‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3: Why Cara Delevingne’s Return as Alice Seems Unlikely
Cara Delevingne’s time on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building may have been short-lived. The model, actor, and BFF to Selena Gomez joined the cast in season 2, playing a love interest for Gomez’s Mabel Mora. However, Delevingne was missing from the final moments of the season, causing many fans to wonder about her return. Here’s why it’s doubtful Cara Delevingne will reprise her role in Only Murders in the Building Season 3.
[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for the Only Murders in the Building Season 2 finale.]
Cara Delevingne joined ‘Only Murders in the Building’ in season 2
Delevingne was cast as Alice, an art dealer who starts dating Mabel, last December. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor said she was a big fan of the show and accepted the role right away.
“I had just wrapped on Carnival Row and I was thinking I kind of wanted to take a bit of a break and focus on other stuff. And then I got a call from my agent and she literally said, ‘Only Murders,‘ and I was like, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. A hundred percent,'” Delevingne shared. “No hesitation. No questions asked. I literally didn’t even know about the character. I just was so ready.”
Alice establishes herself early in season 2 as the owner of a New York City art museum with interest in Mabel’s work — and in Mabel herself. As the season progresses, Alice becomes a source of comfort for Mabel during the investigation of Bunny Folger’s (Jayne Houdyshell) murder. Of course, Alice is also a suspect herself, much to Mabel’s dismay. She gets caught lying about her past, and Mabel later finds her recreating Bunny’s murder in Mabel’s apartment as part of an art project.
Thankfully, Alice turns out to be a red herring. Mabel forgives her, but they don’t rekindle their romance at the end of the season. Instead, they seem to be close friends as Alice helps Mabel put her past behind her.
‘Only Murders in the Building’ co-creator John Hoffman addressed Cara Delevingne in season 3
The end of the season 2 finale jumps forward one year. It’s the opening night of Oliver’s (Martin Short) Broadway play, in which Charles (Steve Martin) stars. Mabel is in the audience to support them, as well as Charles’ daughter, Lucy (Zoe Colletti), and his girlfriend, Joy (Andrea Martin). However, Alice is not in the group.
Only Murders in the Building co-creator John Hoffman addressed Alice’s absence in a recent interview with TVLine. According to Hoffman, the time jump allowed a “reset” for the characters, especially Mabel.
“We’ll have the audience play catchup and ask what’s going on with all of them, and what have they been up to without a murder to solve,” he said. “Each character will have had their own specific journey in that year, and Mabel’s journey is probably the most unexpected in certain ways, because Charles and Oliver have been doing the play. Her world has moved forward.”
While Hoffman doesn’t want to write any characters out completely, they only return if it’s “narratively led.” With that in mind, Cara Delevingne will only come back as Alice in Only Murders in the Building Season 3 if she’ll serve Mabel’s storyline. Now that Mabel is starting another chapter, it doesn’t feel totally necessary for Alice to stick around.
“Alice’s storyline [resolved itself] in a rather sweet way, with the beginning of a reparation in that friendship [with Mabel]. I like the chumminess that’s there. But I don’t think we’re aiming toward any more of a love relationship,” Hoffman added.
Another former love interest of Mabel’s has yet to return
Alice wouldn’t be the first love interest left behind in Only Murders in the Building. During season 2, many fans wondered when they would see Oscar, Mabel’s rekindled flame from season 1. However, she told Oliver that she and Oscar decided to be friends, and viewers never saw him again.
Speaking to Deadline, Hoffman said it made more sense for Mabel to let go of her past, including Oscar.
“We made a call that we didn’t want to see Mabel develop a relationship where the trauma bond is strong. With all that Oscar had gone through with going to jail for murder, we thought his leaving made sense,” he said.
Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean Oscar will be gone forever, and the same logic goes for Alice.
“I think they keep in touch and I won’t say it’s not something that won’t come back around in some way because [Oscar] was a part of her life,” Hoffman added. “I’m really proud of Mabel and how she worked through some difficult stuff with Theo (James Caverly), she was victorious. Now she’s a woman with a new purpose who is stronger and even goes on to solve the case.”
Only Murders in the Building Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Hulu. Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for updates on season 3.
