Kate & Pierce AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER
As the two film stalwarts stun in their latest seductive tale, Kate Beckinsale discusses what it means to be human
Imagine discovering your father is having an affair.
That’s the exact predicament Thomas Webb (Callum Turner), a recent university graduate, finds himself in when he spies his dad getting cosy with a beautiful woman in a dimly lit restaurant.
Hurt for his mother, Judith (Cynthia Nixon), and furious with his father, Ethan (Pierce Brosnan), Thomas becomes obsessed with his dad’s mistress Johanna (Kate Beckinsale) – he follows her everywhere and is determined to end the tryst. But when Johanna confronts Thomas, a seductive and unexpected relationship emerges between the two, turning both their worlds upside down.
Playing the ‘other woman’, Kate, 44, believes the film does
a great job of avoiding blackand-white clichés and depicts each character in all their flawed human glory.
‘People do unwise things, and we’re all human – so stop blaming “the other woman” for everything,’ Kate explained of the new film to Elle magazine.
‘I have friends who’ve found themselves in a relationship with a married person, people who’ve been married for two weeks and then got divorced. People do mad things.’
Kate, who recently called time on her 12-year marriage to director Len Wiseman, also questions the blame society piles on mistresses.
‘No-one’s saying anything about the male character (Pierce Brosnan). He’s actually cheating on his wife,’ the mother-of-one said. ‘It’s possible for all these characters in the movie to be doing things that might be morally wobbly for them, but they’re still decent people – and that’s humans.’
Reminiscent of 1967’s The Graduate, The Only Boy Living In New York – named after the Simon & Garfunkel song – is a witty tale and a must-watch. NI