Kathrin Romary Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973)[1][2][3][4] is an English actress. The only child of the actorsRichard Beckinsale andJudy Loe, she debuted in the series premiere of the 1975 daytime dramaCouples.
Kathrin Romary Beckinsale was born on 26 July 1973 inIsleworth,London.[5][6] She is the only child of actorsRichard Beckinsale andJudy Loe.[7] Her half-sister from her father's earlier marriage is actressSamantha Beckinsale.[7] Her father was partly ofBurmese descent.[8][9] Her parents did not marry until 1977, prior to Beckinsale starting nursery school,[10] when she made her first television appearance at age four, in an episode ofThis Is Your Life, dedicated to her father.[11] When she was five, her father died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 31. She was deeply traumatised by the loss and "started expecting bad things to happen".[12][7]
Her widowed mother moved in with directorRoy Battersby when Beckinsale was nine and she was brought up alongside his four sons and daughter.[13] She had a close relationship with her stepfather,[7] who was a member of theWorkers Revolutionary Party during her youth.[14] She helped to sellThe News Line, aTrotskyist newspaper, as a little girl and has said the household phone was tapped following Battersby's blacklisting by theBBC.[14] Family friends includedKen Loach andVanessa Redgrave.[14]
Beckinsale studied Russian at school[19] and readFrench andRussian literature atNew College,Oxford, and was later described by her contemporaryVictoria Coren Mitchell, as "whip-clever, slightly nuts, and very charming."[20] She became friends withRoy Kinnear's daughter Kirsty.[21] She was involved with theOxford University Dramatic Society, most notably being directed by fellow studentTom Hooper in a production ofA View from the Bridge at theOxford Playhouse.[22] As a Modern Languages student, she was required to spend her third year abroad, and studied in Paris. She then quit university to focus on her burgeoning acting career: "It was getting to the point where I wasn't enjoying either thing enough because both were very high pressure."[7] Beckinsale has stated she would like to complete her studies at theUniversity of Oxford.[23][24]
When Beckinsale was fifty-one, her mother died of stage-four cancer, aged 78. Beckinsale said: "She died the night of July 15 in my arms after immeasurable suffering."[25]
Career
1991–1997: Early acting roles
Beckinsale decided at a young age she wanted to be an actress: "I grew up immersed in film. My family were in the business. I quickly realised that my parents seemed to have much more fun in their work than any of my friends' parents."[26] She was inspired by the performances ofJeanne Moreau.[27] She made her television debut in 1991 with a small part in anITV adaptation ofP. D. James'Devices and Desires.[28] In 1992, she starred alongsideChristopher Eccleston in "Rachel's Dream," a 30‑minuteChannel 4 short.[29] In 1993, she appeared in the pilot of theITV detective series,Anna Lee, starringImogen Stubbs.[30]
In 1993, Beckinsale landed the role ofHero inKenneth Branagh's big-screen adaptation ofMuch Ado About Nothing. It was filmed inTuscany, Italy, during a summer holiday from the University of Oxford. She attended the film'sCannes Film Festival premiere and remembered it as an overwhelming experience. "Nobody even told me I could bring a friend!"[17] "I hadDoc Martens boots on, and I think I put the flower from the breakfast tray in my hair."[31]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone was won over by her "lovely" performance.[32]Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times noted that she andRobert Sean Leonard "look right and behave with a certain naive sincerity, although they often seem numb with surprise at hearing the complex locutions they speak."[33] The film grossed over $22 million at the box office.[34]
She made three other films while at university. In 1994, she appeared asChristian Bale's love interest inPrince of Jutland, a film based on the Danishlegend which inspired Shakespeare'sHamlet,[35] and starred in the murder mysteryUncovered.[36] In 1995, while studying in Paris, she filmed theFrench languageMarie-Louise ou la permission.[37]
Shortly after leaving Oxford University in 1995, Beckinsale starred inCold Comfort Farm, as Flora Poste, a newly orphaned 1930s socialite sent to live with distant family members in rural England. TheJohn Schlesinger-directed film was an adaptation ofStella Gibbons'snovel and also featuredJoanna Lumley,Eileen Atkins,Ian McKellen,Rufus Sewell andStephen Fry. Beckinsale was initially considered too young, but was cast after she wrote a pleading letter to the director.[38]Emanuel Levy ofVariety was reminded of "the strength of a youngGlenda Jackson and the charm of a youngJulie Christie."[39] Kevin Thomas of theLos Angeles Times classed the actress as "yet another of those effortlessly skilled British beauties who light up the screen."[40]Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times felt she played the role "with the perfect snippy aplomb."[41] The film grossed over $5 million at the US box office.[42]
Also in 1995, she appeared inHaunted, a ghost story in which Derek Elley ofVariety felt she "holds the screen, with both physical looks and verbal poise."[43] 1995 saw Beckinsale's first professional stage appearance, as Nina inThe Seagull atTheatre Royal,Bath. She became romantically involved with costarMichael Sheen after meeting during play rehearsals.[44] She later said: "I was all revved up to feel very intimidated. It was my first-ever play and my mother had cut out reviews of him in previous productions. And then he walked in ... It was almost like, 'God, well, I'm finished now. That's it, then.'... He's the most outrageously talented person I've ever met."[45]Irving Wardle ofThe Independent felt that "the casting, including Michael Sheen's volcanic Kostya and Kate Beckinsale's steadily freezing Nina, is mainly spot-on."[46] In early 1996, she starred in two further plays,Sweetheart at theRoyal Court Theatre[47] andClocks and Whistles atthe Bush Theatre.[48]
Beckinsale next starred in anITV adaptation ofJane Austen'sEmma, playing Emma toMark Strong's Mr Knightley andSamantha Morton's Harriet Smith. "You shouldn't necessarily like Emma," Beckinsale has said of her character. "You do love her, but in the way the family of a young girl could be exasperated by her outrageous behaviour and still love her."[38] The programme was aired in autumn 1996, just months afterGwyneth Paltrow had starred in afilm adaptation of the same story.[38] Caryn James ofThe New York Times felt that while "Ms. Beckinsale's Emma is plainer looking than Ms. Paltrow's," she is "altogether more believable and funnier."[49] Jonathan Brown ofThe Independent has described Beckinsale's interpretation as "the most enduring modern performance" as Emma.[50]
In 1997, Beckinsale appeared oppositeStuart Townsend in the comedyShooting Fish, one of the most commercially successful British films of that year.[51][52] "I'd just had mywisdom teeth out," Beckinsale later recalled of the initial audition. "I was also on very strong painkillers, so it was not the most conventional of meetings."[53] Elley wrote of "an incredibly laid-back performance."[54] Thomas felt she "just glows as an aristocrat facing disaster with considerable aplomb."[55] She narrated Austen'sEmma forHodder & Stoughton AudioBooks[56] and Diana Hendry's "The Proposal" forBBC Radio 4.[57][58] Also in 1997, she played Juliet toMichael Sheen's Romeo, in an audio production ofRomeo and Juliet, directed by Sheen.[59]
At this point in her career, Beckinsale began to seek work in the United States, something she has said wasn't "a conscious decision... My boyfriend was in a play on Broadway so that's why we ended up in New York, and my auditions happened to be for American films."[61] She starred oppositeChloë Sevigny in 1998'sThe Last Days of Disco. TheWhit Stillman film focused on a group of mostlyIvy League andHampshire College graduates socialising in the Manhattan disco scene of the early 1980s. Beckinsale's American accent was widely praised.[62][63][64]Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times felt her role as the bossy Charlotte was "beautifully played."[65]Todd McCarthy ofVariety was unimpressed by the film but noted that "compensations include Beckinsale, looking incredible in a succession of black dresses, whose character can get on your nerves even if the actress doesn't."[66] Her performance earned her aLondon Critics' Circle Film Award.[67] The film grossed $3 million worldwide.[68]
In 1999, Beckinsale appeared oppositeClaire Danes inBrokedown Palace, a drama about two young Americans forced to deal with the Thai justice system on a post-graduation trip abroad. A then 26-year-old Beckinsale played a young girl.[69] Danes had hoped to become friends with Beckinsale during the shoot but found her "complicated" and "prickly."[70] McCarthy said the leads "confirm their status as two of the young actresses on the scene today most worth watching," finding Beckinsale "very effective at getting across layered character traits and emotions."[71] "Danes and Beckinsale are exceptionally talented young actresses," said Thomas, but "unfortunately, the script's seriously underdeveloped context defeats their considerable efforts at every turn."[72] Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times felt that Beckinsale's character "never comes into focus."[73] The film was a box office failure.[74]
2000'sThe Golden Bowl marked Beckinsale's first role following the birth of her daughter. TheMerchant/Ivory production was based on thenovel byHenry James and also starredUma Thurman andJeremy Northam. Beckinsale's partner, Michael Sheen, hit Northam on the film set after he followed Beckinsale to her trailer to scold her for forgetting a line.[75] Holden noted "the most satisfying of the four-lead performances belong to the British cast members, Ms. Beckinsale and Mr. Northam, who are better than their American counterparts at layers of emotional concealment," adding each beat of Beckinsale's performance "registers precisely."[76] Thomas felt her performance would take her to "a new career level."[77]Andrew Sarris ofThe New York Observer asserted that she "comes close to capturing the sublimity of Maggie, despite the obvious fact that no movie can capture the elegant copiousness of James' prose."[78] The film grossed over $5 million worldwide.[79]
Beckinsale rose to fame in 2001 with a leading role in the war filmPearl Harbor, as a nurse torn between two pilots, played byBen Affleck andJosh Hartnett. She was drawn to the project by the script: "It's so unusual these days to read a script that has those old-fashioned values to it. Not morals, but movie values. It's a big, sweeping epic....You just never get the chance to do that."[80] DirectorMichael Bay initially had doubts about casting the actress: "I wasn't sure about her at first...she wore black leather trousers in her screen test and I thought she was a little nasty...it was easy to think of this woman as a slut."[81] He eventually decided to hire her because she wasn't "too beautiful. Women feel disturbed when they see someone's too pretty."[82] He asked her to lose weight during filming.[83]
In a 2004 interview, the actress noted that his comments were "upsetting"[84] and said she wore leather trousers because "it was snowing out. It wasn't exactly like I had my nipple rings in."[85] She felt grateful that she had not had to deal with such criticism at a younger age: "If I had come on to a movie set at [a younger] age and someone had said, 'You're a bit funny-looking, can you go on a diet?' – I might have jumped off a building. I just didn't have the confidence to put that into perspective at the time."[81] However, speaking in 2011, she said she was "very fond" of Bay.[86]
Pearl Harbor received negative reviews.Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly praised "the avid eyed, ruby lipped Kate Beckinsale, the rare actress whose intelligence gives her a sensual bloom; she's likeParker Posey without irony."[87]A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times noted that "Mr. Affleck and Ms. Beckinsale do what they can with their lines, and glow with the satiny shine of real movie stars."[88] However, Mike Clark ofUSA Today felt that the "usually appealing Kate Beckinsale" is "inexplicably submerged – like her hospital colleagues – under heaps of tarty makeup that even actresses of the era didn't wear."[89] The film was a commercial success, grossing $449 million worldwide.[90]
Beckinsale's second film appearance of 2001 was in the romantic comedySerendipity, as the love interest ofJohn Cusack. It was filmed directly afterPearl Harbor and Beckinsale found it "a real relief to return to something slightly more familiar."[61] Turan praised the "appealing and believable" leads, adding that Beckinsale "reinforces the strong impression she made inCold Comfort Farm,The Golden Bowl, andThe Last Days of Disco" after "recovering nicely" from her appearance in the much-malignedPearl Harbor.[91] Claudia Puig ofUSA Today felt that "Beckinsale's talents haven't been mined as effectively in any other film sinceCold Comfort Farm."[92] McCarthy found her "energetic and appealing."[93]Elvis Mitchell ofThe New York Times described her as "luminous but determined."[94] In an uncomplimentary review of the film,Roger Ebert described her as "a good actress, but not good enough to play this dumb."[95] The film grossed over $77 million at the worldwide box office.[96]
In 2002, Beckinsale starred inLisa Cholodenko'sLaurel Canyon, as a strait-laced academic who finds herself increasingly attracted to her free-spirited future mother-in-law. The independent film was another opportunity for Beckinsale to work withChristian Bale, herPrince of Jutland co‑star. She found their sex scene awkward because she knew Bale well: "If it was a stranger, it would have been easier."[97] WhileFrances McDormand's performance as Bale's mother was widely praised, Beckinsale received negative reviews. Holden found the film "superbly acted, with the exception of Ms. Beckinsale, whose tense, colourless Alex conveys no inner life."[98] CriticLisa Schwarzbaum was unimpressed by the "tedious" characters and criticised "the fussy performances of Bale and Beckinsale" in particular.[99] The film grossed over $4 million worldwide.[100]
Beckinsale became known as an action star after playing avampire in 2003'sUnderworld. The film was markedly different from her previous work, and Beckinsale has said she was grateful for the change of pace after appearing in "a bunch of period stuff and then a bunch of romantic comedies,"[101] adding that "It was quite a challenge for me to play an action heroine and pull off all that training when [in real life] I can't catch a ball if it's coming my way."[102] The film received negative to mixed reviews but was a surprise box-office hit and has gained a cult following.[103] Also in 2003, she starred in the little seenTiptoes withGary Oldman andMatthew McConaughey.[104]
In 2004, Beckinsale starred in the actionhorror filmVan Helsing. She was "so surprised" to be appearing in her second action film in two years. "It just seemed like a very good role."[105] Beckinsale had just separated from her long-term boyfriendMichael Sheen at the time of filming and appreciated the warm atmosphere created on set by directorStephen Sommers and co‑starHugh Jackman: "I really did find that working with people like Stephen and Hugh made it possible to get through what I was going through."[106] The film grossed over $120 million at the US box office and over $300 million worldwide, but it was not well-reviewed.[107][108]Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle described her as "a pretty actress doing her best to maintain dignity, vainly trying to craft a feminist statement from a filmmaker's whimsy."[109]Rex Reed ofThe New York Observer felt she was "desperately in need of a new agent."[110]
Also in 2004, Beckinsale portrayedAva Gardner inMartin Scorsese'sHoward Hughes biopicThe Aviator. Scorsese decided to cast Beckinsale because, "I've always liked her. I've seen all her work, and I was glad that she agreed to audition."[111] Beckinsale's performance received mixed reviews.Ken Tucker ofNew York Magazine said she played the part "in full va-va-voom blossom."[112] LaSalle felt that she manages "to convince us that Ava was one of the great broads of all time."[113] However, Clark described it as "the one performance that doesn't come off (though Beckinsale has the requisite beauty)."[114]Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian stated that "Gardner's rich, voluptuous sexiness is completely absent as Beckinsale sleepwalks through the role as if she was advertising perfume."[115] The film grossed over $213 million worldwide.[116]
In 2006, Beckinsale reprised her role as Selene in the successful vampire sequelUnderworld: Evolution, directed by her husband, Len Wiseman.[117] It was the first time she had "been involved with a movie from the moment it's a germ of an idea right through the whole editing process."[118] Her daughter had a small role as the younger Selene.[118] The film was a box office success, grossing $111 million worldwide.[119] Beckinsale's second film appearance of 2006 was oppositeAdam Sandler andChristopher Walken inClick, a comedy about an overworked family man who discovers a magical remote control that allows him to control time. The opportunity to play a mother "was one of the things that was attractive to me" about the part.[120] It was highly profitable, grossing $237 million worldwide against a production budget of $82.5 million.[121]
Beckinsale then made a return to smaller-scale projects: "My experience is that I sort of stepped away from the independent movies and did a couple of big movies. But that's not necessarily how it's perceived by everybody else, which I do understand."[122] "I enjoy an action movie as much as the next person [but] it's not something that I would like to do solely."[123] She explained that she had originally decided to appear inUnderworld because she felt typecast in classical roles – it was "assumed that I use a chamber pot and wear bloomers"[124] – but that her action career "kind of took off a little too much."[125]
In 2007, Beckinsale starred oppositeSam Rockwell in the independent dramaSnow Angels, based on thenovel byStewart O'Nan. The harrowing film, in which she played an overwhelmed single mother, put Beckinsale "in kind of a tough place." "I did have my kid, my husband and, in fact, my ex was around a lot, so it was very nice to come home to my people whom I love."[123] Puig felt "Beckinsale gives her best performance in years."[126]Richard Corliss ofTime described it as "her sharpest work yet."[127] However, Scott felt that "her skill and discipline cannot overcome the sense that she is an exotic species transplanted into this grim ecosystem. Hard as she works to convince us otherwise, it's a stretch to believe that a woman with the kind of poised confidence in her own beauty she manifests would wind up with an underachieving mouth breather like Glenn."[128] The film grossed solely $414,404 worldwide.[129]
Also in 2007, Beckinsale appeared alongsideLuke Wilson inVacancy, a thriller set in an isolated motel.Sarah Jessica Parker was originally cast in the part, but she dropped out before filming began.[130] Bradshaw felt "Wilson and Beckinsale have the chops for scary movies."[131] Gleiberman noted "Luke Wilson, with his hangdog defensive mopiness, and Kate Beckinsale, all sexy severity, are ideally matched as a couple who hate each other."[132] However,Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times was unimpressed, referring to Beckinsale as "the reigning queen of the blandB's."[133] The film was profitable, grossing $35 million worldwide against a production budget of $19 million.[134]
In 2008, Beckinsale appeared inWinged Creatures, a film about how six different witnesses cope with the aftermath of a shooting. Beckinsale played awaitressing single mother in an ensemble cast which includedDakota Fanning,Jennifer Hudson, andForest Whitaker. "It was a really, really nice experience but it was quick," said Beckinsale of the filming process. "I just felt a bit like I was shot through a cannon."[123] Betsy Sharkey of theLos Angeles Times felt she played the role "with awhite trash verve" and found her character's "raw ache for that someone with money and respectability is palpable."[135] However, Dargis felt that Beckinsale and her cast mates have a "tough time filling out characters that are at best abstractions of grief and often just clichés."[136] The film received a very limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles; it was released simultaneously onDVD.[137]
Also in 2008, Beckinsale starred inNothing but the Truth, as a journalist who refuses to reveal her source. The film, co‑starringVera Farmiga andMatt Dillon, was inspired by the case ofJudith Miller. As part of her research for the role, "I spent some time atThe L.A. Times with some female reporters, and I spoke to Judith Miller about her experience....I really researched the hell out of that one and it was an amazingly fulfilling, brilliant experience."[123] Ann Hornaday ofThe Washington Post asserted that Beckinsale and Farmiga played "two of the most fascinating female movie characters to hit screens in a long while, and they've been brought to life by two gifted actresses, each working at the top of her game."[138] Beckinsale received aCritic's Choice Award nomination for her performance.[139] The film never received a full theatrical release after the distributor filed for bankruptcy[140] and the film grossed solely $186,702 worldwide.[141] "I have prayed –prayed – for film companies to gobankrupt on films I've made, and then this happens on the one I love," said Beckinsale. "Usually it's the ones you're most embarrassed about that are on the side of every bus."[142]
2009–2015: Return to action films
In 2009, Beckinsale starred in thecomic-book adaptionWhiteout, as aUS Marshal tasked with investigating a murder in Antarctica. It was filmed inManitoba, Canada.[125] She found the action scenes less physically demanding than those inUnderworld because "three pairs of trousers and a parka gives you a bit more protection than thelatex suit."[125] The film was critically panned and a box office failure, failing to recoup its budget.[143] With critics consensus: Beckinsale is as lovely as ever, and does her best with the material, but moribund pacing and an uninspired plot leave Whiteout in the cold.[143] She also made a brief cameo in the prequelUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans; she appeared inflashforwards composed of footage from 2003'sUnderworld.[144]
Also in 2009, Beckinsale starred in the family dramaEverybody's Fine alongsideRobert De Niro,Drew Barrymore, and Rockwell, herSnow Angels costar. Beckinsale was excited by the opportunity to work with De Niro, whom she had first encountered "years and years ago when I just had Lily and he was putting together a reading ofThe Good Shepherd.."[122]Everybody's Fine was a box office flop, failing to recoup its production budget.[145] In May 2010, Beckinsale sat on the nine-member2010 Cannes Film Festival jury, chaired by directorTim Burton.[146] Unable to find a script she felt passionate about, Beckinsale kept a low profile in 2010 and 2011, opting to spend time with her daughter.[147]
Beckinsale returned to acting in 2012 with appearances in three action films. Beckinsale first appeared in the action thrillerContraband. She had a supporting role as the wife ofMark Wahlberg's character, a former criminal who gets forced back into a life of crime after his family members are threatened. The film was directed byBaltasar Kormákur, who also starred in theIcelandic language version of the film,Reykjavík-Rotterdam.[148] TheSan Francisco Chronicle felt Beckinsale was "stuck in a bit of a thankless role as the victimised wife, but she does try to infuse a harder edge to the character."[149]The Hollywood Reporter stated that "Beckinsale, her innate classiness calibrated down a few notches, has little to do but be supportive, worried and, eventually, besieged."[150]Entertainment Weekly felt that the "woman-in-peril stuff is second-rate, giving off a whiff of exploitation"[151] whileVariety found the repeated violence towards Beckinsale's character disturbing.[152] The film had a production budget of $25 million and grossed over $96 million worldwide.[153]
Beckinsale next reprised her role as Selene in the fourth instalment of the vampire franchiseUnderworld: Awakening.[144] The franchise was initially conceived of as a trilogy and Beckinsale was not "intending to do another one" but was convinced by the quality of the script.[154]The Hollywood Reporter noted that "when she's not actually fighting, her performance consists of little more than striding purposefully toward or away from the camera."[155] TheLos Angeles Times remarked that she "finally manages to perfect the monotone delivery she'd been honing for the series' first two entries."[156] The film had a production budget of $70 million and grossed over $160 million worldwide.[157][158]
Also in 2012, Beckinsale appeared as the wife of a factory worker in the sci-fi action remakeTotal Recall, directed by her husband Len Wiseman.[159] She has said Wiseman joined the project because he was unable to receive studio financing for an original sci-fi idea: "You're constantly finding yourself having to defend doing a remake when you didn't really want to make one in the first place."[147] The film received mainly negative reviews.[160]Variety found her performance "one-note" whileThe Hollywood Reporter described her as "one-dimensional."[161][162]USA Today remarked that she "spends much of the movie strutting down hallways and looking relentlessly, though blandly, nasty."[163] The film grossed $198 million against a production budget of over $125 million.[164][165]
Also in 2014, Beckinsale starred in the psychological thrillerThe Face of an Angel alongsideDaniel Brühl. The film, directed byMichael Winterbottom, was inspired by the case ofMeredith Kercher.[174] Jesse Hassenger ofThe A.V. Club felt her "charismatic" performance was wasted.[175] Also in 2015, she starred alongsideSimon Pegg in the poorly received British comedyAbsolutely Anything, as an author agency employee and the love interest of a man (Pegg) chosen by four aliens to do anything he wants.[176] Tom Huddleston ofTime Out said her character "is never really developed – which is perhaps a blessing, because her cut-glass-posh performance is almost as grating as Pegg's."[177] A fan ofMonty Python growing up, in 2014 Beckinsale appeared on the fourth episode ofMonty Python's Best Bits (Mostly) where she spoke of her favourite Python comedy sketch.[178]
2016–present:Love & Friendship and beyond
Beckinsale at Comicpalooza 2016
In the 2016 romantic comedyLove & Friendship, which premiered at theSundance Film Festival, Beckinsale reunited with herLast Days of Disco collaborators Stillman and Sevigny. Based onJane Austen'sLady Susan, the film revolved around her role as the title character, a wry and calculating widow, as she pursues a wealthy and hapless man for marriage originally intended for her daughter, though she eventually marries him herself. The film was universally acclaimed by critics[179] and found commercial success inarthouse cinemas.[180]Justin Chang ofVariety described the role as "one of the most satisfying screen roles of her career [...] Beckinsale magnetizes the screen in a way that naturally underscores how far ahead of everyone else she is: an effect that doesn't always work to the movie's advantage."[181] Todd McCarthy ofThe Hollywood Reporter remarked, "There aren't great depths to the role, but Beckinsale excels with the long speeches and in defining her character as a very self-aware egoist."[182]
Also in the year, she starred in the horror filmThe Disappointments Room, oppositeMel Raido, both playing a couple in a new house that contains a hidden room with a haunted past. The film was heavily panned by critics and flopped at the box office;[183] it only made $1.4 million in its opening weekend, and a total of $2.4 million in North America.[184] Christian Holub ofEntertainment Weekly concluded that "[m]ost of the film is just Beckinsale walking around looking worried,"[185] while Joe Leydon ofVariety found her "credible and compelling [...] except for when she's trying way too hard in a rather unfortunate scene that calls for drunken ranting."[186] In late 2016, Beckinsale returned as Selene in the fifth instalment of theUnderworld franchise,Underworld: Blood Wars, which grossed $81.1 million worldwide.[187][188]
Beckinsale starred oppositePierce Brosnan,Callum Turner, andJeff Bridges inMarc Webb's romantic coming-of-age dramaThe Only Living Boy in New York (2017),[189] as a book editor and the mistress of a publisher whose son sees his life upended. Reviews of the film were mediocre, while it found a limited audience in theatres.[190]The A.V. Club found Brosnan and Beckinsale to be "vastly more interesting by the twin virtues of not disguising their voices and fitting so poorly into the sad-faced melodrama this movie wants to be."[191] She is attached to star in an adaptation ofThe Chocolate Money by Ashley Prentice Norton,[192] with a screenplay byEmma Forrest.[193] In 2018, Beckinsale starred as Ingrid Carpenter in the British filmFarming.[194]
Beckinsale was in a relationship with Welsh actorMichael Sheen from 1995 to 2003. They met when cast in a touring production ofThe Seagull in early 1995 and moved in together shortly afterwards.[207][208][209] In 1997, they voiced an audiobook production ofRomeo and Juliet.[59] Their daughter was born in 1999.[210][211] In 2001, Beckinsale said she was "embarrassed" that Sheen never proposed,[45][212] but felt as though she was married.[213] They broke up in early 2003, after the filming ofUnderworld.[214] Beckinsale and Sheen remain close friends.She remarked in 2016, "He's really dear, close family. He's somebody I've known since I was 21 years old. I really love him a lot."[215]
Beckinsale met American directorLen Wiseman while working together on 2003'sUnderworld.[216] She persuaded Wiseman to cast Sheen in the film,[217] but while on set, Beckinsale and Wiseman fell in love. Wiseman's then-wife Dana, a kindergarten teacher, accused her husband of infidelity with Beckinsale.[218] Beckinsale and Wiseman married on 9 May 2004 inBel-Air, California.[219] They separated in November 2015. Wiseman filed for divorce in 2016, citing "irreconcilable differences."[220][221] Their divorce was finalised in November 2019.[222] Beckinsale briefly dated American comedianMatt Rife in 2017 and 2018.[223][224]
From January 2019 until April 2019, Beckinsale was in a relationship with American comedianPete Davidson.[225][226]
Personal and political beliefs
Beckinsale is a smoker.[227] When she was nine, her mother moved in withRoy Battersby, and his sons introduced her to cigarettes.[228][18]
She is ateetotaller, stating in 2003, "I've never been drunk even. I've never taken drugs. I've never had a one-night-stand."[229]
In July 2003, thePress Complaints Commission dismissed a complaint filed by Beckinsale. She alleged that the tabloidDaily Mail had invaded her and her daughter's privacy by publishing photographs of the actress embracing and kissing her then-boyfriend Len Wiseman.[233] The article in question was headlined, "Mummy's latest love scene leaves Lily unimpressed" and included a picture in which her then-four-year-old daughter appeared to be ignoring her mother's romantic actions.[233] The Commission found that "the photographs had been taken in a public place and did not reveal any private details about Lily—such as her health or schooling—but were restricted to general observations about her apparent reaction to her surroundings."[233]
In August 2003, Beckinsale received a published apology from theDaily Mail after it claimed that she had "spent time in a clinic" following her break-up with Michael Sheen.[234] The apology was issued after she filed a complaint with the Press Complaints Commission.[234] In 2009, Beckinsale was awarded£20,000 (equivalent to £33,900 in 2023) in damages by the BritishHigh Court after taking legal action againstExpress Newspapers.[235] TheDaily Express had falsely reported that she was "facing heartbreak" after losing out on a role in a remake ofBarbarella.[235]
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