Harry Styles might just be the most pursued man on the planet, with stan accounts aplenty in his namesake, and legions of fans that necessitated his nearly two-year-long tour. After his relationship with Olivia Wilde ended, many wondered when he’d next meet his match. Step forward Taylor Russell, the actress who already has the fashion and film worlds at her feet. And now it appears Styles, too.
Wrapping his Love On Tour schedule late last month looks to have given Styles newfound time for romance, as pictures seeming to confirm his rumoured relationship with Russell have now surfaced.
Russell is currently starring in The Effect opposite Paapa Essiedu at the National Theatre, and it didn’t go unnoticed that Styles greeted her after the show on Wednesday 9 August. Page Six has pictures of the pair looking close at the play’s afterparty, too. The outlet also reports that Styles introduced Russell to his good friend James Corden.
While there was no kiss on camera to cement the pair’s status, a source reportedly told Page Six: “It looked like they were holding hands.” They added: “Harry stayed by Taylor’s side the whole time. He introduced her to James and was whispering to her and laughing and smiling.”
The 29-year-old singer is said to have left through the stage door with some of Russell’s belongings before she joined him in his car after exiting the same way. “They are clearly trying to keep their romance under the radar and avoid being photographed together,” added the source.
This isn’t the first sighting of the twosome that has suggested they’re dating; rumours were first sparked when Russell was seen taking a coveted VIP seat at Styles’ Love On Tour gig in Vienna in early July, as seen in pictures from TMZ.
Suspicions were ignited further when fans began sharing photos of two people purported to be Styles and Russell walking around Vienna in that same week.
The pair were also hanging out in Barcelona during the tour, as they were seen at the city’s branch of Soho House together by the pool, with pictures shared to a Reddit thread.
Russell was also captured in the crowd at Styles’ final concert in Italy on 23 July. He then enjoyed some downtime on Lake Bolsena with Corden and other friends, and by spending time at celebrity hotel hotspot Il Pellicano, with no sightings of Russell in tow. Perhaps due to her busy National Theatre schedule.
Now that the ‘As It Was’ musician is back on UK shores, his fans will no doubt be sleuthing and keeping their eyes peeled around London for further sightings to confirm this fledgling relationship.
Russell might just have come onto some people’s radars with her Styles connection, but she’s already firmly established herself in the acting world with a string of lauded roles, captivating red carpet appearances and has a high-profile fashion deal, too. She also has a connection to another curly-haired heartthrob: Timothée Chalamet.
Russell’s star is well and truly rising, so here’s everything you need to know about the Canadian actress.
A nomadic upbringing
The pressures of travelling for work aren’t likely to phase Russell, as the Canadian actor, who hails from Vancouver, grew up on the move. She told Elle magazine that she relocated 16 times in her childhood as her father was also an actor. “Things changed a lot, so there was always an opportunity for reinvention, to create something new,” she said.
The drive to act as a child was there for Russell, though, due to their own work schedules, her parents couldn’t chaperone her on castings, so they encouraged their daughter to hold off until after high school. However, she was a keen ballerina from childhood. A discipline which lent itself nicely to her craft. “I’ve always loved the performing arts. I did ballet my whole life, I love dancing. I wake up every morning and dance for 15 minutes, and it’s the only way I can get out of bed,” she told The Covetuer.
Breakout roles
Russell appeared on screens as of 2015 in American sci-fi series Falling Skies. She then starred in the 2018 reboot of Lost in Space for Netflix, though her breakthrough came in the form of A24 filmWaves in 2018.
Directed by Trey Edward Shults, it has a notable cast including Lucas Hedges and Euphoria favourite, Alexa Demie. At the time, Vanity Fair remarked that Russell gave “the movie’s great performance,” in her portrayal as the sister of a boy hurtling towards self-destruction. The role also won her the Best Supporting Female Independent Spirit Award.
The Chalamet connection
Russell, who is 29, was catapulted firmly into the limelight when she starred in Bones & All, alongside Timothée Chalamet. The cannibal love story (yes, you read that correctly) by A Bigger Splash director Luca Guadagnino saw Russell complete an extensive press tour which included a stop at Venice Film Festival, where she may well have crossed paths with one Harry Styles. At the film fest, she also won the accolade of Best Young Actor.
Of his co-star, Chalamet said in one press interview: “[Taylor is] an extraordinary actress. She has a great spirit and she’s open to anything, like trying new things for scenes. It’s a joy working with her and I’d be pleased to do it again.”
The pair are rumoured to have dated, and despite clear on and off-screen chemistry, closeness on the red carpet and many meetings of eyes across press tour tables, there’s no concrete evidence that they dated. Though it would confirm that Taylor has a type if they had...
What’s next?
Currently starring in The Effect with Essiedu, Russell has upcoming roles in Mother Couch alongside Ewan McGregor and Hope, with Alicia Vikander.
Her role in The Effect — which has been directed by Jamie Lloyd — is her stage debut and one which has garnered her plenty of praise. It’s likely more turns on the boards will follow.
A rising fashion star
As well as boosting her acting creds, the press tour for Bones & All helped Russell get noticed in the style department. A series of structured monochrome looks strayed from the status quo and made her stand out for all the right reasons, while a green strapless Balenciaga moment at Venice Film Festival saw her all over best-dressed lists.
The actress had already walked in Jonathan Anderson’s spring 2023 show for Loewe in Paris in late November 2022 when Anderson made his affiliation with Russell more official by signing her as the face of the other brand he helms: Loewe.
“I first met Taylor through a very dear friend of ours, Luca Guadagnino,” Anderson told Attitude. “I’ve never been so inspired by someone – it was the start of a very special friendship. I’m so proud that she agreed to open the SS23 show, and excited to have her join the Loewe family.”
Given that Russell seems as unstoppable in her success as Styles, and that they share a passion for style (maybe they’ll swap Gucci and Loewe looks for their next outing), we reckon these two are on their way to becoming Hollywood’s hottest new couple. Watch this space.
