Latest news with #DECIDER
Herald Sun
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Herald Sun
The Last Of Us star dishes on hit show's ‘hot' new sex scene
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 finally clarifies just exactly what is going on between 'best friends' Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced). Late in this week's episode of the HBO hit, the two young women finally open up to one another, revealing their deepest secrets and true feelings for one another. It's a veritable emotional rollercoaster for the characters that naturally crescendos with a steamy scene that The Last Of Us star Isabela Merced thinks is a 'long time coming.' WARNING: Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 below. This week's episode of The Last of Us finally sees Ellie and Dina hooking up after a near brush with death. The two girls finally arrive in Seattle, where they initially hole up for the day in an abandoned music shop in what we'd recognise — but they don't — as a queer neighbourhood. It's here that Bella Ramsey gets to play out the iconic 'Take on Me' scene from The Last of Us II video game as Dina watches on, totally enthralled. Later in the episode, Ellie and Dina begin exploring the city in their quest to track down Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her cohorts. After running into a W.L.F. team, they run into the underground tunnels for safety. Unfortunately, that area is overrun by Infected. As Ellie and Dina make their escape, Ellie puts herself in harm's way to help save Dina. In doing so, though, she gets bitten. Dina immediately assumes the worst, that she will now have to kill the friend she secretly loves before that friend turns. There's a tense showdown wherein Ellie pleads for her life by admitting she's immune, offering to sleep on the other side of the theatre they're sheltering in. After hours pass and it's clear Ellie is fine, Dina accepts the miracle that's been given her. She admits her secret, that she's pregnant, and then kisses Ellie. The two immediately have sex in a sequence that is sweet, scintillating, and brimming with real romantic passion. 'I definitely was super excited for that scene,' Isabela Merced told DECIDER earlier this week. 'I feel like it's so necessary and it's so hot and really feels placed correctly in the sequence.' 'On top of that, it looks really spur of the moment and passionate and random, but every single movement from the jacket to the belt to the 'this' and 'that' was really calculated and it was very choreographed.' Merced explained that she and Ramsey wanted to ensure 'every movement was authentic to the characters themselves.' They didn't want anything to feel out of place. Moreover, Merced revealed they worked hard to add 'physical consent as opposed to just verbal' in the scene. 'I think at one point I nod. At one time I move Ellie's hand down. Like it's very calculated and thought-through,' she said. Merced also explained that part of what takes so long for Dina to admit her feelings is the fact that she doesn't know about bisexuality. 'I think she's under the impression — the imposed impression — that she is straight,' Merced said, referring to Dina's later memory of her own mother denying her feelings for both boys and girls. 'I don't think it's a manipulative thing. I think it's just spur of the moment, heated, and inevitable in a way,' she said. 'You know, I think they keep finding themselves drawn to each other in a really beautiful, romantic sense.' Merced also confirmed that Dina's been aching to kiss Ellie again since New Year's. 'No, yeah, the tension's been there for sure,' she said. 'Yeah, I really think that was a long time coming.' Ellie and Dina might be officially a couple now, but there's a war brewing in Seattle, and Abby is still out there. Will their romance be a positive for them on the mission? Or will it make any inevitable violence all the more tragic? This story originally appeared on Decider and is republished here with permission. Originally published as The Last Of Us star dishes on hit show's 'hot' new sex scene
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
The Last Of Us star dishes on hit show's ‘hot' new sex scene
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 finally clarifies just exactly what is going on between 'best friends' Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced). Late in this week's episode of the HBO hit, the two young women finally open up to one another, revealing their deepest secrets and true feelings for one another. It's a veritable emotional rollercoaster for the characters that naturally crescendos with a steamy scene that The Last Of Us star Isabela Merced thinks is a 'long time coming.' WARNING: Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 below. This week's episode of The Last of Us finally sees Ellie and Dina hooking up after a near brush with death. The two girls finally arrive in Seattle, where they initially hole up for the day in an abandoned music shop in what we'd recognise — but they don't — as a queer neighbourhood. It's here that Bella Ramsey gets to play out the iconic 'Take on Me' scene from The Last of Us II video game as Dina watches on, totally enthralled. Later in the episode, Ellie and Dina begin exploring the city in their quest to track down Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her cohorts. After running into a W.L.F. team, they run into the underground tunnels for safety. Unfortunately, that area is overrun by Infected. As Ellie and Dina make their escape, Ellie puts herself in harm's way to help save Dina. In doing so, though, she gets bitten. Dina immediately assumes the worst, that she will now have to kill the friend she secretly loves before that friend turns. There's a tense showdown wherein Ellie pleads for her life by admitting she's immune, offering to sleep on the other side of the theatre they're sheltering in. After hours pass and it's clear Ellie is fine, Dina accepts the miracle that's been given her. She admits her secret, that she's pregnant, and then kisses Ellie. The two immediately have sex in a sequence that is sweet, scintillating, and brimming with real romantic passion. 'I definitely was super excited for that scene,' Isabela Merced told DECIDER earlier this week. 'I feel like it's so necessary and it's so hot and really feels placed correctly in the sequence.' 'On top of that, it looks really spur of the moment and passionate and random, but every single movement from the jacket to the belt to the 'this' and 'that' was really calculated and it was very choreographed.' Merced explained that she and Ramsey wanted to ensure 'every movement was authentic to the characters themselves.' They didn't want anything to feel out of place. Moreover, Merced revealed they worked hard to add 'physical consent as opposed to just verbal' in the scene. 'I think at one point I nod. At one time I move Ellie's hand down. Like it's very calculated and thought-through,' she said. Merced also explained that part of what takes so long for Dina to admit her feelings is the fact that she doesn't know about bisexuality. 'I think she's under the impression — the imposed impression — that she is straight,' Merced said, referring to Dina's later memory of her own mother denying her feelings for both boys and girls. 'I don't think it's a manipulative thing. I think it's just spur of the moment, heated, and inevitable in a way,' she said. 'You know, I think they keep finding themselves drawn to each other in a really beautiful, romantic sense.' Merced also confirmed that Dina's been aching to kiss Ellie again since New Year's. 'No, yeah, the tension's been there for sure,' she said. 'Yeah, I really think that was a long time coming.' Ellie and Dina might be officially a couple now, but there's a war brewing in Seattle, and Abby is still out there. Will their romance be a positive for them on the mission? Or will it make any inevitable violence all the more tragic?
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Hacks' Pits Jimmy Kimmel vs. Deborah Vance in a 'Hilarious' Battle Over Kristen Bell: 'He Was a Riot!'
Hacks Season 4 has been all about the bonkers behind-the-scenes drama that goes into making late night comedy in 2025. This week, in Hacks Season 4 Episode 5 'Clickable Face,' the MAX hit tackles the stress of nabbing top tier talent that can appeal to, ahem, target demographics. After a focus group decides that Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) isn't relatable enough for their liking, the ruthless comic resorts to underhanded tactics to nab a super popular guest. The one problem? In doing so, she starts a turf war with none other than real life late night host Jimmy Kimmel. **Spoilers for Season 4 Episode 5 'Clickable Face,' now streaming on MAX** Early in Hacks Season 4 Episode 5 'Clickable Face,' Deborah Vance learns that women between the ages of 25 and 45 do not like her, per the aforementioned focus group, she decides that she absolutely needs to have a guest who does appeal to that demo. Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) floats the idea that popular star Kristen Bell could appear on the show for a much-needed ratings bump. The problem? Bell is already committed to appear on Kimmel. 'They vacation together,' Jimmy says. Undeterred, Deborah goes on a mission to the cute LA enclave of Larchmont to literally stalk Bell in her local grocery store. There, she confronts the real life star of Nobody Wants This (and a fictional live action Tinkerbell) to guilt the actress into appearing on her show ASAP. Bell obliges, but there's a problem. It's Kimmel. The next day, Jimmy Kimmel is literally waiting for Deborah at her parking spot, ready to push into her personal space and shake her down. 'KB's not doing your show,' he says bluntly, referring to Bell. 'Everyone knows that when she's got a new project, that she does my show first. I got full custody when Conan died.' Kimmel goes on to make fun of other late night hosts like Fallon and Cordon, all while alluding to the work he's done to secure bookings in the cutthroat world of late night talent booking. It's a more sinister side to the late night host and one that Jean Smart revealed wasn't (initially) true to life. 'Hilarious! Hilarious!' Smart exclaimed when DECIDER asked her about the scene. 'And he was so sweet!' 'When we first started the scene, he kept apologizing to everybody. He said, 'You know, just please be patient. Please be kind. I don't normally do this.'' And he was really nervous,' she added. However, as the day went on, Kimmel became more comfortable with his part on Hacks. 'By the end of the scene, he was like padding his part and adding lines,' Smart said. 'It was like, 'We've created a monster.'' 'I love it,' Hacks co-star Hannah Einbinder chimed in. 'He was a riot. He was so much fun,' Smart said. Smart also revealed she had one slight regret about the whole situation. DECIDER spoke to her and Einbinder weeks before Hacks Season 4's April premiere date and Kimmel's cameo was still a tightly kept secret. 'I'm going to do his show April 9th and I wish we could show a clip of that scene, but we can't because it won't have aired yet,' Smart said. 'I really wish we could.'
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Zero Day's Most Pleasant Twist? Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Plemons's Secret Romance
Netflix's new political thriller Zero Day is not necessarily what you might categorize as a 'sexy show,' but one scintillating subplot paired up two of Hollywood's most beloved actors. **Spoilers for , now streaming on Netflix** In Zero Day Episode 2, we learn that Roger Carlson (Jesse Plemons) and Alex Mullen (Lizzy Caplan) have more in common than shared father figure President George Mullen (Robert De Niro). The President's loyal body man not only dated the Commander in Chief's daughter, but Roger and Alex continue to shack up whenever the opportunity strikes! In fact, the moment where this romantic connection clicks into place comes in Zero Day Episode 2. President Mullen has tasked Roger with visiting Alex at her NYC apartment to try to come to some sort of political agreement about the Zero Day Commission. George mentions something about how Roger is one of the only people who can get through to his daughter. After Roger and Alex snipe back and forth about the stressful situation the whole country now finds themselves in, he bluntly asks, 'Are we doing this or not?' Then after a cooly witty back and forth, Alex walks into her bedroom, matter-of-factly taking off her shirt. Roger follows, undressing himself in turn. The casualness of the situation reflects how deep this relationship must go. 'I loved those scenes,' Lizzy Caplan told DECIDER. 'We knew from very early on that there was a rich history that we wanted to convey.' That history includes Alex's deceased brother, Nick (Jackson Eick). We learn over the course of the series that the major reason President Mullen opted not to seek reelection was because Nick perished from a heroin overdose. 'The three of them, we decided, were very, very close,' Caplan said. 'There are very few people that can actually understand what it's like to grow up in that family, in that White House, with that much of that many eyeballs on you all the time.' 'Especially when you're like Roger and Alex and Alex's brother, where they like to have a good time. They party a little too much. You know, they're sort of rebellious spirits.' Caplan was of course referring to the cocaine we know Alex does, the heroin Nick did, and the fact that Roger mentions being in Narcotics Anonymous. Caplan also explained that she and Plemons worked hard to ensure the Zero Day audience could intuit this rich history even if the script didn't point it out. 'We really didn't have that many scenes together and the scenes that we did have together, they're talking about this massive attack that is currently at the forefront of everybody's mind,' she said. 'So how do you integrate this history in these moments?' 'Jesse and I talked a lot about it. We wanted to refer back to very specific memories that they would have had together that we hoped that filled out some kind of tapestry between them, that it felt like they had known each other for a really long time.' Things like the couple's playful use of official language or Roger's recollections of the lake house obviously play into this, inviting the audience into their shared history. 'That shared experience is why she can open up to him and and rely on him.,' Caplan said. 'I think she probably has very few people outside of her family and outside of Roger who she could feel comfortable enough doing that with.'
