance. In a 2025 interview with W Magazine, the father of five said that his journey into fragrances and scents felt natural to him.

“As a young boy, you’re very impressionable. And I was impressed by my father and my uncles growing up,” he said, adding that he used to wear his dad’s cologne as a kid.

As a grown man, Wade said he knows what types of fragrances he likes to wear and what’s most important to him when choosing one.

“I need my fragrance to move throughout the day with me. When you put on certain fragrances, it is right there in your nose, and that’s all you smell—you can smell nothing else. I don’t like that. I normally go for softer fragrances, some that smell fresh or clean. You can reapply them and not smell like you work at a fragrance store,” he explained.

Wade Talks ‘Self Care’ And How His Mindset Has Shifted Over The Years

Being a scent connoisseur, Wade said that surrounding himself with potent fragrances, such as lavender, is essential to his well-being and part of his “self-care” routine.

He went on to say that he usually douses his bed and pillows with the scent when he’s getting a massage, adding that it puts him in a relaxed state of mind.

And speaking of self-care, the athlete opened up about how his mindset surrounding the topic has shifted as he’s aged.

“Growing up, you associate certain things with: this is what women do, and this is what men do. And as you get older, you become more secure in who you are, more secure in your manhood. Then you realize that [women] have had the cheat code the whole time, and we’ve been tripping,” he said.

The One Thing Wade Does With His Wife To Keep Himself Looking Fresh

Now that Wade is embracing a different side of himself, the Miami Heat star said that, in addition to massages, he’s been getting facials with his wife.

“How I show up is important to me. My wife and I, we have a cadence of getting facials,” he said, adding that he’s learned how to care for his body since retiring from the NBA.

“Humidity is not great for my skin, I break out a lot. And I was in Miami for 16 years, in the thick of it. If you go back and look at my photos, you’ll see I have bumps on my face—on my forehead, in my beard. Now I understand, as an adult, that it wasn’t great for my skin,” he finished.

Tom Holland‘s unforgettable performance of Rihanna‘s “Umbrella” may have done more than break the internet. According to a new report, it also played a major role in winning over his future wife, Zendaya. A source claimed the actress was completely captivated after watching Holland’s now-iconic 2017 appearance on “Lip Sync Battle,” where the actor stunned audiences by performing in fishnet tights, black shorts, and a corset-inspired outfit while dancing through a rain-soaked rendition of the hit song.

The performance has remained one of the most talked-about celebrity television moments in recent memory, but according to a source cited by the Daily Mail, it held special significance for Zendaya. “It’s not just sexy, but it shows how amazingly talented he is,” the source said. “It takes a lot of confidence for a straight guy to pull off drag.”

During the performance, Zendaya could be seen reacting from the audience, appearing visibly shocked as Holland fully committed to the elaborate routine. “When he was announced as Spider–Man, people were taken aback because he’s slightly wimpy,” the source continued. “But what he lacks in stature he more than makes up for in talent.”

The insider went on to suggest that the performance left a lasting impression on the actress. “You can see the shock on her face but then the admiration,” the source added. “I’m sure it’s something they will show their kids one day.”

Holland’s ‘Umbrella’ Performance Became An Instant Viral Sensation

Holland first delivered his now-legendary rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” during an episode of “Lip Sync Battle” that aired in May 2017. What started as a fun television appearance quickly became a pop culture phenomenon.

After opening with a performance of Gene Kelly’s “Singin’ in the Rain,” Holland surprised the audience by emerging in fishnet tights, black shorts, and a corset-style top before launching into Rihanna’s hit song beneath a shower of artificial rain.

The performance immediately went viral and remains one of the most-viewed clips in “Lip Sync Battle” history. Across YouTube, social media platforms, and reposted clips, the routine has amassed hundreds of millions of views over the years, with fans continuing to share and celebrate it nearly a decade later.

Romance Rumors Began Shortly After ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

Not long after Holland’s viral “Lip Sync Battle” performance, reports began circulating that the actor and Zendaya had taken their off-screen chemistry beyond the set of “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” In July 2017, a source told PEOPLE that the pair had quietly started dating while filming the Marvel blockbuster.

“They started seeing each other while they were filming Spider-Man,” the insider said. “They’ve been super careful to keep it private and out of the public eye but they’ve gone on vacations with each other and try and spend as much time as possible with one another.”

Another source suggested the relationship worked so well because of the similarities between the two stars. “They’re both really ambitious and they challenge each other, but, most importantly, they make each other crack up,” the insider explained. “They seem to have a really similar sense of humor and love joking around together. They have great banter back and forth.”

Tom Holland Recently Confirmed He And Zendaya Are Married

The report comes shortly after Holland appeared to confirm months of speculation that he and Zendaya had quietly tied the knot.

During a recent interview with Esquire, the actor was asked about AI-generated wedding images that circulated online. “No, because they were all there,” Holland replied when asked whether he had to explain the photos to family members, before adding, “That’s all you’ll get on that.”

The actor also spoke candidly about his relationship with Zendaya. “She’s my best friend, and I’m the happiest I have ever been when I’m with her,” Holland said. “But I have also never felt so supported and safe, ever. Period.”

The Couple’s Romance Began During Their ‘Spider-Man’ Days

Holland and Zendaya first sparked romance rumors in 2017 while filming “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” though they kept their relationship largely private for several years. The pair eventually confirmed their romance in 2021 and have since become one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples.

Marriage rumors intensified earlier this year when Zendaya was spotted wearing a simple gold band instead of her engagement ring during a public outing. Shortly afterward, her longtime stylist, Law Roach, appeared to confirm the speculation. “The wedding has already happened,” Roach said during an interview at the SAG Awards. “You missed it. It’s very true.”

While the newlyweds continue to keep most details of their relationship private, fans now have a new piece of lore to add to their love story: according to one insider, it all started with a pair of fishnets, a Rihanna song, and a performance no one has forgotten.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s reported plans to return to the United Kingdom with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are raising eyebrows, particularly given Harry’s repeated concerns about security in his home country. Multiple reports have suggested the Sussexes are preparing for a rare family trip to Britain in July, potentially marking the first time their children have visited the UK in several years. The reports have sparked renewed discussion because Prince Harry has spent years publicly expressing fears about bringing Meghan Markle and their children back to Britain without enhanced security protections.

The reported visit represents a notable shift from Harry’s previous comments regarding his family’s safety.

In 2022, Harry’s legal team argued in court that the duke “does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements that were applied to him in June 2021 and will continue to be applied to him if he decides to come back.” The issue remained a sticking point for years.

Speaking to ITV in 2024, Harry said, “It’s still dangerous,” while discussing media scrutiny and security concerns. He added, “And all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read.”

He continued, “And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”

More recently, after losing a legal challenge related to his security arrangements, Harry told the BBC in May 2025, “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”

Harry’s Security Concerns Make The Reported Visit All The More Surprising

Because of Harry’s long-standing position on security, reports of a family visit have prompted questions about what may have changed behind the scenes.

According to reports, speculation that King Charles would personally fund security for the Sussexes is inaccurate. However, there have also been reports suggesting Harry and Meghan may have been offered accommodations during their visit, though no official details have been confirmed.

The possibility of a meeting between Harry and King Charles has also generated interest as the father and son continue to navigate a fractured relationship that has played out publicly in recent years.

Notably, there has been little indication that Prince William would be involved in any potential reunion.

Meghan Markle’s Alleged UK Homecoming Raises Questions About Her Motives

The reported trip has also fueled debate among royal commentators, some of whom question whether the visit signals a genuine attempt at reconciliation or something else entirely.

For years, both Harry and Meghan have spoken openly about their difficulties with royal life, while also participating in interviews, documentaries, podcasts, and other projects that detailed their experiences within the monarchy.

As a result, some royal watchers remain skeptical about whether a return to the UK would represent a fresh start or simply another chapter in the ongoing saga between the Sussexes and the Royal Family.

Prince Harry And Meghan Markle’s Financial Future

The reports of a possible UK return also come amid renewed speculation about the Sussexes’ finances and whether Prince Harry could eventually seek support from King Charles.

Since stepping back as senior working royals in 2020 and relocating to California, Harry and Meghan have built a life centered around high-profile media projects, speaking engagements, and business ventures. The couple now reside in a sprawling Montecito mansion with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

However, several of their major deals have faced challenges in recent years. Meghan and Harry’s partnership with Spotify ended prematurely, while reports have suggested their relationship with Netflix has evolved since the blockbuster success of their initial documentary series.

Mounting Financial Pressures Continue To Spark Questions

Royal author Tom Bower has previously argued that maintaining the couple’s lifestyle comes with high costs, including security expenses, staff salaries, and upkeep on their Montecito estate. According to Bower, the Sussexes would likely need to generate millions of dollars annually to sustain their current standard of living.

At the same time, Harry has reportedly faced challenges connected to one of his most cherished projects, the Invictus Games. Recent reports noted concerns after funding issues impacted Invictus Australia and a key trustee stepped down, adding to questions about the long-term financial stability of organizations connected to the duke.

For now, Buckingham Palace has not publicly commented on the reports, leaving observers waiting to see whether the visit, and any potential family reunions, actually come to fruition.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 11 seconds ago

Because I had heard some bad things about it from fellow geeks that I trust, I didn’t immediately watch Devil May Cry on Netflix. However, I played the heck out of the original games on my trusty PlayStation 2, and I eventually caved in and checked out the show. To my surprise, Season 1 absolutely blew me away. At its best, the show is an action extravaganza, delivering all the thrills of your favorite ‘80s and ‘90s movies rolled into one. At its worst, Devil May Cry is a bit like your favorite fast food: way too greasy and overly indulgent, but a fulfilling, guilty pleasure nonetheless.

While I’m now all-in on this anime, it still took me a hot minute to get to Season 2. The longer I waited, the more I worried that the new season would fully embrace the excesses of Season 1 and become a hot mess. To my delight and surprise, though, Season 2 is better in every way. It’s got more action, more cool lore, and more moments that make you want to stand up and cheer. Most of those moments are tied to killer songs, which brings me to my favorite part of Devil May Cry: thanks to its endless needle drops, it’s like one long music video aimed squarely at millennials.

Hellish Sibling Rivalry

The premise of Devil May Cry Season 2 is that demons are real and that America is in the midst of a full-blown war with Hell. The country’s strongest fighter is Dante, a half-demon, half-human mercenary who speaks violence as a second language. But he may prove to be no match for Hell’s own soldier: Vergil, the brother that he thought had died long ago. What starts out as a straightforward war between worlds quickly becomes a game of intrigue and backstabbing between a series of mysterious players, each with equally mysterious agendas. As for Dante, his agenda is quite simple: to save the world and get the girl.

Even more so than the first season, Devil May Cry Season 2 has plenty of moments for old-school gamers to get excited about. This includes the full-blown introduction of Vergil (one of the most compelling characters in the show) and plenty of extended lore about Mundus, the Big Bad of the entire show. We also get the fun introduction of Ebony and Ivory, Dante’s signature handguns from the very first game. While most of the gamer-centric content pertains to DMC, the show occasionally takes inspiration from other franchises. For example, it’s impossible to watch American soldiers invading Hell in the first episode and not think about Doom, the greatest Boomer shooter of them all.

Millennials Will See Themselves In This Anime

Devil May Cry is most certainly at its best when Dante is hacking and slashing his way through endless waves of demonic foes and getting into death-defying duels with his brother. Fortunately, the show’s quieter moments are still compelling because of the various political intrigues between over-the-top characters. It’s really great to watch everyone react to Arius’s smug monologues, and it’s quite fun to see hardline zealot Baines bouncing off Hopper, the would-be cowboy president. What I enjoyed most, though, was the growing relationship between Dante and “Lady.” Trust me: if you were ‘shipping these two in the first season, you’re going to be eating good with Season 2.

Also, if you happened to play the Devil May Cry games when they came out, you’ll love Season 2’s peak millennial soundtrack. An emotional moment between two of our most important characters hits that much sweeter once “My Immortal” from Evanescence starts playing. Action scenes, meanwhile, hit that much harder to the tune of Korn’s “Freak On a Leash” and Drowning Pool’s “Bodies.” We also get tunes from Papa Roach and GUNSHIP, my favorite retro-flavored band. Incidentally, if you have any doubt the soundtrack was chosen to serve as millennial catnip, just wait until you get the most unexpected needle drop of them all: “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne. 

Music Video: The Anime

That brings me to the best and worst thing about Devil May Cry Season 2: it sometimes feels less like an epic fantasy story and more like a series of really cool music videos strung together with cheesy dialogue. If you’re looking for something a little more substantial (like the apocalyptic vibes of Devilman Crybaby or even the gender-bending exploits of Ranma ½), then you are likely to be disappointed. However, if you’re mostly here for relentless action scenes and silly one-liners, you’ll find DMC a particularly tasty buffet of B-movie schlock. For me, a guy who was mainlining anime music videos well before YouTube, this season really hit the sweet spot.

While the entire voice cast does a great job (Scout Taylor-Compton perfectly embodies both silk and steel as Lady, and Ian James Corlett is a solid replacement for Kevin Conroy as Baines), the glue holding Devil May Cry together is Johnny Yong Bosch. He gives Dane such joyful irreverence that it’s tough not to get caught in the chaotic swirl of his charm. This is doubly impressive because Dante is often written as an arrogant and downright annoying guy. Thanks to Bosch, however, this character has all the charisma of your cool older brother and your youngest, dumbest sibling, all rolled into one.         

Care to see what the fuss is about? Want to see humanity face down the forces of Hell amid a sibling rivalry that crosses two worlds? Maybe you just want to rock to the songs you enjoyed back in high school? Devil May Cry has all of this and more. It’s currently streaming on Netflix, where you can jump right into Season 2 or stream this quirky classic from the beginning. Maybe warn your friends and family before you start, though, because you’re going to be cracking bad jokes and jamming out to butt rock long after the credits roll. 

DEVIL MAY CRY SEASON 2 REVIEW SCORE

For the longest time, Halo existed as Xbox‘s killer app that almost single-handedly made the argument to go with green instead of blue. In its war with Sony, from the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox console to the modern PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, only one side had Master Chief and the epic sci-fi military FPS action he brought with him, which completely redefined what a shooter with online multiplayer could be on consoles. Since the release of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001, the series has racked up over 81 million copies sold and become a gaming icon to the point that John-117 is forever associated with Microsoft and their gaming line. Recent years have been rockier for both the franchise and its console, though, with Halo Infinite having a less-than-stellar release and concluding “major” updates back in November despite a ten-year plan.

Still, the Halo brand has continued to expand. Novels have helped flesh out the war-torn world, while the Paramount+ series attempted to capture the sheer sci-fi scale of Master Chief and his fellow Spartans’ fight to less-than-stellar results. The Chief has even leaped into Fortnite, and Helldivers 2 introduced a collaboration tied to Halo: ODST and its titular shock troopers. A full-fledged Halo game releasing on their rivals’ system once seemed like an impossibility, but between Xbox’s increasing willingness to branch out and the port of the original Gears of War to Sony’s console last year, it began to feel like an inevitability. Sure enough, the moment finally arrived when a modern remake of the first game, Halo: Campaign Evolved, was unveiled from Halo Studios back in October.

The newest Halo will be the first time the franchise has been available to play on a PlayStation, and it won’t even be a timed exclusive. It’s due to release on all modern platforms, save for the Nintendo Switch 2, just over one month from now on July 28, but those who pay extra for either the Premium Edition or Collector’s Edition will get five days of early access starting on July 23. Described as “a faithful yet modernized remake of Halo: Combat Evolved‘s campaign” in Unreal Engine 5, the game will offer players on both sides of the aisle, and PC, the chance to re-experience Master Chief’s original battle with the genocidal alien military alliance of the Covenant after crash-landing on the Halo ring-world. The option to play through the campaign cooperatively is back and expanded, now allowing play with up to four players online. Weapons, mechanics, and enemies from newer entries will be folded into the original missions to refresh the experience, alongside a staggering 42 skulls to modify gameplay. The only thing missing, as the title implies, is online PVP multiplayer.

‘Halo: Campaign Evolved’ Expands the Story With a Prequel

The biggest change from Combat Evolved to Campaign Evolved content-wise is the addition of three new missions in an arc called Operation Meteorite, set before the first time players are introduced to Master Chief in-game. While Halo: Reach ventured earlier in the series timeline to show humanity’s greatest defeat leading into the events of Combat Evolved, John’s history is relatively unexplored in the games themselves. Taking place one year earlier in 2551, the missions primarily focus on the relationship between the Chief and one of his closest allies throughout the original Halo trilogy and a longtime fan-favorite, Sgt. Avery Johnson, during a mission to retrieve data on the location of the Covenant home world. It’ll be packed with new environments and, as shown in preview footage, even a massive space battle.

Senior franchise story lead Jeff Easterling detailed to GameInformer in an extended preview how Operation Meteorite was designed to retrofit the Chief and Johnson’sdynamic into the original game, with help from veteran Halo novelist Troy Denning. The goal was to make it feel natural to the story of Combat Evolved while also demonstrating a clear connection to what comes next in Halo 2 and 3.

“A couple of Troy’s most popular [novels] were dealing with the early dynamics of the relationship of Sgt. Johnson and The Chief. We always felt like, Sgt. Johnson, we want to spend more time with him, and in the original [Combat Evolved], I think people forget that Sgt. Johnson actually doesn’t play a huge role. It really is only in Halo 2 and 3 where he becomes the Johnson that we know in our minds, and we try to ‘retro’ that into CE, but we’ve done some interesting things with Campaign Evolved and these three missions being paramount to elevating Johnson into the Johnson that we remember. Troy was an easy pick to be involved with that.”

Halo: Campaign Evolved is available to pre-order now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC ahead of release on July 28. Check out the cinematic story trailer in the player above.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Release Date

2022 – 2024

Advertisement

Network

Paramount+

Showrunner

Advertisement

Kyle Killen

Directors

Jonathan Liebesman, Craig Zisk, Dennie Gordon, Roel Reiné, Debs Paterson

Advertisement

Writers

Justine Juel Gillmer

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky‘s marriage is seemingly facing hurdles as sources say both of their “busy” schedules make it difficult for them to stay “connected.”

The actor has previously admitted to struggling with balancing work and home life, but things looked to be on a better path when reports emerged suggesting he was looking to scale down with work.

Chris Hemsworth also recently gave a peek into his life as a father, revealing that he tried to sneak their son on a flight with his daughter’s passport, which resulted in all of them being barred.

Chris Hemsworth And Elsa Pataky’s ‘Busy’ Schedules Make Connecting ‘Very Hard’

Hemsworth and Pataky are two very successful Hollywood actors who have featured in several blockbuster movies. However, it appears the price for success is taking a toll on their marriage as sources say their “busy” schedules have made it “very hard to stay connected.”

The 42-year-old actor has several projects in the pipeline, including “Subversion” and “Extraction 3,” while Pataky is also set to star in the upcoming spy thriller, “The Mark,” alongside Jessica Alba and Tom Hopper.

Their full calendars mean they hardly get to spend quality time together, with sources expressing shock at how Hemsworth has latched onto more work despite reports suggesting he planned to scale things down.

“In a lot of ways, they really are the couple that has it all, but it does not come easy, and the more time they spend apart for work, the tougher it gets,” an insider told Star Magazine. “It’s a bit of a shock to see Chris ramping up his work schedule like this because the last few years he’s been saying his plan was to slow things down so he could have more time for his wife and kids.”

The Marvel Star Admitted That He Struggled To Balance Work With Family Life

Hemsworth and Pataky are regarded as one of Hollywood’s most rock-solid couples, having been married since 2010.

Together they share three children, a daughter named India Rose, whom they welcomed in 2012, and twin boys, Sasha and Tristan, born in 2014.

The actor previously admitted to GQ Australia that he struggles to balance work with family life, noting that Pataky would like him to “step back and be at home with the kids more.”

He added at the time that he wants that too, but in terms of work, she has “certainly given up more” than he has since they became parents.

Chris Hemsworth’s New Busy Schedule Feels Like A ‘Big Step Backwards’ For The Couple

According to Star, Hemsworth and Pataky seemed to have a good understanding when it came to balancing work and family time.

A source noted that a major issue in their marriage has always been their busy careers, and with Hemsworth agreeing to scale back on the number of jobs he took, Pataky felt happier.

But now, the actor is reportedly signing up for multiple projects, which has left his wife concerned again.

“Elsa was thrilled when he agreed to dial work back because the pressure of their busy careers has always been the biggest factor in any of their fights over the years,” the insider noted.

They added, “It seemed like they were in a good groove, so it does feel like a big step backwards for Chris to suddenly be signing up for all this time away.”

Elsa Pataky Has Held Them Down With Her ‘Honesty’

It remains to be seen how Pataky and Hemsworth bridge the supposed gap caused by their “busy” schedules, but the “Thor” star recently shared that Pataky has been actively involved in keeping their relationship going.

In an interview with People Magazine alongside his wife, he shared that the secret to their nearly 2-decade-long marriage is her “honesty.”

“There’s an honesty, the north star of truth, that you’re going to get with Elsa. I can show something to a bunch of other people, and they might be like, ‘Oh, great work,’ but Elsa will tell me if it sucks,” he said.

“I’ll tell him, ‘That’s actually not funny. It doesn’t work,’” Pataky added.

According to the actor, this “critical sort of assessment” works perfectly and is key because his Pataky “knows who I am, and we know what each other can do.”

Chris Hemsworth Shares Funny Fatherhood Blunder

Hemsworth recently shared a cheeky peek into his life as a father, revealing that he once tried to sneak one of his twin sons on a flight with his daughter’s passport, but the immigration officials caught him.

The “Rush” actor explained in a Harper’s Bazaar Arabia interview alongside Pataky that he got the document mixed up and thought that his daughter’s passport could pass for the boy, but his efforts proved futile.

“I actually went to the airport once, and I had my daughter’s passport instead of my son’s passport… They kind of look the same,” Hemsworth began, to which Pataky simply replied, “They don’t.”

“I said, ‘Oh, yeah, this is her.’ And they were like, ‘That’s a boy. No,’” he stated. “So, yeah, that didn’t work.”

Pataky then revealed that Hemsworth and their son “couldn’t fly” because of the error.