The Truth About The Real-Life Partners Of Birds Of Prey Stars
DC Comics' Birds of Prey, featuring the popular lead character Harley Quinn, was expected to absolutely dominate the box office during its opening weekend. Deadline pegged the anti-heroine film to rake in between $110 million and $125 million. But it didn't play out that way. Collider reported that the flick ended up earning the title of "the DCEU film with the worst opening weekend," hauling in just $33 million at the domestic box office and another $48 million overseas against a reported production budget of around $80 million.
Much of the promotion of Birds of Prey centered around the Joker's captivating on-and-off girlfriend played by Margot Robbie. In the flick, she teams up with Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya — three of DC's most prominent female superheroes — to save a child from an evil mastermind. Though the film plays with the definition of good and evil, we do know one thing: Harley Quinn's boyfriend was absolutely awful, and that's pretty much her entire origin story. There's bad (like Adam Levine dumping Jessica Simpson in a text message kind of bad) and then there's bad (like Mista J knocking Harley Quinn out of a five story window).
Although it didn't work out at the box office, thankfully Robbie — and many of her Birds of Prey co-stars — avoided getting the short end of the stick when it came to love. They generally steered clear of dating supervillains in real life, though one of them just might have found a genuine superhero.
Margot Robbie and her hubby have the sweetest meet cute
In real life, Birds of Prey's own Harley Quinn never found her Joker. Margot Robbie did much better than a deranged, green-haired villain. The star formed a tight bond with her husband Tom Ackerley when they were living together as flatmates in a packed three-bedroom home in London. Ackerley was a third assistant director, and Robbie was a soon-to-be movie star.
In an interview with The Guardian, Robbie recalled how — on a whim — she decided to live with some friends she met while working on Suite Française. Relegated to Lifetime, the film was a flop, but the friendships withstood. In January 2014, they reunited when Robbie was in town for Wolf of Wall Street's London premiere, and she decided to make her stay more permanent. "We were like: 'Wouldn't it be funny if we all lived together?' Someone said: 'But you don't live in London,' and I said: 'I don't live anywhere. I'll move," she told The Guardian. The actress signed a lease three days later with six other people: five ADs, including her future husband Ackerley, and her now-assistant Sophia Kerr.
Robbie told The Guardian that she and Ackerley initially kept their relationship a secret because they weren't "really taking it seriously," but that's exceedingly difficult in a house with seven people. Their home briefly "turned into The Jerry Springer Show" when their friends found out about their scandalous romance, but it settled, and Robbie and Ackerley wed in December 2016.
Did Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ewan McGregor have an affair?
Mary Elizabeth Winstead probably could have used some of Huntress' skills to fend off the tabloids when her relationship with Ewan McGregor — who also stars in Birds of Prey — became a full-fledged scandal. According to The Sun, the pair played lovers in the TV series Fargo but were spotted locking lips in a London cafe in October 2017. There'd probably be no issue if McGregor wasn't already married.
Though he was spotted without his ring, the Scottish actor had been married to French production designer Eve Mavrakis for more than 20 years and the pair share four children. As far as anyone knew, no separation had actually been made public, but Winstead, who The Sun claims had a "teenage crush" on the Trainspotting star, split from her husband some months prior. According to People, McGregor filed for divorce three months after the highly-public smooch, but the whole timeline is unclear. Some reports claim both pairs separated in May, but McGregor and Mavrakis only confirmed their split in October. So, was it an affair or not?
Either way, Mavrakis was reportedly furious, at least if you're feeding into tabloid drama. According to The Sun, she had welcomed the Winstead over for dinner when she was first cast in Fargo, and had no idea Winstead was interested in McGregor. Per the report, Mavrakis was "heartbroken, sick and furious" while family feared McGregor's alleged affair was the result of "a mid-life crisis."
Ewan McGregor is 'happier' with Winstead, but his daughter isn't
If news of a possible affair wasn't enough, Ewan McGregor seemingly threw his ex-wife under the bus while flaunting his brand new relationship in an interview with Men's Journal. The Birds of Prey villain claimed he was happier with Mary Elizabeth Winstead than he was during his 22-year marriage. "I am better," he said. "I am happier." Now, that's not inherently bad, but it's awful when you realize McGregor's children are watching.
According to Radar Online, his eldest daughter Clara lashed out at a fan Instagram account six months after her father filed for divorce. The account reportedly called the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World star the "most beautiful and talented woman on Earth." Clara responded by calling her "a piece of trash." She later apologized in an interview with The Times (via E! News) admitting, "It wasn't the most mature way to go about things, but I was angry and upset."
Though Radar alleged that McGregor's affair was an "open secret" on set, Clara told The Times that they were already dealing with her parents' split when the kissing photo surfaced. "It was incredibly surprising to me that they had gone out in public. The picture surfaced on my little sister's birthday ... He didn't want us to see that." Perhaps he forgot the paps exist or perhaps he was training for his role as an evil mastermind.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell married her best friend
It seems like there's nothing but sweetness in Jurnee Smollett-Bell's relationship with musician Josiah Bell. It's almost as wholesome as Smollett-Bell's former role on Full House. At the time of this writing, the pair are rounding off a decade of married life, which is a huge feat in Hollywood, but it makes sense considering their marriage had a pretty organic start. In 2013, Birds of Prey's Black Canary told The Hollywood Reporter, "We were best friends before we even started dating, so we had this really great foundation."
In an interview with Global Grind TV, Smollet-Bell revealed that she initially met Bell in New York, where he was mixing an album, when they were both teenagers. She was introduced to him by her Roll Bounce co-star Brandon T. Jackson, who counted the musician as a childhood friend. The pair "bonded" over a shared love for Diana Ross and "kept in touch" as she considered a music career, which never ended up happening. Eventually, they fell in love, and the rest is history.
In addition to writing and performing his own music, Bell has worked with artists like Jaden Smith and Estelle. The couple share one son, who they welcomed in 2016.
Rosie Perez's husband is a famous artist and you've totally seen his work
Rosie Perez, who plays Renee Montoya in Birds of Prey, has been married to her artist hubby, Eric Haze since 2013. Though Perez is more of a household name — if only for her vibrant, and often-heated arguments on The View — Haze is a star in his own right. There's a fair chance you've already seen his work without even realizing it. According to The Village Voice, the graffiti artist rose to prominence in the early '80s by designing logos for a wealth of rap groups like the Beastie Boys and EPMD, including the iconic logo for Delicious Vinyl.
Haze might have started out as a graffiti artist, but he eventually went back to school to study graphic design at the School of Visual Arts. In 2012, he admitted to the Village Voice that he never had a "starving-artist era" because he "worked on [his] portfolio" while he was still in school and "hit the ground running" once he graduated with honors.
The artist officially set up his design studio in 1986. His first significant design was a classic logo for LL Cool J, and it snowballed from there. "I was essentially the first and only graphic designer who came out of the real hip-hop movement at that point," he told the Village Voice. "So I was in a unique position to establish clientele and form relationships within that market and community."
Rosie Perez and Eric Haze got married on a bet
The odds were ever in Rosie Perez's favor. In fact, she would have probably never tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend Eric Haze if not for a fateful Vegas trip the pair took in September 2013. Once you win big, you're going to want to cash out immediately.
According to USA Today, the actress and her husband were at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas watching the Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez fight when they decided to get married as part of a bet (per BET). In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Perez admitted "We were going to the Mayweather fight... and I'm saying, 'Oh my gosh, I bet Mayweather's gonna win... This is gonna be the perfect weekend,' and he goes, 'You know what would be even more perfect? If we got married in Vegas.' I'm like, 'Yeah, oh my God, that's awesome!' But in the back of my head I'm going, 'He's not serious.'"
Maywather won, so the pair got married. Perez described her chapel wedding at the MGM Grand as surprisingly "not tacky," and they've been together ever since.
Chris Messina and Jennifer Todd are a true Hollywood power couple
Chris Messina is extremely tight-lipped about his relationship with Jennifer Todd. It took some extensive prying to even find just one confirmation that the pair are actually even still together. According to a 2017 Forbes profile on the Birds of Prey star, the couple — who have two children — did indeed tie the knot. Based on an E! News interview with Rashida Jones (Todd's close friend and Messina's former co-star) and Messina's own interview with IndieWire, they wed sometime between 2011 and 2014.
Though the power couple are low key, their success is anything but. While Messina, who plays Victor Zsasz in the DC flick, had recurring roles on Mindy Kaling's Fox comedy The Mindy Project and Amy Adams' HBO smash Sharp Objects, his wife excelled behind the scenes. The producer got her start as an assistant on Tales from the Crypt, a near-perfect specimen of early '90s camp, before lending her hand to massive blockbusters like Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Alice in Wonderland, and Jason Bourne. She even produced the Oscars live broadcast in 2018, which arguably makes her the producer of all producers.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Todd was named the president of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's production company, Pearl Street Films, in 2012.
Ali Wong's husband is her biggest cheerleader
Ali Wong isn't shy about shouting out her husband Justin Hakuta. He's a central part of her Netflix comedy specials, especially with her frequent jokes about trying to trap him because of his Harvard Business School degree and high earning potential. Though Wong has described her husband as a "sexy a** man that drives a minivan and eats Durian," he can do a whole lot more than tolerate some smelly fruit. Hakuta is a product manager who primarily works in the tech world, but as of late, it looks like he's taken on the role of supportive husband. The businessman has been selling merch for his wife on the road. We stan a husband that helps his partner shine.
According to a 2016 profile in The New Yorker, Hakuta has "grown up comfortable with the idea of a varied and fluctuating career," which is clear because there aren't too many Harvard graduates slinging branded tote bags and t-shirts. His father Ken first launched his career in the United States by introducing the country to "sticky, wall-walking toy octopuses," then became a children's TV host, and now manages the estate of Hakuta's artist uncle. Similarly, Hakuta worked as a product strategist for DIRECTV and a senior product manager for Cargomatic Inc. According to his LinkedIn profile, he left his most recent job at GoodRX in February 2019, and his Instagram reads like an ode to his wife's comedy career. Adorable!
Greice Santo's husband was living in a real-life superhero movie
Greice Santo doesn't need Birds of Prey. Her real life is apparently just as wild. The Jane the Virgin actress is married to professional gambler-turned-FBI informant Robert "RJ" Cipriani. According to The San Diego Tribune, the blackjack player, who frequently "[gives] his winnings away to poor families," helped the FBI take down former USC football player-turned-drug kingpin Owen Hanson.
According to Rolling Stone, Cipriani met Hanson in June 2011. At the time, Cipriani thought the drug trafficker was interested in investing in his charity games, but that all changed when he was handed two suitcases stuffed with $2.5 million in a Sydney, Australia resort. Cipriani started suspecting that Hanson was using him to launder dirty money and told the drug trafficker that he wasn't "comfortable." That's when the threats began, starting with Hanson casually stating he knew where Cipriani and Santo lived and escalating to Cipriani receiving a death threat along with DVD footage of two men getting beheaded.
The whole thing came to a head when Hanson allegedly found the graveyard where Cipriani's parents were buried, then defaced their graves with red paint. After that, the blackjack player contacted the FBI, and Hanson was finally arrested in 2015. According to Rolling Stone, he pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy to distribute drugs in 2017 and was sentenced to a whopping 21 years in prison. He also had to forfeit an estimated $25 million worth of assets.