Viola Prettejohn Makes Stunning Venice Debut in Miu Miu Double Header

For 15 and a half minutes, the audience at Sala Grande theater in Venice stood and enthusiastically cheered on the cast and filmmakers of The Testament of Ann Lee, Mona Fastvold's speculative retelling of the founder of the radical religious sect the Shakers. It was the longest ovation at the festival so far, and its lead Amanda Seyfried, along with her co-stars, were overcome with emotion. For first-time Venice Film Festival attendee and Anne Lee actress Viola Prettejohn, it was a moment she'll never forget.

The film marks director Fastvold's return to the Lido (a small island off of Venice) a year after launching last year's award season darling The Brutalist. Expectations were high for the film world premiering out of competition at the festival, and the musical delivered earning rave reviews. After seeing the film for the first time in Venice, Prettejohn (The Witcher and The Crown) quickly realized she was a part of something very special and that the film would be a defining chapter in her career.

For the glamorous occasion, Miu Miu, arbiter of taste and It-girls, dressed the actress in not one, but two looks. The first, a preppy olive cardigan and gray drawstring mini skirt number for the film's photocall, and the second a silver satin column gown with black bra detailing for the premiere.

Ahead, the actress takes us behind her Miu Miu double feature, an exciting showing of classic glamour with a bit of edge.

On her first Venice Film Festival experience

It's really magical. It's complete chaos in the best possible way, but it is very much a roll with it kind of thing of being pushed around from events to this other thing and you don't really know what's going on half the time. I've just given myself over to it and have decided to be swept along with it. It's a really beautiful festival. It's the film festival I've always wanted to be a part of.

On her Venice Film Festival looks

I had a fitting a couple of weeks ago, and my stylist Sarah Rose Harrison sent me through a few options. I only tried on one dress, the [Miu Miu] dress that I wore. What was so great about all of my outfits for the weekend was that they felt like something I would wear but elevated. With Venice, I always think of Old Hollywood glamour. It's peak glamour. So I wanted something that looked classic but had a slight edge to it, which again, is what I wear in general, classic style with something different going on. And I feel with the satin, that's a very classic fabric, but with the black bra coming out, it gave a modern edge to it.

And then with my other outfit, it was the cardigan and that feels very classic, but then the shape of the skirt and the way it pouffed out, I just thought it gave it something a little different.

On working with Miu Miu

It was one of the quickest fittings I've ever had. We just knew as soon as I tried on everything that it was all perfect. Working with Miu Miu, they've always been very kind to me. They were one of the first to dress me when I was a teenager, so I was very happy to work with them and I really wanted to work with them.

On watching The Testament of Ann Lee for the first time

It was so overwhelming. It was a very emotional day in general, but most of us hadn't seen the film, so it was our first time watching it. And from the moment it began, I was just immediately thrown back to our filming experience and remembering how amazing that was and what a beautiful time in my life it was, but also seeing what we made together. It's the proudest I've ever been of anything. I was very struck by this feeling of even if I had just one line or one tiny scene in it, then it would have been the most proud of anything I've done, but I just feel so grateful to be part of it. For the last 20 minutes of the film, I was crying. And then the moment it was done, and we all looked at each other and knew what we had made was so special, I started bawling. I literally couldn't stop crying for the next hour or two, I was just a complete mess. I looked at Amanda and she had been crying as well and we just saw each other and completely melted. It was a very special time. It's one of the things where you're in the moment, but you know in that moment that it's going to be one of the highlights of your career.

Her Venice beauty essentials.

I chose to do my own makeup [for the festival], which was another part of the decision making process, because it's like a ritual for me. Doing it myself is actually a really calming thing. I did my makeup in the morning and then I did a light zhuzh up for the carpet. I used this Fenty Beauty [Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil] highlighter. I wear it every day. I usually just put it in the corner [of my eyes], but I brought it up all the way onto my lid. Also Huda Beauty foundation. I use a little bit and it just blurs everything. It's also one of the few brands where the shade is light enough, because I'm very pale. I'm also neutral tone, so finding foundations that are pale enough for me is quite hard. So that shade Vanilla is perfect for me. Lips are a nightmare for me because I use like five different products.

Her red carpet dressing philosophy

I need some element of it to be comfortable. Also, I wore a ring that was my own that my mom had made for me for my 21st birthday out of my gran's diamonds. I think it's having one element that is mine on me that immediately makes me feel more myself. Because there is always this thing with events where people are dressing you and they're doing your makeup and they're doing your hair and you're wearing clothes that aren't your own, you just don't feel like yourself. I think for me, in order to feel comfortable and not be panicking and actually feel confident enough to go on a big carpet, because this is a really big carpet, it's one of the biggest ones you can do, I need an element of my own wardrobe in there somewhere.

Favorite festival moment

I think watching the film because I hadn't seen it. But also seeing the stuff that I wasn't in was amazing. So I think watching it and then the moment immediately after that of looking at everyone else, seeing their faces and all of us sharing that very quick moment of okay, we've done that, that was incredibly special, we've really created something very special here. Because all of the stuff leading up to that is just a whirlwind of stress.

Credits:

Photographer: Oliver Holms

Hairstylist: Owen Gould

Stylist: Sarah-Rose Harrison