5 things you should know about ‘The Half of It’ star Leah Lewis

May doesn’t have a white boy of the month because it belongs to “The Half of It” lead actress, Leah Lewis. Over the weekend, we’ve been gushing over the Chinese-American star whose eye-catching photos made the rounds on Twitter. 

Although the Netflix Originals romcom is her feature film debut, she has a couple of TV credits to her name. If you loved her as the shy Ellie Chu, it might come as a surprise to you just how different she is from her character IRL. We did a little recon to get to know Lewis a little better and what we found made us love her even more. Here’s the lowdown on everybody’s new girl crush. 

She has the vocal chops of a recording artist

Can we please have a Leah Lewis album? In the movie, we got to hear Ellie Chu timidly sing a self-written lullaby on a high school talent show. In comparison, Leah’s not reluctant about showcasing her pipes on her Instagram. She has posted several covers where she treats us with her rich and soulful voice. Check out her version of The Beatles’s “Eleanor Rigby” and Ariana Grande’s “raindrops” if you don’t believe us. The songbird occasionally posts covers on her YouTube channel too.

She posts funny skits that will give TikTokers a run for their money

We didn’t really get to see Leah be a funny lady on “The Half of It,” but she’s posted enough content to keep us sated for now. Her skits tell us that she probably had a Vine phase and that she’s a born entertainer. She switches between characters and makes satirical observations in her videos. If there’s a rookie actor who would kill it as a Saturday Night Live guest host, we’re betting it’s Leah. 

She’s a total fitspo

Need motivation to keep working out during the quarantine period? Look no further than Lea’s Instagram account. She can lift 200 pounds and has rockin’ abs. If you’re not into weight training, you can also try your hand at yoga. We too want to get toned.  

She listens to music to get into character

We know, we know. She’s not the first actor to use this technique but we’re so happy that she chose to share with us her Ellie Chu playlist called “Dear Aster Flores.” It’s a moody list of songs that will get you into a yearning mood. Not only do we get to listen to how she envisioned the character but we also got a look at her personal music preferences. Some of the songs included are Imogen Heap’s “Goodnight and Go” and Billy Joel’s “She’s Got a Way.”

She’s dating a fellow musician

While we were kinda hoping to see a real-life girlfriend, we found out that Leah’s in a cute relationship with singer-songwriter Payson Lewis. Listen to his latest track “Nothing To You” if this is the first time you’ve encountered his name. We promise it’s worth it. The couple have been posting super cozy photos together and even shared a duet they did in a car. They’re so cute together, right?

 

 

Art by Dana Calvo

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Amrie Cruz: Amrie is a nonbinary writer who likes to talk about politics and viral animal videos. They have a dog daughter named Cassie who doesn’t go to school.