If you're a fan of twisted romance thrillers, chances are you're familiar with You, the series. The TV adaptation of Caroline Kepnes' novel series chronicles Joe Goldberg's life, played by former Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley. He's a razor-smart bookstore manager with a twisted and shady past who has a toxic obsession over his love interests and does not hesitate to remove any obstacles to their romance, even if it turns bloody. The series premiered on Lifetime in 2018 before Netflix picked it up for the next two seasons and released it exclusively in 2019.
The first season centers around Goldberg with an aspiring writer, Guinevere Beck, portrayed by Elizabeth Lail. That being said, it's been a while since we last heard from the actress. With the third season of You blowing up, here's everything that's happened to Lail since her last appearance on the show.
7 Gained A Nomination For Best Actress For Her Work In 'You'
Lail nailed her breakthrough performance in You, amassing a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress in Streaming Presentation back in 2018. The award honored the best performance by a female in a leading role. She was up against a handful of big names in TV, including Krysten Ritter from Jessica Jones, Natasha Lyonne from Russian Doll, and Kiernan Shipka from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Sonequa Martin-Green from Star Trek: Discovery ended up going home with the trophy for her portrayal of the show's protagonist, Michael Burnham.
6 Starred In 2020 'Gossip Girl' Reboot
This year, Lail also starred as Lola Morgan, an aspiring singer-songwriter, in Joshua Safran's standalone reboot of Gossip Girl. The series itself sees Kristen Bell reprising her role as the voice of the omniscient "Gossip Girl" blogger. Six episodes from season 1 premiered on HBO Max last summer, with the second half debuting in November this year. It was, indeed, a nice wink to You as Penn Badgley is a star of both shows.
5 Became A Cat Mom
Lail is also a proud cat mom. She named her cat Jo, short for Josephine, and a fabulous "good luck charm," although she did admit that she named the fluffy creature pre-You.
"I think it's like a good luck charm at this point," she said during an interview with E! News. "It must be. The world is like, 'These are for you. All the Joes.'" "He was meditating every morning in his dressing room," she recalled her time shooting You with Badgley. "(He) was very happy to chat with me all about the religion."
4 Starred In A Supernatural Horror
In 2019, Lail secured the leading role in a supernatural horror movie. Titled Countdown, the film's premise centers around Lail's character, a hospital nurse, as she tries to stop a cursed and sinister mobile app from contributing to people's death. The film itself was met with critical reviews, but it was also a commercial success, landing a $48 million worldwide gross against a $6.5 million budget for STX Entertainment. Comedians Tom Segura and PJ Bryne were also cast.
"It had all of the pieces of the puzzle. It had horror, heart and loads of social commentary with the app," she recalled during an interview. "That was a really pleasant surprise. I thought it was funny when I was making it, but you never really know until you watch it. I was laughing all the time."
3 Got Married To A Pediatric Dentist
Speaking of her personal life, Lail tied the knot with Nieku Manshadi on April 24 this year at the breathtaking luxurious American farmhouse the Hasbrouck House. However, due to the ongoing health crisis, the family only invited 22 guests. The pair got engaged in August 2020, during a romantic trip to Montauk, or in her own words, "the old-fashioned way."
"We planned everything with [COVID-19] in mind! I think we could have easily invited 200 people had it been another time," Elizabeth told Brides. "We decided not to wait and just invite family to keep it safe for everyone. We were also the only guests on property, which gave us peace of mind to be in our own little bubble."
2 Her Role In 'Ordinary Joe' Also Landed Her Critical Praises
As of this writing, the actress has been starring as Jenny Banks, one of the main cast members, on NBC's Ordinary Joe. Penned by Matt Reeves, the drama revolves around the titular hero as he navigates through some life changing-decisions after graduating from Syracuse University.
"The great thing about this show is the grass is never greener; it’s just different, and there is no right life or wrong life or best life. It’s just a series of choices that we’ve made," she said.
1 Gearing Up For 'Mack & Rita'
The Texan-native actress also has a plethora of forthcoming projects on her horizon. She has been announced as one of the titular protagonists of Katie Aselton's comedy-drama Mack & Rita alongside Diane Keaton, Taylour Paige, Dustin Milligan, Amy Hill, Lois Smith, and more. The film centers around "a woman in her 30s who is struck by lightning and wakes up as a 65-year-old, which isn't like what she imagined," per-Variety.
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