The Real Life Partners Of Mare Of Easttown
The show "Mare of Easttown" has taken audiences by storm, thanks in part to the star-studded cast. The roster includes Jean Smart, Evan Peters, Guy Pearce, and, of course, Kate Winslet as Mare Sheehan, a detective who lives in a small Pennsylvania town and finds herself in a whole mess of trouble. The show follows the drama in both Mare's personal life and her professional life with many twists and turns along the way.
In an interview with Collider, Winslet shared that the show's cast became pretty close, and she developed a special bond with Smart, who plays her character's mom. "Working with Jean, I would call her mummy. I still do. I'll send her messages saying, 'Hi, mummy.' It was really very special working with Jean," she told the outlet. "I lost my own mother in 2017 and to spend time with someone who is a mother, as well, and closer in age to my own mother before she passed away, was just really lovely."
Want to know more about the personal lives of the very real people who play the characters on this series? Keep scrolling to take a look at who members of the "Mare of Easttown" cast go home to at the end of the day.
Third time's the charm for Kate Winslet and Edward Abel Smith
Kate Winslet is the biggest name on the show, and she's undoubtedly one of the reasons why people are tuning into the Showtime hit. Winslet is married to Edward Abel Smith, a businessman who happens to be Richard Branson's nephew. The actor was married two times before she and Smith wed. As Winslet recalled to ET, she and Smith — who used to go by Ned Rocknroll — had a very unusual first meeting. In 2011, a fire broke out on Branson's Necker Island. Both Winslet and Smith were staying on the island, and they crossed paths during the evacuation. "He was the only dude to have a head torch and a pair of shoes, everyone else left everything behind," Winslet told the outlet. "I took a bra and passports and my children." The incident was the inspiration for their son's middle name. "We wanted something off the fire, so Blaze was the name we came up with," Winslet told Ellen DeGeneres on her show. Does it get any cuter than that?
According to The Sun, Winslet and Smith wed in 2012 in a private ceremony in New York. "Kate and Ned got married in a really romantic and private ceremony. They had been planning it for a while. They are both so happy and very much in love," a source dished. "Kate is very private and didn't want anyone to know." In addition to son Bear, Winslet has two children from previous marriages.
Jean Smart and Richard Gilliland enjoyed a long marriage
Jean Smart plays the role of Kate Winslet's mom in "Mare of Easttown." In real life, the "Designing Woman" star was married to Richard Gilliland until his death in March 2021. They were married for almost 34 years. According to a press release obtained by People, Gilliland died following a "brief illness." His long career included roles in "Designing Women," "Matlock," "Party of Five," and "Airplane II: The Sequel."
The pair initially met on the set of "Designing Women" in 1986. The following year, they tied the knot. Chatting with Northwest Prime Time in 2017, Smart recalled first crossing paths with Gilliland on the show — while he just so happened to be playing a character who kissed another woman on the sitcom. If that isn't a Hollywood start to a love story, then what is? Smart told the outlet that they got together after co-star Delta Burke asked Gilliland about his marital status on her behalf.
Smart and Gilliland welcomed their first son, Connor, in 1989. In 2009, the pair adopted a 10-month-old girl from China. "And my son is living again at home right now. It's fun to watch them together. I was hoping they would be a little closer in age, but the adoption process took so long," Smart told Northwest Prime Time. "Both my kids are such good people and so sweet. I'm grateful. The process of adopting was quite an experience, and my friends thought we were crazy at first. Now they are all jealous!"
Evan Peters' past high-profile romances
Evan Peters is another one of the more well-known members of the cast of "Mare of Easttown." As of this writing, the actor appears to be single, but he has had plenty of high-profile romances in the past. As many will recall, Peters used to date fellow actor Emma Roberts. As Roberts shared on "Chelsea Lately" (via E! News), the two initially met in 2012 on the set of their film "Adult World." For several years, they had a rollercoaster of a relationship that included multiple breakups, reconciliations, and engagements. In 2019, People reported the pair ended things once and for all.
After dating Roberts, Peters moved on with singer Halsey. The couple's relationship was short-lived, but it began in 2019, the same year he split from Roberts. Fans petitioned for the two to get together back in 2015 when Halsey publicly proclaimed her love for Peters when he was starring in "American Horror Story." In a since-deleted tweet (via Distractify), the singer wrote, "Seriously Evan Peters stop making me attracted to alleged sociopaths and accused murderers...." The following year, the two broke up. As People noted, fans realized the couple was no more when Halsey scrubbed photos of Peters from her Instagram in March 2020.
Guy Pearce and Carice van Houten's relationship has been at the center of drama
Guy Pearce plays the role of Kate Winslet's love interest in "Mare of Easttown," and he happens to be quite the Casanova in real life as well. In 2015, Pearce announced in a statement provided to The Sydney Morning Herald that he and wife Kate Mestitz would be ending their marriage after 18 years. Soon after, he moved on with "Game of Thrones" actor Carice van Houten. On a 2018 episode of Andrew Denton's "Interview," Pearce addressed the speculation surrounding the timeline of his relationships and shut down any infidelity rumors. "It's funny, you know, I've spent the last couple of years trying to protect Kate in all of this. And particularly not saying that it was her decision to end our marriage," he told the outlet. "I've got people coming up to me saying 'you're a bast*** for having an affair with Carice and then getting her pregnant, and then leaving your wife.' And I'm going, 'that's so not what happened.'"
In 2016, Pearce and van Houten welcomed their first son, with Pearce announcing the news in a tweet. "A cute little package arrived and told us his name's Monte Pearce. We think we're gonna keep him. Placenta smoothie anyone?" Van Houten and Pearce have not officially tied the knot, but their relationship seems to be going well. In 2020, the Daily Mail spotted the pair and their son walking around Notting Hill, London. The two appear to be crazy in love.
Joe Tippett and Sara Bareilles are too cute for words
Many fans know Joe Tippett as John Ross on "Mare of Easttown," but many may be surprised to find out that he's dating singer Sara Bareilles. The two have an adorable romance that dates back to 2016. On their four-year anniversary, Bareilles shared a photo of herself and Tippett along with a hilarious caption to celebrate the milestone in their relationship. "4 years next to this one. The man I admire more than anyone. My love and my partner and the one I farted in front of on purpose just to see what would happen. The answer is: we laughed," she wrote on Instagram. "Happy anniversary @joetipps. No one loves me like you." Tippett usually reserves his Instagram posts for sweet snaps of landscapes but every once and a while, he'll share one of Bareilles with the caption "Tilly..."
The couple have been through it all together and according to Bareilles, Tippett was there for her in a big way when she contracted COVID-19. "He did a good job taking care of me," she told People. "He was a good friend and companion through all of that." Another plus of the romance? Tippett and Bareilles also make sweet music together. In 2021, Tippett wrote a song for the healthcare workers at Mount Sinai and the pair recorded it as a lovely duet. These two may be our new favorite couple we didn't know we needed.
David Denman and Mercedes Mason are relationship goals
David Denman is married to Kate Winslet's character in the show, but in real life, he only has eyes for his wife, Mercedes Mason. Denman, who used to star in "The Office," and Mason, who is known for her roles in shows "Chuck" and "Fear the Walking Dead," tied the knot in 2014. The following year, Denman reposted a sweet photo and message that was originally shared by Mason (but has since been deleted from her page) to celebrate the anniversary. "Happy First Year Anniversary to the love of my life! Thank you @david_denman for making me happy every day that I'm with you," the Instagram post read. "To many more my love."
In 2018, Denman shared on Instagram that the couple had welcomed their first child. In May 2021, he penned another sweet post to welcome his second kid and celebrate his wife for being so amazing through the process. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. My baby momma is a straight up Gangster. No drugs. All natural," he gushed on Instagram. "Zero question who the superior sex is. Thank god for all the mothers out there. If it wasn't for you ladies we'd be extinct as a species. Love you @mercedesmason more than you'll ever know. Sagan Cyrus has made us a family of four." We're not crying... you're crying.
Enid Graham and Robert Sella played lovers on Broadway
Audiences know Enid Graham as Rachel Dawson on "Grey's Anatomy," Rose Van Alden in "Boardwalk Empire," and Dawn Bailey on "Mare of Easttown." In real life, Graham is married to Robert Sella, who is also in the business of show. Sella's filmography includes "Gossip Girl," "Mindhunter," "Law & Order," and "Manchester by the Sea."
Sella and Graham played partners onstage in the Broadway show "Chick — The Great Osram." In 2007, Playbill shared that Sella starred as A. Everett ("Chick") Austin, Jr., while Graham played his wife, Helen, in the production.
The two are parents to three boys. In 2016, Graham chatted with TDF about her role in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" and how it related to being a mom in real life. "In all that time working together, you kind of begin to inhabit an alternate universe that feels very real to you," she said at the time. "Alex [Sharp] and Taylor [Trensch] are like my sons. Even though I know they're not, it kind of is true somewhere in my heart. When they left, I wasn't sure how we were going to make that turn."
Julianne Nicholson and Jonathan Cake had a romantic destination wedding
Julianne Nicholson stars as Lori Ross in "Mare of Easttown," and she is yet another public figure on this list who is in a relationship with someone who is also in Hollywood. According to The New York Times, Nicholas is married to British actor Jonathan Cake. He boasts a number of stage and screen credits, including "Desperate Housewives" and "The Affair."
The pair have two children together. In an interview with Broadway World, Cake opened up about his and Nicholson's nuptials. He said they were initially stumped on wedding plans until they found a cute spot in Italy while he was working there. "I was married just outside Florence, a little place in the Tuscan country called Figline Valdarno. My wife is from Massachusetts; she's the oldest of, I think, 32 grandchildren on just one side—a huge Boston Irish-Catholic family," he told the outlet. "So we were going to have this mother of all massive weddings, with people she hadn't even met, somewhere in New England. We had been looking at places, and none was quite right." Turns out, Figline Valdarno was the perfect spot.
From time to time, Nicholson shares family photos on her Instagram feed, and Cake does the same on his. In 2020, Cake shared a sweet photo of himself and Nicholson holding hands while proving that the romance is still alive. "I wanna hold your hand," he wrote on the Instagram post while tagging his wife. Are they cute or what?