Epic romances aren’t just reserved for the movies. When actors Mo McRae, 37, and Lex Scott Davis, 28, first locked eyes in 2017 at the cast meet and greet for the hit film The First Purge, their chemistry was instant. “She sat across from me at a table and it was pretty much a wrap,” McRae recalls.
Their love was meant to be, but they didn’t know it yet. “We didn’t figure that out until later,” admits Davis. “On set we became really close friends. We didn’t even have a scene together, but we had the same taste in music, photography, exploration, and food, so we connected over that.” It didn’t take long for the thespians to transition from close friends to adoring lovers. Davis was immediately impressed with McRae’s generosity. “What I love most about him is that he’s dedicated and such a people person,” she explains. “He’s always pouring himself into others.
Everyone who meets him says amazing things about how great he is or how much the moment they shared was impactful. It’s really inspiring to observe.” It’s just another quality the two have in common. “She’s just so kind,” McRae adds, “the kindest person I’ve ever met in my life. She’s caring, loving, thoughtful and considerate of other people’s feelings. For her to be so beautiful and have that as a driving force got me.”
She’s the kindest person I’ve ever met. For her to be so beautiful and have that as her driving force got me.
– Mo McRae
McRae, who is set to star in the new Fox drama Almost Family this fall, and recently appeared on the third season of HBO’s Big Little Lies, didn’t want to wait to make Davis his wife. In August 2018, after first getting permission from her parents, he surprised her with a proposal at a scenic roadside overlook in Palos Verdes, California. Davis happily accepted, and the couple exchanged vows this past July in a garden before an intimate group of family and friends. Mr. and Mrs. McRae chose to have an “unplugged” ceremony, asking their guests not to photograph or film their nuptials out of respect for the sanctity of their wedding day.
For the couple, saying “I do” was a major milestone. “I know that a lot of actors are married, but for me, it feels different because we’re young and we’re Black in the entertainment world,” says Davis, who recently shot the upcoming film Son of the South, executive-produced by Spike Lee. “Because it’s a rarity for us and a rarity within our families, there’s something really beautiful about being brave enough to take this leap of faith and create a union under God. I want to break generational curses with this man by my side.”
What I love most about him is that he’s dedicated and a people person. He’s always pouring himself into others.
-Lex Scott Davis
The newlyweds are still flying high after an unforgettable event. McRae’s good friend and fellow actor David Oyelowo, who’s been married for more than 20 years, served as their officiant. “He was able to speak from a place of love, love of God and for his wife,” says McRae. “It was like a dream. It felt special, magical. It was definitely a spiritual day. There was an outpouring of love.”
Heating up Tinseltown
Check out other lovebirds in the entertainment industry
The She’s Gotta Have It star, 35, and her fellow thespian husband, Underground’s Alano Miller, thirty-something, have been happily married for ten years. Swoon!
Lena Waithe and Alana Mayo
The 35-year-old actress, screenwriter, producer and The Chi creator proposed to her longtime love—thirty-something film executive Alana Mayo—over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2017.
Ryan Destiny and Keith Powers
Since they met at a magazine party in 2015, up-and-comers Destiny, 24, of Star and Powers, 27, from Straight Outta Compton have been the epitome of blossoming Black love.