Have we taken the idea of the “work wife” a little too far, or is this just what movie press tours look like now?
As many of us count down the days until Wuthering Heights hits screens, the press tour has already given us a preview of the dynamic between its stars. Margot Robbie recently said she searched for Jacob Elordi “like a kid without their blanket” when he wasn’t nearby on set. Elordi added that he made sure to stay within “five to ten metres” of her at all times, paying close attention to how she drank tea and ate her food.
It’s sweet, sure. Platonic love deserves its flowers, and mutual admiration between colleagues is not a crime. Still, when affection is described with this level of intensity, it does raise the question of where professional boundaries end and performance begins.
This kind of gushy, almost obsessive energy has quietly become a staple of modern press tours. Think Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo holding hands, Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley speaking about each other like oxygen, and now Robbie and Elordi entering the chat.
Actors are allowed to like their coworkers. No one is disputing that. But when press tour affection starts sounding like devotion, it’s fair to wonder whether we’re watching genuine connection or a carefully managed tease designed to warm us up before we see the chemistry on screen. After all, nothing sells a story quite like the suggestion that something real might be happening behind the scenes, especially when the people involved are famously attractive.
While Grande and Erivo didn’t invent intense co-star bonds, their Wicked press tour turned it into a talking point. Their closeness was described by the internet as emotional, intense, strange, and even codependent. Some of that scrutiny raised uncomfortable questions about whether we react differently when that closeness exists between two women.
In a culture shaped by parasocial relationships, a straightforward press tour can feel oddly flat. Audiences are now trained to look for subtext, longing glances, and the unspoken question of “are they or aren’t they?” Knowing or suspecting that co-stars genuinely care about each other can make the viewing experience feel richer, whether that care is platonic or something else entirely.
We’ve become so accustomed to tracking celebrities’ personal lives that hype often relies on emotional proximity rather than billboards or stunts. It’s a cheaper, more effective way to keep people talking, and judging by how fast these moments travel online, it works.
So yes, maybe the “work wife” concept has stretched beyond its original meaning. Or maybe this is just how storytelling works now, blurring the line between performance and real life. Either way, it’s got us paying attention, and in the attention economy, that might be the point.