A Starry New York City Debut for Mr. Malcolm's List

Mr. Malcolm’s List, the Regency-era romantic comedy premiering in theaters on July 1, wasn’t the only exciting thing to debut on June 29. On the red carpet outside of the Director’s Guild of America Theater in Midtown Manhattan, Zawe Ashton—the writer, actor, and one of the film’s leads—walked the red carpet in a gown by Sabina Bilenko Couture, revealing for the first time that she’s pregnant. It was a fine moment for Ashton, who’s engaged to fellow actor Tom Hiddleston, to do so, considering Mr. Malcolm’s List is about a group of characters—played by a cast including Freida Pinto, Theo James, and Sope Dirisu, among others—desperate to find partners and start families, if only they can get out of their own ways.

The film is an adaptation of a book by author and screenwriter Suzanne Allain that was published in 2009. It was later made into a short film by director Emma Holly Jones before being adapted for the big screen. Before the screening began, Jones ardently congratulated her cast and creative cohorts, and invited Pinto, Dirisu, Ashton, James, Divian Ladwa, Sianad Gregory, and Allain to the DGA’s stage to honor them for helping her bring the film to life. “Watching that cast become lifelong friends has been such a joy,” Jones told T&C. That joy wasn’t one-sided. Pinto—who was herself pregnant during the shooting of the film—told T&C, “We really bonded and found a way to build insane chemistry.”

That much was apparent; the group was all smiles on their way into the theater with a group of guests including Huma Abedin, Tony Goldwyn, Conrad Ricamora, and Gay and Nan Talese. After the screening ended, the group made its way to Le Chalet at L’Avenue at Saks for an 1818-themed afterparty including croquet, live watercolor illustrations, and—one would hope—less confusion and heartbreak than they all endure on screen.