No one involved was happy when pictures of Lily James snuggling up with her married co-star Dominic West emerged earlier this month, insiders have said. This came just before a PR blitz as she is appearing in several upcoming projects, including Pursuit of Love, where West plays her father, and Rebecca, out on Netflix. She canceled multiple scheduled appearances this week.
The 51-year-old West married Catherine Fitzgerald in 2010. West and the 49-year-old Fitzgerald share Dora, 14, Senan, 12, Francis, 11, and Christabel, 5.
Fitzgerald and James, who is 31, were “were both horrified by the pictures,” an insider tells Us.
The source adds, “It has strained Lily and Dominic’s working and personal relationship too.”
After the photos of them snuggling were released, West returned to London, where he and his wife kissed for photographers and wrote in a note that “We’re very much still together. Thank you.”
A week later, a second round of pictures showed them with their arms around each other leaving Rome.
Over the summer, James had been linked to Chris Evans.
INTERVIEWS
James is sneaking back into the limelight, and opting for print interviews in lieu of talk shows. She and Armie Hammer star in Rebecca, a remake of the Hitchcock classic based on Daphne du Maurier’s book.
She told ET of the role: “My character has this whole idea of Rebecca, but the truth is entirely different. And often in social media, that's the case. You present this world that's very, very far from the truth. It's about, like, appearance versus reality and how they can be so, so far apart.”=
Hammer said: “I think this is a cautionary tale for what might happen if you do just throw yourselves into a relationship. You might end up with someone who murdered his spouse. Or you might end up with the greatest thing in the entire world! But I guess you don't really know if you don't roll the dice.”
Rebecca is streaming on Netflix now.