PETER LOVES LILY
When Peter Facinelli speaks about his fiancée Lily Anne Harrison, you can’t help but notice the adoration in his voice. The couple became engaged over the holidays, while vacationing south of the boarder. “It’s our little getaway. We travel down to Mexico often,” given that it’s only a couple hours from Los Angeles, where the couple live and work. “We end up going down there quite a bit.” So much so that their friends tease them about being drug mules, Peter explains with the chuckle.
But what we really want to know is if Lily saw it coming. “I didn’t really, because we usually take a sort of annual holiday trip down there with Peter’s kids and sometimes my family will come, too. There wasn’t really any indication that it was coming on that particular trip. So it was a really, really lovely surprise.” Peter interjects to question the validity of Lily’s recollection, and the two laugh as she finally admits only a bit of suspicion. “I thought it was coming, I just didn’t think it was coming on that trip, mostly because I didn’t think he had a ring,” she clarifies.
The ultimate family man type, Peter’s kids were there. As he was leaving the hotel for that life-altering dinner with Lily, his 13-year-old daughter, who knew about the plan, offered some sweet words of encouragement. “Don’t be nervous, Dad.” It’s a small moment, but one that illustrates the strength of the Facinelli family bond—something that stems from Peter’s Italian roots and upbringing.
He is known to be someone who carefully chose roles that wouldn’t take him away from his kids. Most of the world recognizes Peter as the vampire patriarch Carlisle Cullen of The Twilight Saga film series. But now that his girls are older, Peter is taking on edgier roles that allow him to be more selective about the type of characters he wants to play.
Peter stars in two feature films due out later this year: The Ravine and Thirteen Minutes. Can’t Hardly Wait, the cult classic in which he played Mike Dexter opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt, just made its way to Netflix. Yet 2020 is a milestone for another reason. Hour of Lead (starring Anne Heche, Thomas Jane, and Jason Patric) marks his second feature film as a director, but it is the first movie Peter has both written and directed, as well as acted in.
To clear up any confusion, the movie’s name is pronounced Hour of Lead as in “pencil lead,” not to rhyme with “bead.” The title (named to reference Emily Dickinson’s 1862 poem) is meant to illicit the pit-feeling of dread that stems from a moment of panic.
A psychological thriller, Hour of Lead is about a couple who go to an RV park with their daughter who, subsequently, goes missing. “It’s pretty much every parent’s worst nightmare—when their kid disappears,” even if just for a few moments. “It feels like an eternity.” The film explores that theme—how would you handle the disappearance of your child?
RVing was a part of the childhood vacations Peter facilitated for his kids. On one particular trip, “About an hour in, I heard gunshots.” When he asked the front desk what happened, the clerk’s response was unsettling. “Oh don’t worry, there’s a prison nearby. They do tactical tests sometimes.” Apparently two or three shots were normal… “If you hear more than that, come to the front desk immediately,” Peter was told.
“I started wondering what would happen if your kid went missing at an RV park where such a horrific thing happened amongst beauty. And then you’re looking for a needle in a haystack.” The film idea germinated from that trip. From there, Peter felt like the screenplay sort of wrote itself, completing it in a mere three weeks.
Actors aim to get every take right, but directors search for special moments. “You’re looking for really truthful moments as a director, because you know that everything is cut up,” and that certainly alters perspective. “Filmmaking is such a huge collaboration … That’s one of the things I love about directing—I get to collaborate with the wardrobe department and the makeup department, the actors,” all of whom the director relies on to bring their A-game.
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Hour of Lead debuted at the Mammoth Film Festival in early spring, and will be released in theaters on August 21st. You’ll recognize Peter as Deputy Rakes. Keep an eye out for Lily, who auditioned for and earned the role of Janet, as well as her father, legendary actor Gregory Harrison, who plays Dr. Bradley.
Though a writer at heart, Lily is an actress as well. She grew up as a Hollywood kid, but doesn’t care much for the glitz and glam. “Whatever your family business is, there’s a certain amount of just comfort there. But truthfully, I knew really, really early on that I wanted to go into the arts.” Being on set from a young age, she remembers seeing all the moving parts and how magical it all seemed.
“Somewhere in my twenties, I started to feel frustrated with the roles that were available to me, and the stuff I was auditioning for, and I also started to see a lot of women crop up around me that were making careers for themselves, like Lena Dunham and Greta Gerwig, and I started to really identify with that kind of career—a sort of ‘piece it together’ version of acting and writing, and hopefully eventually directing.”
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The magic is still there for her. “Writing is great because it’s something I can do essentially all on my own—to create an entire world just from my imagination.” With a love for getting to know the complexities of the characters she plays, Lily writes practically all day most days.
An innate modesty reveals itself when Lily only touches on the fact that she has several projects in the works—Peter is the one to interject, singing the praises of her accomplishments and discipline. “I’m so impressed by her. It takes a lot of dedication to get up every morning and treat it like a job. She gets up at 7:30, 8 o’clock in the morning and just starts writing,” Peter boasts on Lily’s behalf.
“And she’s always writing a bunch of different pieces. And I just think she’s so talented!” Rather than feel jealous of their partner’s work demands, “We have this admiration for each other’s work and work discipline,” says Peter. “Anytime she’s working on something, I’m excited for her … and vice versa.”
“When he’s enjoying his art … I really respect that—friend to friend, and artist to artist,” Lily adds. A mutual respect for each other’s craft is evident. “I think, also, it helps that we have such a strong friendship,” elaborates Lily. “Like, we really like each other … I don’t think that’s as common as it should be.”
Plus, “I think we’re lucky because we have very similar taste in a lot of things, especially when it comes to things like material, we kind of get each other,” Lily explains as Peter agrees. Take something as simple as their mutual love of Mexico, for example: “Her and I both really love Mexican food and beach weather. It’s nice to have somebody who likes to travel to the same kind of vacation destinations. It’s nice to both like the sun and sand.” The couple take advantage of the Californian sun, too, enjoying their beautiful neighborhood with regular walks to local eateries, and savoring time spent at the home they have created together.
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“I think, also, it helps that we have such a strong friendship … Like, we really like each other … I don’t think that’s as common as it should be.”
Peter and Lily’s residential shoot reflects a mood board with retro vibes—think Old Hollywood feels with references to King Cool. Befitting, given that Paul Newman and Robert Redford’s performances in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are part of what inspired Peter to pursue acting. Their home echoes an affinity for sanctuary that can easily transform into an effortless platform for entertaining, which Peter and Lily love to do even on short notice.
“I grew up in a neighborhood that was very walkable to things, and the neighbors all kind of knew each other. So I like having that where I live,” Peter reminisces. “And a lot of our closest friends actually live within walking distance of us,” follows Lily. She loves to cook and often hosts close friends for intimate gatherings, which fits seamlessly with Peter’s desire to facilitate socialization.
Peter jokingly fancies himself a sort of Gatsby, seeing as the couple’s impromptu get-togethers sometimes turn into unexpected house parties. “We like to have people over with barbeques, or game nights, poker nights…” For Peter, “It’s fun to have lots of people over to connect with each other,” even if he stays in the background grilling for their guests—there is a certain comfort in being surrounded, though still able to observe and absorb.
It is those moments that seem to be most missed during this unprecedented time, where social distancing prevents a type of relationship growth that cannot quite be attained through virtual contact. Yet, being forced to stay within the confines of our houses can also allow us to make our homes, well, homier. In a world of instant satisfaction, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to truly slow down, take a real breath, smell the roses, and do the things that indefinitely sit on our “someday/maybe” lists. Take advantage of your immediate surroundings, be inspired by the little things, nurture common interests, seek happiness in the mundane, and remember to carry that sentiment on when we no longer are bound by these current confines.
Managing Editor Lauren Barisic
Photographer Storm Santos
Stylist Franzy Staedter
Hair Lucy Gedjayan
Makeup Courtney Hart
Groomer Angie Mikaelian for Exclusive Artists using Elcie Cosmetics and Skyn Iceland
Storm Santos
Photographer
Storm is a celebrity and editorial photographer, born and raised in Los Angeles. He currently lives in Downtown Los Angeles with his wife and English bulldog, Bronx. A creative his entire life, Storm was a touring musician before obtaining a degree in photography. Though he got his start in television, he naturally transitioned into photographing well-known people—his work, with its distinctly edgy yet accessible style, can be seen in magazines across the nation.
