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NEED TO KNOW
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 Liuwas crushing on C. Thomas Howell long before the two met on set ofSouthland.
While speaking withW Magazine, theCharlie's Angelsactress 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 inThe 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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Howell was just 16 when he played Ponyboy in 1983'sThe Outsiders,alongsideTom Cruise,Diane Lane,Ralph Macchio,Matt Dillon,Rob Lowe,Emilio EstevezandPatrick 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 ofSouthland.
"I never told him that I had a crush on him because I was so embarrassed. We were playing tough cops," Liu admitted.
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Southlandran 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.
Read the original article onPeople
