Ed Westwick is having a moment. The 36-year-old former Gossip Girl star, best known for playing lovable bad boy Chuck Bass, is back on our screens in new action thriller Deep Fear opposite Madalina Ghenea, which opens in cinemas across the UK this Friday, 27 October.
The British actor moved from London to a new country home earlier this year with his girlfriend Amy Jackson and her son Andreas, four, from a previous relationship. Preferring to lead a quiet life these days, Ed has remained notoriously tight-lipped about his personal life and romance with Bollywood actress Amy – until now.
Here Ed talks exclusively to HELLO! about their relationship for the first time, whether marriage and children are on the cards, his deep grief for his mother and plans for the future.
Tell us about your new film Deep Fear...
I would describe it as a high-stakes, survival thriller with a love story thrown in. Sharks versus Narcs It’s the first time I’ve played a really nice guy. Early on in my career, I went down a trajectory of bad boys. But in Deep Fear, I play a normal guy who lives in the Caribbean. He’s a working guy who is in a relationship. A lot of us can relate to that. But he’s an ordinary, nice guy who gets into an extraordinary situation.
It’s survival from sharks, from narcs and from the weather! There’s a lot going on. It’s beautifully shot and Madalina was amazing.
We shot it in Malta which is a wonderful, historical place! It's an amazing mixture of cultures. Great people and great food. It was supposed to be the Caribbean but it was very cold when we filmed there! Dare I say, there even might have been a little bit of fake tan on my skin for this film.
© Brilliant PicturesA lot of the action is set on a boat. How are your sea legs?
Rubbish! Appalling. Actually, my motion sickness in general as well. I can’t cliff jump, rollercoasters are now out of the picture. I can do the teacup ride at Disney Land but that's it. Although there was a little dizziness last time.
The most embarrassing one was a few weekends ago when I was at a fan convention in Bahrain meeting so many lovely people. It was at a racetrack and the organisers told me they wanted to give me some laps in a Formula Three car! I already knew that this was going to mess me up but I didn't want to look like an idiot. I said cool and jumped in with the driver but I felt so sick and horrendous!
So I have no sea legs but the funny thing about this film is that 90% of it takes place on the ocean and I managed to not even get wet! How the hell did I get away with that?! Compared to the other actors in it, and Madalina especially!
I took all the seasick tablets they gave me and it sounds weird but I was also told to suck lemons to help me. It was rough!
© Brilliant PicturesWhat are you up to this year?
[My girlfriend] Amy and I moved to the countryside, just an hour from central London six months ago and have been busy renovating the house. I grew up nearby and my two brothers live close by.
We are surrounded by countryside and I wake up in the morning and walk around and there’s no one but us and my neighbour’s horses. We are very, very happy.
I’m in the gym a lot, working out and boxing because I'm making a movie in January about a boxer from the 1920s. I’m trying to get good at boxing. The boxing is going really well but the difficult part is being as disciplined as I need to be about food.
I'll have what I like to call frustration chocolate! The boxing is really good for my mental health.
I’m also continuing my support for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) which aims to end global pediatric HIV/AIDS through prevention and treatment programmes.
© Brilliant PicturesI’m supporting the strikes in Hollywood at the moment, but we’ve been given dispensation by SAG to open my next film TONIC in LA on 4th November, which I’m excited about. It’s a great character role which is new territory for me, and I’m also producing it.
This is your first Christmas in the new house with your girlfriend, British actress Amy Jackson. What are you planning?
It feels wonderful! We don’t have a dining room table yet. We are very excited and I’m picturing us having Christmas dinner around it together. Although one of my brothers and his wife and kids who were meant to be coming over are now going away. Families are funny! Trying to get everyone together is hard. We all want to do our own thing. But we are a very close family.
Why did you and Amy move from London to the countryside?
© InstagramWe have much more space than in London and we love the peace and tranquility. The ambition is to have our own family. There are no announcements to make yet! Amy has her son Andreas who is wonderful and he’s with his dad half of the time.
How did you and Amy meet?
We were invited separately to a race day with Aston Martin at Silverstone racetrack in 2021. I was there with a friend who knew her. I saw her and thought, I’m going to make my move! We chatted for a bit and I asked her if she wanted to meet me for a coffee.
We had a wonderful day and she beat me. Her lap time was a lot better than mine! She’s been making my heart race from day one!
REVEALED: 8 films with major Oscar buzz to add to your must-watch list
At the time, she was looking to move to Hampstead in London and I was also looking there at the time. I promise! She moved and I moved shortly afterwards to my own place there but very close to each other. She’s lovely, and a fierce girl!
Are you romantic?
I can imagine if she was here right now she would make a face. Yes, I am but maybe this is typical man stuff or I am crap. But I feel I’ve been getting tunnel vision on the house renovations which has taken up so much time. Sstress!
© Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com/ShutterstockI feel like I haven't had as much capacity to be as romantic as I'd like to be. I should be more romantic but I've always got her back. And as kind and sweet as I can be! I try to make her laugh and she does laugh a lot.
Are marriage and children on the agenda?
Yes! One hundred per cent. I grew up in a wonderful household where my mum and dad were married. My parents loved each other fiercely right up to the end. I idolised them and their relationship. Just that kind of support!
When my father died 10 years ago, I wished mum had more things in her life. She had friends but my parents did everything together. That’s the only downside to one of these relationships.
My mother sadly died in September last year. Her birthday is Halloween so this is a weird time of year for me and emotional.
She died of a type of cancer she should never have had. I want to raise awareness of it - it is called Mesothelioma, which is a lung cancer caused by asbestos.
My mother was a child psychologist and an absolute sweetheart. She worked in attic rooms in old school buildings and we just don’t know when she inhaled that poison. It was terrible.
© Pascal Le Segretain/amfARIt’s still really hard. I want to call her and tell her about the movies I have coming out. She didn’t get to see our new house.
Just before she died, she wrote a children’s book called The Time Tree. When we came to see the house and walked into the magical garden and there was a tree which looked just like the tree on the cover of her book. I knew straight away we had to have the house.
She is still with us. I hate the fact that I can’t talk to her anymore. My brother told me to talk to her. I don’t though. But I like to think about the little things.
I remember her hands or her shoulders, which I’d touch. I have her voice notes and clips of videos of her. I miss her enormously but I try to think about the future to stay positive, like marriage and kids and all of that.
You’re 36 - how do you feel about your 40s around the corner?
I honestly feel my life moving in a really positive direction. I have more patience and I don’t get FOMO. I’m very fortunate in my career and I’m settled. I got lucky very early on and feel like I’ve done alright. I’m less concerned with the unknown. I’ve got a couple of businesses that I’ve invested in.
© Brilliant PicturesAfter losing my dad, I was knocked off my tangent as I didn’t have a mentor anymore. I was figuring stuff out. But in terms of ageing, I’m healthy and I feel good.
I feel great about turning 40. I think the 40s are really cool. And your 50s. Look at Brad Pitt! He’s got better and better! I think you have to take care of yourself and show up for the people in your life.
How does it feel to look back at being voted one of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive 15 years ago?
I find it hilarious. I was just this typical young person but I knew nothing! I was a kid and thought I had it all figured out. It was a funny time but I sometimes still brag about it.
Can you tell us about your band, For You?
I always loved making music, but in a very kind of informal setting. The band came together from some people that I met in America and a very incredibly talented producer. We are recording an album. It’s already sounding really cool. I’m the lead singer. It’s something I’ve enjoyed - it’s another creative outlet and experience. The guys in the band are so talented. They’re sweethearts and very patient with me around my schedules which isn’t the easiest at times. Maybe we will play some shows next year! We will see where it all ends up.
DISCOVER: Best TV shows coming to Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon and Disney+ in September
How would you describe the genre of music?
Pop rock. The guys in the band are 10 years younger than me and went to Berklee College of Music and are super passionate about it. I don’t consider myself to be a professional musician but these guys are and I am very fortunate to be in the room with such talented people.
© Brilliant PicturesWhat are your future ambitions?
I'd like to build an amazing gym and sauna and cold plunge complex in my house. I would like to keep being able to find things that satisfy my curiosity and acting absolutely does that. I directed a short a few years ago and really enjoyed that process and would like to direct again.
I am a happy person and I do feel like life is a little equation that we keep tinkering with to produce happiness on a day to day basis. Not every day is going to be great. Life is more complex than that - you lose people and other things happen in life. But happiness is the main objective. I definitely went through a very anxious period but I’m glad to say I don’t have anxiety these days. That’s a wonderful thing. When I become a parent I’m sure that will change everything.
Deep Fear, starring Ed Westwick and Madalina Ghenea, opens in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from Friday 27 October and on Amazon UK, iTunes, Sky Store, Google Play, Microsoft, Rakuten, Virgin and BT from 30th October 2023. Pre-order now from itunes.
Keep up with the latest celebrity stories Sign up to our HELLO! Mail newsletter and get them delivered straight to your inbox.
