Cynthia Addai-Robinson's actual nuptials were unlike her character's in The People We Hate At The Wedding. "I was a pandemic bride and I actually eloped. So I sort of had the opposite of a sort of big countryside wedding," The Rings of Power star told HELLO! in an exclusive interview.
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The actress plays bride Eloise in the new comedy, which stars Kristen Bell and Ben Platt as her dysfunctional American half-siblings. The movie, based on the book by Grant Ginder, afforded Cynthia "sort of" a chance to have the wedding she didn't have.
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"In a way when I got to film in England and sort of put on a beautiful wedding dress, I was getting that chance to sort of have the wedding I never had and I did invite my husband to the wedding, but he didn't make it," she said, adding with a laugh, "He didn't make it as a guest."
Cynthia is married to Irish filmmaker Thomas Hefferon. Back in July, Thomas commemorated their wedding anniversary with a slow-motion video of himself and Cynthia running. He sweetly captioned the post, "Running into the future with the love of my life! The past two years of marriage with you have been the best two years of my life. Happy anniversary baby!"
Eloping during the pandemic meant "no planning" for the London-born actress. "I'm definitely somebody that's sort of low-key, no frills, no drama when it comes to weddings," Cynthia shared with HELLO!. "The great part of being an actor is, you know, you can have a very lavish wedding. Have it photographed, filmed, you know, there for posterity, but you get to then just walk away at the end of the day."
The People We Hate at the Wedding premieres globally on Prime Video Nov. 18. Continue reading to find out what Cynthia told HELLO! about floating in a hot tub in the icy cold waters of the River Thames for the film and her role in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Were you a fan of the book, The People We Hate at the Wedding, before signing on to the project?
Well, I got the opportunity actually, because part of my sort of thing going in was I wanted to make sure that elements of the book that might be different from the adaptation of the film didn't want to sort of like confuse those two, but I knew so many people that when I mentioned I was doing The People We Hate at the Wedding, they were like, "Oh my God, I love that book!" And we got the opportunity to meet the author, Grant Ginder, who came to set and had a chance to sit and talk with him because as soon as I heard the title, I said, "How did you come up with that title? How did you come up with the story?"
It's just so funny. Funny, but also heartfelt and what I really love about the story is it really is about family and in some ways it's a family dramedy. I think when you see the dynamics between the siblings and just that sense of these are people who knew you when, but you really feel like they don't know you at all and just the miscommunication and sort of the unsaid and unspoken sort of lingering feelings. I think a lot of people are gonna relate to those dynamics and see something familiar within their own family.
Were you able to relate to Eloise in any way?
Yeah, you know, it's interesting for me, I mean I was born in London and I moved to the U.S. when I was very, very young. So sort of almost a reverse of Eloise in some ways. And I think with Eloise she's somebody that is really trying to keep up appearances and everybody thinks that she, you know, has a perfect life and is well-to-do and posh because she is sort of the British sibling and her, you know, American relatives are kind of messy and their life is all over the place, but there is that thing of just, you know, appearances can be deceiving and it's difficult to sort of maintain a facade of perfection and obviously Eloise at a certain point eventually cracks under the pressure and weddings have a special way I think of adding pressure to any situation, so it's kind of like the perfect backdrop for all of the sort of chaos to commence.
Totally. What was it like playing siblings with Kristen Bell and Ben Platt? I have to imagine that was a lot of fun on set and maybe some singing with the two of them.
[Laughs] I was just saying that like, I wouldn't dare sing next to either of them. But yeah, of course we had a lot of fun and it was interesting to sort of play a dynamic of, you know, we as actors, we're all enjoying ourselves and having a great time, but the reality is there's this sort of tension and this sort of resentment coming from them because again, they just perceive her to have it all figured out. I think some of the moments between the siblings when they do have it out, you know, there's a lot of pain there. But I think the honesty of those moments also lend itself to being really funny. I think people will sort of laugh in that way that when you recognize something that feels very true to life, it's pretty humorous as well. We had a blast filming on location in London and definitely have some very memorable scenes and moments in the movie as well.
Yeah. I mean the hen do, that was hilarious.
[Laughs] That was our first day of filming. So you can only imagine sort of arriving and it's like, "Okay, throw on this bathing suit, get into the hot tub, float down the river and fall in." Nothing bonds you like, sort of the icy cold waters of the Thames.
So you guys were actually in the river?
Yes!... That is actually a real thing that you can do. The company is called Skuna and you can literally take this hot tub and ride it down. And it's hilarious because you're surrounded by office buildings and get a lot of stares from passersby. So yeah, I highly recommend it if you're ever in London.
Noted! Eloise seems to be the sibling that has her life together. Was it challenging playing the seemingly perfect sister?
Yeah, I think challenging to play and also for those people who feel like they have to maintain that. Again, it's a hard thing when everyone thinks you just have it all going on. But it's also fun, you know, like it's fun to get to play somebody who's prim and proper, and obviously, I enjoyed sort of wearing beautiful clothes and all of the locations that were meant to be like my beautiful home, so that part's not hard at all. A beautiful husband played by John MacMillan, you know, so that part of it was a breeze, but definitely Eloise is somebody that, you know, she's a real sensitive soul and I think her idea of bringing her family together for her wedding, while the thought is right and her intentions are good, her family isn't exactly cooperating to sort of make it a perfect day.
What's your takeaway from the film?
I think the takeaway for me is that the more honest you can be with your family, even when that honesty is uncomfortable, the closer it brings you to understanding one another. Your family, again, they're people that know you the best and sometimes it's hardest to sort of be honest with those relatives. But once you do and once you're on the other side of it, if you're lucky, you know, it's an opportunity to bond and understand one another. So, it's a movie that definitely has a lot of love at its core. I'm excited that people are gonna see something that makes them smile, makes them laugh and hopefully makes them think about their own family as well.
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This movie kind of serves as an example of how not to be a wedding guest. I would love to know, what are your wedding guest's dos and don'ts?
I would say my dos, come to party, dance. Bring a fun plus one. My don'ts, I would say just watch your alcohol intake. Think before you speak. And yeah, don't sleep with anyone who you shouldn't be sleeping with.
Good advice. Switching gears you're part of one of the biggest shows of the year, Rings of Power. Can you talk to us about stepping into this role of Queen Miriel.
Yeah, it's interesting that I kind of went from Middle Earth and that sort of environment to The People We Hate at the Wedding and sort of a modern wedding movie. But yeah, I've had an incredible year and both projects are ones that I'm very, very proud of. Proud to be part of... It's been an incredible couple years for me with both of these projects. So just happy to be part of them.
What do you love about your Rings of Power role?
I just love the opportunity to be part of a story that really means a lot to people. Whether they are old Tolkien fans and they're attached to the books or the Peter Jackson movies or new fans. I'm excited to sort of present a character that feels like sort of a more modern take on a Tolkien character. And, you know, I get to be a queen like that's pretty, pretty cool. Yeah, it's been a wild ride. And for folks who are not caught up, I would suggest catching up on the series before you hear too many spoilers.
What do you hope viewers learn from Miriel?
I hope that they learn from her- it's quite a burden to feel that sense of responsibility and she's somebody that cares deeply about her people and she's wanting to make the right decisions that have far-reaching implications for her Númenóreans... In a lot of ways, this is still very much the beginning of her journey in this first season. There's much more story to tell. So, I hope that they just, you know, stay along for the ride. At this point, this is really about sort of investing in these characters and seeing what awaits them. So yeah, I hope that they stick around and see what else we have in the store.
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