The Actress Who Plays Candace on "You" Met Oprah in Real Life

From Oprah Magazine

• Season 2 of You began streaming on Netflix on December 26.

• In the new episodes we finally learn why Joe's ex-girlfriend Candace, played by Ambyr Childers, has returned.

• And while we watch her on the small screen, we decided to learn a little bit more about the actress.

During the season 1 finale of You, we were left with a gigantic cliffhanger as we learned that Joe Goldberg's ex-girlfriend Candace, played by Ambyr Childers, was indeed not dead. You know because we were kind of led to believe as much since we saw flashbacks of him burying her alive.

But alas, in season 2 we not only learn that Candace is alive and well, but she's made it a mission to torture Joe and expose his murderous secrets.

“Candace embraces this vengeance as a radical form of therapy,” Childers told the New York Post. “She wants revenge, she wants payback. She plays this vigilante character that I really love in the second season. It’s super-fun, like a cat and mouse game.”

And while we won't spoil it for you completely, though well-intentioned, Candace's story unfortunately does not have a happy ending. But as we see her fight to get back at Joe the entire season, it's hard not to become curious about Childers, 31, the woman who brings her to life.

You may have seen her in Ray Donovan.

Though Childers has been in a handful of shows and movies since her start in Hollywood, you most likely recognize her from either playing Ashley Rucker alongside Liev Schreiber in the Showtime crime drama Ray Donovan or from her two-year stint on All My Children.

She owns a jewelry company.

In 2015, along with her friend and fellow actress Kate Bosworth, Childers founded her jewelry line "AC," named for her initials. At the time she told InStyle that many of the designs were inspired by her Native American heritage.“Kate has an amazing eye for what’s fresh and different,” Childers told the publication. “We have very different styles, but we both share an artist’s sensibility and want to meaningfully connect with a larger audience... Symbols are an important element of my culture, and Kate was so excited to learn the meaning of the pieces."

When describing its mission, the company's site says they "delicately capture the magic of ancestry, infuse meaning and symbolism into luxurious yet practical jewelry, and embolden the wearer to Rise and Shine."

Childers is engaged.

The actress is set to tie the knot with her fiancé, Jeff Tinsley, who proposed in January 2018. At the time, she took to Instagram to share a snap of the huge sparkler with the caption, "I said Yes."

This will be the second marriage to Childers, who was originally married to Hollywood producer, Randall Emmett, for eight years until their divorce in December 2017. Emmett is currently engaged to Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent.

She shares two children with her ex, Randall Emmett.

Childers and Emmett share daughters London, 9, and Rylee, 6. Tinsley also has three children from his previous relationship.

“When I was younger I never wanted children, but then you grow up and your life would not be the same without them," she told the L.A. Times. "It’s beautiful chaos to me."

Childers doesn't understand why fans are obsessed with Joe.

Despite originally airing on Lifetime, the series didn't develop its mega fandom until it made its move to Netflix. And as for why so many people became obsessed with the murderous Joe? Childers has a theory.

“I think people are fascinated with serial killers and the whole mindset of people like Joe, and social media obviously is a big driving force of this younger generation,” she told the New York Post. “It’s also based on a really fantastic book—it’s a really solid show that a lot of different generations can tap into.”

But along with You's mega-success came an unsettling phenomenon of fans having a crush on the psychopathic Joe. Don't believe us? Here are a couple tweets where Badgley expressed his own dismay.

Childer's response? She said: “It’s just mind-blowing. I think it’s important for people to know that Joe’s actions and behavior are not okay. It’s really fascinating to see how this all has transpired into some women just being so in love with this idea of who Joe is."

She met Lady O!

Yes, the actress has lived out our biggest dream and actually met the O of O. Back in September 2019, she shared the story of meeting Oprah with her Instagram followers. And it all started with a dream.

"YOU WONT BELIEVE THIS: I woke up at 6AM and told my fiancé I needed to go back to sleep because Oprah was in my dream and she needed to tell me something," she wrote. "Cut to...This afternoon we were sitting outside our hotel lobby in Santa Barbara and @oprah walked by." Um, can we all have her magical manifestation powers?

Childers continued: "I told her about my dream and she gave me the warmest hug! The real message here is listen to your heart. Your heart knows the way to your dreams but cannot explain or justify in logical terms. We all have an inner knowledge. You have to learn to trust it."

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