Latest news with #Phillipa
Refinery29
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
2 Sides, 1 Story: What It Was Like For This IRL Celebrity Couple To Narrate A Romance Together
We're all the main characters in our own story, but flip it into a script about love, and then it becomes two. Two sides, two perspectives. That's how Canadian author Lily Chu structured her latest romance title Rich Girl Summer, now only on Audible, which follows the complicated romance between Valerie Peng and Nico Hever, told from both points of view. The premise: Valerie poses as a long-lost daughter of a billionaire client to help him uncover a family secret, and ends up falling for his right-hand man, Nico. And for added effect — a layer of love, a bolt of authenticity, a dose of drama — Chu tapped real-life couple Phillipa Soo and Steven Pasquale to voice the two main characters. Drawing inspiration from the audiobook's format, we interviewed Soo and Pasquale separately about their first date, how they balance their wildly busy acting careers with their personal lives, and what it was like to narrate Rich Girl Summer together. How similar — or different — were their answers? Find out below. How did you meet? Phillipa: 'We were set up by our good friend Jonathan Groff. It was kind of a blind date. Looking back, there was definitely a spark. It was so much fun and we connected immediately. We were very similar in terms of our lives and what we did — we're both actors, and we had a lot of mutual friends. We were both having the best time. He's extremely talented, having seen him from afar, but getting to meet him really solidified the fact that I was not only a huge fan of him and his acting, but just as a person. He's really funny and he made me laugh a lot.' Steven: 'We met through the impossibly charming Jonathan Groff. He insisted that we would get along like a house on fire and he was right. There was an immediate connection.' What was your first date like? Phillipa: 'It was at a bar downtown — I don't remember what it was called, but it was a Russian bar — and we met over a couple of drinks, and we laughed non-stop for hours. It was wonderful.' Steven: 'We went to get drinks at a Russian bar in downtown New York. I can't remember the name — this was 10 years ago at this point.' Did you know this person was 'the one' for you? Phillipa: 'I think pretty early on we were both drawn to each other, and within six months we were in a serious relationship. It became very apparent early on that we wanted to make this a lasting thing.' Steven: 'Not right away, but pretty soon. We were spending a lot of time together and we didn't want to stop spending time together.' What was your first impression of each other? Phillipa: 'Really funny, really cute, very talented. He has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. He has a super brain — just very smart and very witty. Again, he made me laugh so much on that first date.' Steven: 'I thought she was bright. She's so beautiful, but also really bright.' What was your experience like narrating the dual perspectives in Rich Girl Summer as a real-life couple? Phillipa: 'The narrative is chronological, but we switch off narrating the chapters from our respective characters' perspectives. When you do any kind of recording, whether it's audio or animation, it's very rare that you get to be in the room with the people you're working with. So, we recorded separately. 'What I learned is that you have to prepare and do your homework before you get into the recording booth, because it'll make your life so much easier when you're there. You have help and support from the sound engineer and director, but you have to learn how to pronounce certain things and understand the different characters' voices because sometimes there are scenes where multiple people are talking. 'There was more communication between Steven and I because we had to talk about what we were thinking for the characters that we were portraying. He recorded his before mine; I remember being in the booth and asking, 'What did Steve do for that part? Can we play it back?' so I could match it in my voice for there to be some sort of consistency. The world that Lily Chu created in Rich Girl Summer was a testament to her writing — she's really specific about each character, who they are, and what they bring, and it's easy to differentiate them because her worlds are so rich; her characters are so rich. 'Steven is a fantastic actor, so there was no doubt in my mind that his side was going to be excellent. It was nice going into the booth — even though I was alone — knowing that I was a part of a collaborative process, that someone I know and love and admire was there doing it alongside me, though not literally. It gave me confidence.' Steven: 'The irony was that we did it entirely separately. I would do my work in the booth and she would go on a different day and do her work in the booth, and then they put it all together afterwards. So, there wasn't a ton of gazing at each other across the booth.' What is it like working with each other? Phillipa: 'He's excellent at what he does and talented and wonderful. The first time we worked together was doing a reading of Kiss Me, Kate, playing opposite each other, and we had a blast. We've also done a TV series together and a production of Guys and Dolls at the Kennedy Center. And every time I learn more about him — because not only is he my scene partner, but also my real partner. Being curious is a really great quality in a relationship. There's always something to learn about yourself and about them, so staying open and curious has been a really great part of our relationship, especially since we get to work together. 'When we were singing and doing the scenes in Guys and Dolls, there was a feeling, a spark, an excitement in the room. People talk about chemistry and are like, 'What does that mean?' For us, it's a very specific thing because we have actual chemistry on stage and [as a couple in real life]. Some of the most fun I've ever had has been on stage with him.' Steven: 'We starred in a Kennedy Center production of Guys and Dolls together two years ago. And we did a musical Kiss Me, Kate together. We co-starred in a television show called The Bite for Robert and Michelle King during the pandemic. We also did a TV show called The Code together. It's great. Phillipa is a world-class actor, so it's just great to put everything aside and play with a world-class actor. Anytime that happens, it's really fun. It's always a blast.' How do you balance your career with your personal life? How do you make time for each other? Phillipa: 'Finding time whenever we can to connect, whether that's on FaceTime if we're long distance, or at the end of the day if we're really busy — even if it's just a cup of tea together and we only have 20 minutes before we're ready to go to bed and the other person just got home from their show. Or, coffee in the morning. Those tiny rituals that make you feel like you're coming back to home base, connecting, and checking it — they certainly make me feel much more grounded, and I can have an amazing day because of it.' Steven: 'We radically prioritize working in New York City, so that we can at least be in the same geographic space. And we try to be together at the end of the day, even if a day is insane where one of us would be doing a long 16-hour television show and the other's doing a play. It can be hard to balance, but we try to carve out time in our days to spend together. [When we're not in the same city] we call, we text, we FaceTime. FaceTime is the great equalizer of long distance-relationships — it's like being in the same room with a person.' Do you have the same love language? Phillipa: 'Meaning, do we express love in the same way? I would say that we have many different ways of expressing our love for each other. I love to cook and so a lot of my day-to-day love language is making a lovely meal for the both of us to share and enjoy. And Steve loves an adventure. We're both big fans of New York; no one loves New York more than Steve. Going out, having an adventure, riding our bikes to a new fun hole-in-the-wall restaurant, having a good time and a good laugh, seeing some incredible art — that's our favorite thing to do. 'He's a big Notre Dame fan and I'm not a sports person at all. At the beginning of our relationship, he told me he was a big Notre Dame fan, and I had no idea what that meant. It involved me learning about football, and now, I watch the game with him because he loves it. He learned how to cook, and I learned how to love watching football.' Steven: 'I don't know what that means. My love language is Notre Dame football. Is that an acceptable answer? I'm going to put myself in the regular bro category and have no idea what you're even referring to. I'm waving the white flag of surrender on that question.' What has been the most rom-com moment in your relationship? Phillipa: 'We laugh a lot. There's always silly things happening. When one of us can make the other one laugh, that's like the best thing. It's just so fun. Constantly joking around and being silly.' Steven: 'Oh god, she's a very silly fun person, so we have tons of fun all the time, so I couldn't begin to choose one. We are very silly people, so to pick one would be to assume that they are infrequent. They are literally all the time.' How would you describe your relationship? Phillipa: 'Super healthy. All relationships are tricky, and you have to put a lot of work into it in order to make it work. As actors, it's sometimes hard to find stability in your life. So, working really hard to find stability and being together as much as we can and connecting and prioritizing any form of connection has been really helpful.' Steven: 'Great. We have a strong friendship; she's my favorite hanging buddy. She's the yin to my yang. We really are a good balance for each other.' What has been the most romantic or memorable date? Phillipa: 'We had a really great date early on when we both acknowledged that this was real and serious, and we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, which was something I had never done in all my years of living in New York, so the first time I did it was with Steve.' Steven: 'It would have to be when we got engaged. We were on vacation in the Caribbean and it happened on the beach, and it was beautiful. That would be my top choice. I wasn't nervous because she was dropping hints, so I knew it would go well.' How do you resolve conflict? Phillipa: ' We talk. We communicate as soon as we can. I think it's better to express what's going on as opposed to sitting on feelings and letting things stew. It's a practice; it's never perfect, but it's definitely better to talk, always.' Steven: 'We talk it out. We communicate really well.' What's your number-one advice for couples? Phillipa: ' Choosing to be loving, whatever that means for you. We can get stuck in ways of loving people and giving people the things that they need because it's out of habit or it's hard to go out of your comfort zone. Loving your partner more will make everything flourish.' Steven: 'You don't have to be right to be happy — conflict is so easy to avoid if you're willing to not think you have to be right all the time. That's advice my dad gave me, and it's advice I live by to this day.'
Daily Mirror
16-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Brit dad shares weird seat coincidence after cheating death on Air India flight
A British dad has shared his shock and expressed his gratitude for the last minute flight change that saved his life - he was due on the Air India flight 171 this week A British dad was originally due to fly home on the doomed Air India flight - but changed his plans at the very last minute and tells of the very bizarre coincidence with his new booking. Owen Jackson, 31, from Saffron Walden in Essex, had been in India on a work trip and was scheduled to fly back this week but had to decide between flying back on Thursday or Saturday. In the end his colleagues said to take the Saturday flight as the job would take a bit longer than originally planned. He was then booked onto the same route on Saturday which would have been the same aircraft as the one which crashed, killing all but one of the 242 people onboard. In a bizarre coincidence, Owen was booked onto seat 11A for the Saturday flight - the seat number belonging to the only survivor of flight 171. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which had been bound for London's Gatwick Airport, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members when it crashed minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Right before losing signal, the aircraft sent a "mayday" message to colleagues on the ground, alerting them to an emergency situation. The Dreamliner crashed directly into a dining room at B J Medical College, in a residential area of Ahmedabad, western India, while medical students were sitting down for their lunch. However, in a turn of events deemed miraculous by some, passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh managed to escape the horror ordeal, surviving with "impact injuries" on his chest, eyes and feet. Owen told The Sun: 'It's a shock. I'm more grateful than anything else - it is such a weird coincidence. You hear it every now and again about planes going down and you don't really think much of it, but when it's the actual aircraft you're potentially getting on two days later, it does make you think. My main emotion on the whole thing is I'm quite grateful for the fact that I made that decision when I did.' When news first broke of the crash, Owen had not told his family back home which day he was due to fly back on. Wife Phillipa, 30, spent two hours unsure whether her husband had perished in the crash. Phillipa said: 'It was surreal. It was like being in a dream, but not actually just hoping to wake up, but pinching yourself over and over again and not waking up." Owen said: 'I hadn't checked my phone two hours after it happened, after the news broke. I probably was one of the last people to find out about it, funnily enough, because I was in meetings exactly when the news was breaking. Families who have lost loved ones in the Air India Flight 171 catastrophe will be offered £86,000, as pledged by Air India owners the Tata Group.
Scottish Sun
15-06-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Shocked Brit dad reveals how he cheated death on doomed Air India flight after last minute change of plans
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRITISH dad has told of his shock after he was originally due to fly home on the doomed Air India flight - but changed his plans. Owen Jackson, 31, from Saffron Walden in Essex, had been on a work trip to India and scheduled to jet back on Thursday. 7 Owen Jackson, with wife Phillipa, had been on a work trip in India when he decided to take a different flight home Credit: Supplied Businessman Owen, who was in the country for the first time to help train colleagues in a call centre, had to decide between flying back on Thursday or Saturday. In the end his colleagues said to take the Saturday flight as the job would take a bit longer than originally planned. He was then booked onto the same route on Saturday which would have been the same aircraft as the one which crashed, killing all but one of the 242 people onboard. In a bizarre coincidence, Owen was booked onto seat 11A for the Saturday flight. It is the same seat number as the sole survivor of the devastating crash, Vishwashkumar Ramesh. Owen told The Sun: 'It's a shock. I'm more grateful than anything else - it is such a weird coincidence. 'You hear it every now and again about planes going down and you don't really think much of it, but when it's the actual aircraft you're potentially getting on two days later, it does make you think. 'My main emotion on the whole thing is I'm quite grateful for the fact that I made that decision when I did.' When news first broke of the crash, Owen had not told his family back home which day he was due to fly back on. Wife Phillipa, 30, spent two hours unsure whether her husband had perished in the crash, as he had not informed her he had changed his plans. Owen said: 'I hadn't checked my phone two hours after it happened, after the news broke. I probably was one of the last people to find out about it, funnily enough, because I was in meetings exactly when the news was breaking.' Phillipa said: 'It was surreal. It was like being in a dream, but not actually just hoping to wake up, but pinching yourself over and over again and not waking up. 'I work with children, so I was kind of teaching at the time and just trying to not let them see or know what I was feeling. 'I still feel affected by it now, to be honest with you, for days. I was just bursting into tears randomly. 'The way we felt is nothing compared to how the victims and their families are actually feeling, my heart really goes out to them, it's just awful.' 7 7 The plane seconds before disaster with its landing gear still extended Credit: x/nchorAnandN 7 It then crashed in a fireball at a doctor's hostel Credit: x/nchorAnandN 7 Firefighters work at the site of the crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad Credit: EPA 7 People stand near debris at the crash site Credit: EPA
The Irish Sun
15-06-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Shocked Brit dad reveals how he cheated death on doomed Air India flight after last minute change of plans
A BRITISH dad has told of his shock after he was originally due to fly home on the doomed Air India flight - but changed his plans. Owen Jackson, 31, from Saffron Walden in Essex, had been on a work trip to India and scheduled to jet back on Thursday. 7 Owen Jackson, with wife Phillipa, had been on a work trip in India when he decided to take a different flight home Credit: Supplied Businessman Owen, who was in the country for the first time to help train colleagues in a call centre, had to decide between flying back on Thursday or Saturday. In the end his colleagues said to take the Saturday flight as the job would take a bit longer than originally planned. He was then booked onto the same route on Saturday which would have been the same aircraft as the one which crashed, In a bizarre coincidence, Owen was booked onto Read More on UK News It is the same seat number as the sole survivor of the devastating crash, Owen told The Sun: 'It's a shock. I'm more grateful than anything else - it is such a weird coincidence. 'You hear it every now and again about planes going down and you don't really think much of it, but when it's the actual aircraft you're potentially getting on two days later, it does make you think. 'My main emotion on the whole thing is I'm quite grateful for the fact that I made that decision when I did.' Most read in The Sun When news first broke of the crash, Owen had not told his family back home which day he was due to fly back on. Wife Phillipa, 30, spent two hours unsure whether her husband had perished in the crash, as he had not informed her he had changed his plans. Owen said: 'I hadn't checked my phone two hours after it happened, after the news broke. I probably was one of the last people to find out about it, funnily enough, because I was in meetings exactly when the news was breaking.' Phillipa said: 'It was surreal. It was like being in a dream, but not actually just hoping to wake up, but pinching yourself over and over again and not waking up. 'I work with children, so I was kind of teaching at the time and just trying to not let them see or know what I was feeling. 'I still feel affected by it now, to be honest with you, for days. I was just bursting into tears randomly. 'The way we felt is nothing compared to how the victims and their families are actually feeling, my heart really goes out to them, it's just awful.' 7 7 The plane seconds before disaster with its landing gear still extended Credit: x/nchorAnandN 7 It then crashed in a fireball at a doctor's hostel Credit: x/nchorAnandN 7 Firefighters work at the site of the crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad Credit: EPA 7 People stand near debris at the crash site Credit: EPA 7 Crews search and clear the wreck Credit: EPA
North Wales Live
20-05-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Little-known mortgage could slash your monthly bills if you do some DIY
According to a property expert, homeowners can save hundreds of pounds on their mortgage by doing DIY. Phillippa Jackson, Operations Director at Purplebricks Mortgages, said some simple home improvements could qualify you for lower mortgage repayments. Phillipa said: 'There are certain home improvements that will save you money on your energy bills, something we could all do with given the last few years of bill hikes. Not only are more energy-efficient properties cheaper to run, they can also command higher house prices and may be eligible for a green mortgage, which can come with preferential rates. 'Green mortgages were created to reward homeowners for buying or owning an energy-efficient home. The logic behind them being, that lenders view energy-efficient properties as a better, more reliable purchase, that will save homeowners money on their energy bills while making them less likely to default on their monthly mortgage repayments. 'As well as benefiting from lower energy bills, your lender will either offer lower interest rates on your mortgage or a cash back option - which could be win-win either way for homebuyers or people remortgaging.' The first step to qualifying is simple home improvements: The quick fix lightbulb switch Phillipa said: 'Upgrading all your lightbulbs to energy-efficient LED equivalents is a cheap and easy win in the battle for energy efficiency in your home. 'Switching from traditional halogen bulbs to LEDs can save a typical UK household around £40 per year on their electricity bill. This is because LEDs use significantly less energy than halogens, saving around £2-3 per bulb per year.' Insulate, Insulate, Insulate Phillippa said: 'A well insulated property will save you a fortune in central heating charges. The older your property, the less likely it will be well insulated, particularly properties built before 1925, and those in rural areas. 'Older homes are likely to feature solid walls, which are more difficult and costly to insulate compared to cavity walls. Some areas of your home might require a professional to carry out insulation but your loft could be an easy win that you could tackle yourself. 'Given a quarter of heat is lost through the roof in an uninsulated home, insulating your loft, attic or flat roof is an effective way to reduce heat loss which will in turn reduce your heating bills.' Deal with your drafts Phillipa said: 'An easy job that can make a huge difference is sealing gaps around windows and doors to prevent drafts and heat loss. 'Chimneys, pipes and gaps in floorboards and eaves can also significantly lower the temperature of a room and can be easily sealed up without needing to spend a fortune.' Cover your windows A typical home loses roughly 10% to 18% of its total heat through the windows. This percentage can vary depending on factors like the type of glazing (single, double, or triple), the number of windows, and their insulation. Phillipa said: 'Changing your window dressing to thermal blinds or thermal curtains is one way of preventing heat loss, keeping the cold out and the heat in, especially in the winter months. 'I'd recommend also looking at placing draught excluders along window sills as they can provide an effective barrier against draughts coming from windows. You can also easily reseal the edges of window frames with self-adhesive foam tape, which blocks cold air from entering the room.' Are your appliances energy efficient? Philipa said: 'It might sound boring, but I'd strongly advise you to do an energy audit of all your electrical appliances. This is how you will find out how much energy they use and whether they are energy efficient or not. 'If you are able to replace any energy guzzlers with appliances that use less power when performing a task, you will start to see your bills coming down.' Now, get a new EPC Phillipa said: 'A new Energy Performance Certificate can cost less than £50 in some areas of the UK, meaning homeowners can find out whether all their hard work on their home has paid off. The EPC document assesses a building's energy efficiency, grading it from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). Any improvements could upgrade your home to a higher category. 'As part of the EPC assessment process, an expert will also be able to advise you on what other changes you could make to the property to boost its green credentials.' Could you be eligible for a Green Mortgage? Phillipa said: 'Green mortgages were created to reward homeowners for buying or owning an energy efficient home. To qualify the property has to be rated either an A or B in its Energy Performance Certificate. 'If you are wondering what this all means - all properties for sale must have an energy efficiency rating, when they are sold. It is estimated that over half of UK homes fall into the C or below category, suggesting thousands of homes are on the cusp on a qualifying energy efficiency rating. 'If you qualify for a green mortgage, as well as benefiting from lower energy bills, your lender may offer lower interest rates on your mortgage or a cash back option - which could be win-win either way for homebuyers or people remortgaging.' Phillipa said: 'Green mortgages have seen significant growth in the past few years, increasing from four products being available in 2019 to over 60 today. Surprisingly, they are still relatively unknown. In fact, a recent survey found that 80% of homeowners were unaware of green mortgages or their benefits.' Phillipa added: "Green mortgages can be a common-sense option for homeowners who have recently purchased new, energy-efficient homes or have improved their existing home's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. The rising cost of energy bills has also made green mortgages more appealing for both lenders and borrowers. 'Initially, lenders primarily only offered incentives like cashbacks or small discounts on standard mortgage rates for new build homes or those with high EPC ratings (typically A or B). Now, lenders are recognising the connection between energy efficiency, lower energy bills, and a borrower's capacity for higher mortgage and are incentivising homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient, in return for a more attractive mortgage interest rate. 'They not only benefit the environment but encourage homeowners to future proof their properties too. Chosen carefully, they can make good sense for a prospective buyer,' explains Phillipa. Phillipa said: 'For those wanting to take advantage of incentives to remortgage, you need to ensure it meets lenders T&Cs on what the money can be used for and importantly, the work needs to genuinely improve your EPC rating. You need advice from a mortgage broker as the rates on offer may not always be the cheapest over the term of the mortgage. A good broker will take into account cashback, incentives, fees and interest rates to ensure you get the best advice over the term. 'What's more, the cost of upgrading your property might exceed any gains you might make in mortgage repayments. Be sure to look into how much the improvements are going to cost you, before making any commitments. And even if you do fit the criteria to qualify for a green mortgage, be sure to shop around, and ensure it makes the most financial sense to you both for the short and long term.'
