Kate Beckinsale Admits She’s Still Getting ‘Used To’ Scrutiny Over Pete Davidson Romance: ‘It’s Shocking’

Though she’s no stranger to the spotlight, ‘Underworld’ star Kate Beckinsale said she wasn’t prepared for the reaction to her striking up a romance with Pete Davidson.

“I’m surprised by the interest,” Kate Beckinsale, 45, said to the Los Angeles Times when discussing the obsession over her relationship with Pete Davidson, 25. “I’ve never been in this position before — never dated anybody who comes with their own bag of mischief. It’s all quite shocking, and something to get used to. I think if you liked the person less, you would bow out of it. If that were the main thrust of the relationship, there would be a problem. But it’s not.”

On the one hand, it’s good news for Pete that Kate likes him enough to withstand the spotlight being shone on their relationship. On the other hand, there are parts of this newfound media obsession that The Widow star could do without. “I’d rather not have people hiding outside my house,” she told the LA Times. “It’s a little old fashioned to have a woman’s personal life [looked at like that]. It’s a little bit tired.”

Kate and Pete’s romance has been the talk of the town since they hit it off at the Golden Globes in January. Since then, the couple has been seen having the time of their lives. They’ve been spotted holding hands in public, making out at hockey games and having dinner with the parents. Though, it seems the grief she’s been getting over the age difference has taken its toll. The LA Times notes that a day after she blasted David Spade for leaving a rude comment on a video of her cradling a baby cheetah (“You like them young! (Now don’t fight back and roast me just quietly stew and take the hit.)” he said, to which she replied, “never gonna happen grandpa”) she deleted all the posts on her Instagram page.

In the talk with the LA Times, Kate also spoke about the public’s perception of her. Though some may know her as the star of the Underworld series, she says she’s more than that. I haven’t done those movies in five years, but yeah. The thing that’s odd to me is you can do 50 or 55 movies. Four of them are in a rubber suit, and because people dress up like that for Halloween, that slightly skews what people think your skill set is,” said Kate.

“All of my career I’ve thought, ‘I need to do things where I learn more and that I find difficult,’ ” Kate added. “Whether it’s me learning French, or doing an American accent for the first time in ‘The Last Days of Disco,’ or doing an action movie, I’ve always considered this a prolonged apprenticeship to where you’re learning how to do stuff.” Well, Kate is now learning how to handle having all eyes on her dating life.