‘Irish Wish’ Stars Lindsay Lohan, Ed Speleers and Ayesha Curry Talk Netflix Romance
After going through some very public bumps while coming of age in Hollywood, Lindsay Lohan seems to have found her happy place on Netflix. In 2022, The Mean Girl star made her grand return to acting with Falling for Christmas, which became the streamer’s #1 holiday film. Now, Lohan is falling in love again – this time, in the Netflix romantic comedy, Irish Wish.
Lohan, You heartthrob Ed Speleers and Food Network beauty Ayesha Curry talk about making Irish Wish together and tease what to expect when it premieres March 15.
FIRST for Women has everything you need to know about the film, also starring Alexander Vlahos, Elizabeth Tan, Jacinta Mulcahy and Jane Seymour. Plus, we have the details on Lohan’s next Netflix holiday rom-com!
Lindsay Lohan teases Irish Wish romance on Netflix
Having been in the business since she was three years old, the Parent Trap and Freaky Friday star is a familiar face. And fans of her early work were excited to learn that one of these iconic films, Freaky Friday, is being revisited for a sequel!
“We are both excited. I’m gonna speak for Jamie," she said on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show, referring to Jamie Lee Curtis, who played her mother in the hit mother-daughter body-swap film. While she didn't reveal a timeline, the announcement alone was enough to leave fans reeling.
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Today, Lindsay Lohan is all grown up – and so is her character, Maddie, in Irish Wish.
“Maddie is a carefree, fun-loving girl who has been ghostwriting for the writer she works for,” Lohan tells FIRST. “And she’s hopelessly in love with him!”
The problem? Her dashing boss proposes to her best friend, leaving Maddie holding the proverbial bridesmaid’s dress…until she makes a wish in Ireland that changes everything. Suddenly, Maddie is days away from marrying the man of her dreams.
“I love stories where someone is really going for their dreams,” Lohan cheers. “When we meet Maddie in the beginning, she’s putting others before herself. But then she realizes that she needs to take the reins and do what’s best for her. It’s a story of luck and love and self-confidence.”
In classic rom-com form, Maddie soon realizes her dream guy is not the fairytale she’d imagined, and her soulmate may actually be a brand-new man in her life – Speleer’s character, James.
“It was so great working with Ed,” Lohan gushes of her costar. “He’s a sweetheart. It’s such a short amount of time that you have for them to fall in love with each other, [so] we had fun playing with the characters.”
Lohan appreciated getting to play a woman who’s making her way in the world and finding love, while also getting to tap into her celebrated flare for physical comedy.
Patrick Redmond / Netflix ? 2024
With the film shot on location in Ireland, she also enjoyed exploring the gorgeous country.
“My grandfather is from Ireland, and it was an amazing experience to be there,” Lohan shares. “We stayed in this little town of Dalkey that I loved and the people were so lovely. The Guinness Pies were amazing! We also went to a beautiful area called Newgrange. It made me want to explore my Irish heritage more and go back to Ireland one day with my whole family.”
You star Ed Speleers talks transition from Rhys to romance with Lindsay Lohan
Actors are used to shifting gears, but just a week after Speleers finished shooting his intense arc as Rhys on You, he found himself playing a love story with Lohan.
“It was quite the adjustment jumping into James's shoes after playing Rhys,” he admits. “James is like the straight line through the film. He has a dry wit, if not somewhat sarcastic at times – but this comes from a good place. He's curious about the world and people. I found him to be very comfortable in himself. He's certainly not as intense as some of the individuals I've played recently!”
In addition to headlining the film Eragon, this handsome Brit caused trouble as an Irish pirate on Outlander, played the pivotal role of Jack Crusher in the final season of Star Trek: Picard, and kept fans chuckling on Downtown Abbey – the latter of which earned him a SAG Award for Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2015, alongside his costars.
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Irish Wish, however, marks Speleers first romantic comedy.
“To team up with Lindsay and film in the stunning Republic of Ireland felt like the perfect way to venture into this genre,” he says. “Lindsay and I got on really well. This world, this sphere of filmmaking comes very naturally for her. She has a great approach to the work and is very much in tune with her comedic bones. It was a real pleasure to play opposite her.”
Irish Wish star Ayesha Curry talks playing Lindsay Lohan’s bestie
Netflix ? 2024
As Lohan’s character chases love in Irish Wish, Ayesha Curry plays her best friend – but don’t worry, it’s not the one whose man gets stolen with a wish!
“Heather is that classic best friend who's always going to be there for you, tell it to you straight, but is there to have a good time and laugh and carry on and create memories,” she teases. “She is definitely the voice of reason in this movie, and you’ll see that very quickly.”
Curry is known for being a restaurateur, chef, New York Times bestselling author, producer, host, and entrepreneur. Having gotten her start with bit parts on kid-coms like Hannah Montana, however, she enjoyed getting to “riff” and go off script with Lohan in Irish Wish.
“She is a true professional and so good at what she does,” Curry says of Lohan. “It’s one of those situations where when they yell ‘Action’ and she gets going, you kind of get lost in the scene and forget what you are doing because you just want to watch her. That was probably the biggest struggle on set – you forget you are there to work and to not watch!
“I also got to do it with my friend, and who doesn’t want to work with their friend?” adds Curry, who is godmother to Lohan’s baby boy, Luai, in real life.
With the film set to premiere this month, Curry can only hope viewers have as much fun watching it as she, Lohan, and the rest of the team had making it.
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“I love classic rom-coms, and this is just the epitome of that,” teases Curry. It’s about, “what love can be and just the feeling of butterflies and happiness in every sense of the word. You’ll get a good laugh too, at the end of it all, so I hope that’s the takeaway. Lightheartedness.”
Irish Wish star Lohan already has another Netflix movie in the works
Patrick Redmond / Netflix ? 2024
With Netflix clearly looking to home in on Hallmark’s niche of light romantic comedies, Lindsay Lohan’s Irish Wish promises to be a lovely jaunt through Ireland – one that not only brings her character true love, but also helps her find herself along the way.
“I hope that women take away that it’s important to put yourself first and know your worth,” Lohan says of Irish Wish. “Sometimes you’re afraid of losing the position you have in a job or a role, and I think it’s always good to go with your gut. If you feel like you deserve better, go for it and get it!”
Lohan is also slated to appear in Netflix’ 2024 Christmas movie, Our Little Secret, alongside Ian Harding, Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Rudnitsky, Chris Parnell, Tim Meadows and more familiar faces. The holiday flick starts out less then festive when bickering exes who’ve moved on find themselves back under the same roof.
In the meantime, Irish Wish premieres on Netflix on March 15.
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