Lucy Liu Admits She Had a Childhood ‘Crush’ on Actor Who Later Became Her Costar, but Was Too ‘Embarrassed’ to Tell Him
- - Lucy Liu Admits She Had a Childhood ‘Crush’ on Actor Who Later Became Her Costar, but Was Too ‘Embarrassed’ to Tell Him
Meredith WilshereJanuary 11, 2026 at 12:00 AM
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Lucy Liu -
Lucy Liu admitted that she had a crush on C. Thomas Howell years before they worked together
During a chat with W Magazine, Liu revealed that she even had a poster of her costar at one point
"I never told him that I had a crush on him because I was so embarrassed," she said
Lucy Liu was crushing on C. Thomas Howell long before the two met on set of Southland.
While speaking with W Magazine, the Charlie's Angels actress revealed that her first "cinematic crush" later became one of her costars — and she even once had a picture of him on her wall growing up.
“C. Thomas Howell in The Outsiders. I was able to afford one of those teen magazines. I Scotch-taped it up to my wood-panel wall," Liu, 57, told the publication. "He had a very ’80s look, with his hair blown back and his hand in his jeans pocket."
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C. Thomas Howell in 'The Outsiders'
Howell was just 16 when he played Ponyboy in 1983’s The Outsiders, alongside Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Patrick Swayze.
The Francis Ford Coppola film was set in Tulsa, Okla., in the 1960s. It followed brothers Ponyboy Curtis (Howell), Darrel Curtis (Swayze) and Sodapop Curtis (Lowe) and their friends, and the conflicts the greasers had with the Socs, the more affluent teenagers in the city.
Decades after the crime thriller came out, Liu "ironically" ended up working with Howell, 59, in season 4 of Southland.
“I never told him that I had a crush on him because I was so embarrassed. We were playing tough cops,” Liu admitted.
Doug Hyun/TNT
Lucy Liu and C. Thomas Howell in 'Southland.'
Southland ran for five seasons, from 2009 to 2013. Howell was a recurring star on the show, starring in 27 episodes as Officer Dewey Dudek. Liu, meanwhile, joined the show in 2012, portraying Officer Jessica Tang in 10 episodes.
The crime drama also featured Michael Cudlitz, Ben McKenzie, Regina King and Shawn Hatosy.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
