Whatever happened to Lily James and Chris Evans? They got “caught” on some kind of late-night date in July, in London, and then they set up a pap stroll date just a few days later. And then nothing. Was it just a hookup situation and Chris was like “no this is legit, I swear”? Or is it legit and they just haven’t publicized it recently? I don’t know. But Shape Magazine doesn’t make any mention of Lily banging Captain America, and she isn’t making any sly references to him either. Mostly, she just talks about spending time by herself in lockdown and how much she enjoyed that. Some highlights:

She’s starring in the Netflix remake of Rebecca with Armie Hammer: To fully dive into the emotional intensity of their roles, she and Hammer studied the poem “Mad Girl’s Love Song,” by Sylvia Plath, which details a heartbroken woman on the brink of madness. “We read that poem so many times, and we found this twisted love story that came out of it. That helped us navigate our relationship in the film. Playing our roles became organic and took a life of its own.”

Fitness is her anchor: “Without the normal structure of working life, I have to create my own schedule to keep myself motivated. I have found that starting my day with exercise is the key. When I work out regularly, I immediately feel the benefits. It’s exciting to be empowered by that, and it turns into a domino effect. Naturally, I start eating better and stop drinking so much wine. Then I feel more energized in the morning to work out again.”

Cooking for herself & doing takeout too: “Toward the beginning of lockdown, I was cooking all the time. I learned new recipes using fresh vegetables from my garden, such as veggie sweet potato chili, stews, and ratatouille. Over time, I started having days when I managed only enough energy to order takeout, like pizza three times a week. I had to remind myself that it’s OK to indulge sometimes. I don’t try to deprive myself of stuff. If I want to order fast food, I let myself eat what I want to eat. Now I’m striving for a constant balance between the two.”

Spending time by herself: “Usually, I’m so distracted by life. This is the first time in a long while that I’ve been able to just sit with myself. My favorite thing lately is to lie in a bath for hours and check out under the sound of running water. To unwind, I light candles and add fragrant oils and soaps. It’s so relaxing. I’ve also been reading a lot of poetry; tending my garden; and going on walks — getting back to the basics. I’m lucky to even be able to do that. This time has been so hard for so many.”

Fake it until you make it, not so much: “My instinct is often to pretend, to put on an act of giving off a positive message about confidence. But the truth is that I don’t always feel confident. I’m beginning to realize that ‘Fake it till you make it’ isn’t useful to me at this point in my life. Embracing and owning up to my vulnerability is more powerful. I feel more seen, and not like I’m pretending all the time. That is something I want to focus on maintaining moving forward.”

[From Shape]

People who are able to focus on cooking consistently in the year of our lord Beyonce 2020 are so much better than me. I cannot. I’ve been mostly getting takeout. And it’s fine, like Lily says. Sometimes you can concentrate on those kinds of tasks and sometimes you can’t and we need to be able to give ourselves a break. As for all of those people who are rediscovering that time spent alone, being quiet, with their own thoughts… like, is that a new thing? It feels like so few people were actually living the introvert-life before the pandemic. It’s nice to be quiet. It’s nice to be alone with your own thoughts and not having this constant barrage of stimulation. I know that makes me sound like an old fart, but there you go.

Here’s the trailer for Rebecca. The costumes look GORGEOUS. I love that era in fashion. The set design looks spectacular too.

Cover courtesy of Shape, additional photo courtesy of WENN.