Justin Timberlake back on set after 'holding hands' with co-star Alisha Wainwright
It's back to work for Justin Timberlake. The 38-year-old musician and actor reported to the set of Palmer on Monday in Louisiana, two days after photos of him holding hands with his co-star emerged. He was photographed in a navy uniform talking on his cell phone.
Timberlake and co-star Alisha Wainwright, 30, were spotted engaging in some PDA in photos and a video obtained by The Sun. They were out with cast and crew on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street when they appeared to be holding hands under a table.
At one point, Wainwright was also pictured resting her hand on Timberlake’s leg. He didn't appear to be wearing a wedding ring. The Can't Stop the Feeling! singer recently celebrated his seventh anniversary with wife Jessica Biel and they share a 4-year-old son, Silas.
E! News reports that a source says Biel and Timberlake "are downplaying everything and trying to laugh it off as nothing. But it was definitely inappropriate and something that would make any wife uncomfortable."
“He had too much to drink and got carried away," the source claims, adding, "[Justin] says it was not a big deal. They were all hanging out together and that's the end of the story."
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Insiders close to Timberlake and Wainwright maintain nothing inappropriate went on, telling People the interactions were "completely innocent."
"It’s a balcony with a group of people and it was definitely nothing happening," a source told the magazine. "He’s down there shooting [his film] Palmer, they’re starring in the movie together and they’re cool and everybody was just hanging out."
According to a rep for Wainwright, "There is no validity to this speculation. They are currently working on a project together. Members of the cast and crew were all together."
The source continued, "The video may look a way, but literally it was nothing. It was some friends, members of the team, crew and people like that. They all know each other and were hanging. Like come on, they’re on an open balcony in New Orleans and he’s famous. It was nothing."
An insider added to Us Weekly that Wainwright and Timberlake are "just friends," explaining, "They are like brother and sister. They are definitely not hooking up. She has been dating an actor who lives in LA."
So who is Alisha Wainwright? She's best known for playing teenager-turned-werewolf Maia Roberts in the series Shadowhunters. She also starred with Michael B. Jordan in Netflix’s science fiction series Raising Dion. The Florida-born actress, who studied botany in college, only realised she wanted to be an actress after traveling around Central America before moving to California.
"My mum always hoped I’d become a doctor," Wainwright told Wonderland magazine, "but I realised I didn’t really have the passion that a lot of my peers had."
Palmer features Timberlake as Eddie Palmer, a former college football star who ends up serving time in jail and returns to his hometown to get his life together. Wainwright plays his love interest, school teacher Maggie Hayes.
Timberlake, Biel and Wainwright have not directly addressed the scandal.