In the chaotic world of Tell Me Lies, Stephen DeMarco’s actions are cruel, his methods are manipulative, and his impact is destructive. Yet, the actor who brings him to life, Jackson White, believes there is a dark and twisted form of love at the core of it all. As the third season of the hit Hulu drama premieres, White shares his unique perspective on one of television’s most debated relationships, explaining that for his character, love is not a source of comfort but a catalyst for chaos.
The new season picks up with Lucy Albright, played by Grace Van Patten, and Stephen trying once again to make their connection work. According to White, this attempt is doomed from the start because of who they are. “They start in a place of they’re trying to make it work with each other, but they’re both so damaged that all of their demons come out,” White explained. He described Stephen as someone who “doesn’t know how to not hurt somebody. That’s how he connects. It’s pretty dangerous”.
What Stephen’s Version of Love Looks Like
When asked directly if Stephen actually loves Lucy, White offered a qualified yes. “Yeah. In his way,” he stated. He elaborated that Stephen’s emotional landscape is far from normal. “He’s not like normal people. He’s not like you or me. Love can be really bad for him. Love is bad and it’s bloody and dangerous, but he has it. I know he has it”.
This perspective frames Stephen not as a simple villain, but as a deeply troubled individual whose understanding of intimacy is fundamentally broken. White has previously described Stephen’s motivation as an attempt to feel better. “He’s trying to feel better. Everyone’s trying to feel better. His method is hurting others. He has that thing where he wants others to feel pain so he can feel better”. In this context, his pursuit of Lucy is less about romance and more about a compulsive need to engage in a painful, familiar cycle.
A Relationship That Punishes Everyone Involved
For Lucy’s part, her return to Stephen in Season 3 is rooted in self-punishment. Grace Van Patten shared that playing Lucy this season felt different. “It was a lot more about punishing. Punishing herself, and her feeling like she needed the treatment from people that she felt she deserved,” Van Patten said. She described Lucy as “losing it and losing hope and starting to really… dislike herself without admitting it,” ultimately beginning to accept and even desire poor treatment.
The actors explain that this magnetic pull is a toxic addiction. “They’re addicted to one another,” said Van Patten. “They’re pulled back to one another because they’re in a vicious cycle”. White points to a primal, physical attraction as a key component, calling it “very simple” and “very primal”. Showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer adds that for Lucy, the anxiety Stephen provokes is mistaken for love. “She came into the show depressed and numb, and Stephen was the first thing to get her out of that numbness. And so she mistakes it for love and for chemistry when it’s really just anxiety”.
The Extreme New Depths of Season Three
The first three episodes of the new season, released on January 13, show Stephen’s manipulation reaching disturbing new levels. In one pivotal scene, he forces a distraught Lucy to record a video confession. He then stores this video as leverage, continuing his pattern of collecting “evidence” to weaponize against people close to him. Reflecting on filming such intense moments, White credited his real-life relationship with Van Patten with providing a safe environment. “It’s just trust,” he said. “You have to go in there and you have to go dark”.
The fallout from their relationship now extends far beyond the two of them. “I think everyone’s experiencing the consequences now,” White noted. “Everyone has to deal with the repercussions”. Van Patten agreed, stating, “You really see how this relationship affects everyone around them, not just them”. This includes their friend Bree, whose wedding was ruined by Stephen’s actions in the Season 2 finale, and others who are pulled into the expanding web of secrets.
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The Real-Life Partnership Behind the On-Screen Chaos
While their on-screen dynamic is explosive, Grace Van Patten and Jackson White’s off-screen relationship is a stabilizing force. The couple, who met in 2021, has navigated three seasons of filming these dark storylines together. Van Patten has called their real-life bond “very grounded and easy,” and said of White, “He’s such a dedicated, ambitious human that I learn from every day”.
This real-world trust allows them to tackle the show’s most challenging scenes. When asked how they shake off the heaviness after filming, White joked, “Yep, pumice stone. Get the dead skin off”. Van Patten added with a laugh, “It’s a deep, deep body scrub after we’re done. Shed the layer”.
New episodes of Tell Me Lies Season 3 are scheduled to release weekly on Hulu every Monday. The season will run for eight episodes, concluding on February 17.
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