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Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Tommy Dorfman has opened up about her brief romance with her former co-star in her new memoir, Maybe This Will Save Me.
From 2017 to 2020, Dorfman played Ryan Shaver on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why alongside Brandon Flynn, who played fellow high school student Justin Foley. In her book, which hit shelves on Tuesday, Dorfman recalled the “second” night the cast got together at her house when she stepped outside to smoke a cigarette, which led to her and Flynn sparking a “short-lived” romance.
“Within a few puffs, I looked over to find that Brandon had joined me,” the book read. “His boyish tipsy charm was intoxicating, he carried confidence with ease, and his blue eyes sparkled, perhaps this is what people meant when they said star quality. Whatever it was, Brandon embodied it.”
She said there was an “undeniable charge” with the two of them, though at the time they never publicly confirmed that they were romantically involved.
“We held each other’s gaze for what felt like forever, and next thing I knew, we were up in his bedroom, ripping each other’s clothes off,” Dorman’s book continued. “It was lusty and fun in the most beautiful, magical of ways.”
However, their relationship never progressed because Flynn wanted “something more serious,” while Dorfman “couldn’t offer more than casual fun.” Flynn later ended their romance, but Dorfman questioned if it was a mistake not to reevaluate her decision after becoming jealous when she saw Flynn with Miles Heizer, who played Alex Standall on 13 Reasons Why.
Dorfman (left) and Flynn’s romance ended after Flynn wanted a serious relationship while Dorfman ‘couldn’t offer more than casual fun’ (Getty Images)
“Seeing Miles and Brandon so in love sparked an unexpected jealousy in me, a yearning for that excitement and fire, perhaps even more serious feelings lingered for Brandon at that time, but I couldn’t do anything about it,” she wrote. “My bed was made, and I needed to focus on the task at hand: memorizing my lines.”
Dorfman went on to marry Peter Zurkuhlen in 2016 after meeting through a mutual friend. The couple divorced in 2021. Shortly after, she met Elise Williams on the dating app Hinge.
In a May 2024 essay for Vogue, Dorfman revealed she got engaged to Williams after dating for only two months, writing at the time that they “waited a full 12 months before moving in together,” though they took in a Great Dane puppy after six months of knowing each other. They got married in 2023.
Last week, after nearly two years of marriage, Dorfman filed for divorce from Williams, according to online records viewed by People.
