Elena, Stefan, and Damon. Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah. Jackie, Cole, and Alex. Now, Lauren, Lucas, and Kit. Ransom Canyon, Netflix's Western drama, is the latest to throw its hat in the ring of messy brotherly love triangles as its sophomore season sees Russell siblings Lucas (Garrett Wareing) and Kit (Casey W. Johnson) vie for the affections of down-on-her-luck cheerleader Lauren Brigman (Lizzy Greene). Who will get the girl? Or maybe the more important question is, are you #TeamLucas or #TeamKit?

After some gentle prying, Greene has taken a stance. She's #TeamKit for now—emphasis on "for now." The former Nickelodeon (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn) and ABC (A Million Little Things) star admits Lauren is acting messy this season, but that's somewhat Greene's doing. After season 1 concluded, Greene told showrunner April Blair she wanted to see Lauren suffer a bit in season 2. She asked; they answered. This season, we find Lauren dealing with the fallout of her career-ending cheer injury and her mother's bombshell revelation, and it's not going well. Her relationship with Lucas is on the rocks, and the return of his older brother stands to drive a further wedge between the young couple.

On a sweltering July afternoon, we caught up with the actress to discuss her kismet role in Ransom Canyon, turning up the drama for season 2, and starring in the highly anticipated film The 99'ers.

Coming off season 1 of Ransom Canyon, what was the biggest response you got to Lauren Brigman?

I was pleasantly surprised by the young people that watched the show. I think that was really sweet. When it came out, me and Garrett spent days on my couch just watching people's responses and reading things. We really loved all the fan edits that people made. Obviously, Lauren, she's a little messy because she's a 16-, 17-year-old girl, so she's figuring stuff out in real time.

The Western drama has been having a big resurgence lately. Why do you think it appeals to audiences?

I think it's because it is so niche in America, like farmers and ranch life. I'm saying this as someone from Texas. I grew up in Texas, but I grew up in the suburbs. I think it's pure escapism. That's why people have come to really love it. It's been really sweet to see how it's now become a cornerstone in media. Nowadays, we have a lot of media that's very intense and very deep and dark, and I love that. I love to sit down and be really impacted by something that I'm watching. But I also think it's really nice to have a fair share of shows [whose] only job is to let you just sit and really zen out watching something, and I think that Westerns have become that for people. Again, as a Texan, I love to see it. We're having a moment.

You are a Southern girl at heart, growing up in Dallas. Was that an easy entry point for you to Lauren? What other ways are you and Lauren similar?

When I first got the audition for [Ransom Canyon], I remember it just felt so kismet because [Lauren] wanted to be a UT cheerleader, and my mom was a UT cheerleader. It was going to shoot in New Mexico, and my dad grew up in New Mexico. I grew up in Texas, and it's a show that takes place in Texas. So I have so many things to pull from there in relation. Also, she's a cheerleader, and gymnastics was such a big part of my life. It seemed like there were so many little idiosyncrasies that really resonated with me. And it was cast by an amazing friend of mine, so it was this "lightning in a bottle" situation. I'm so blessed that I got it and I'm here now.

Lauren is going through a lot this season, to put it mildly. I read that you told the showrunner that if season 2 did happen, you wanted Lauren to suffer and to give you the hard stuff. Well, you asked, and she delivered.

She gave it to me! From the beginning, I thought that she was on this high [in] season 1—until the end when she breaks her arm and she finds out this thing about her mother, this bombshell. It was only fitting for her to have a bit of this struggle in season 2, and that's why I was really spearheading and wanting it. I was like, "Please, please!" As an actor, [I] love difficult things. I also just selfishly was like, "Give me some stuff that's hard. Give me some mess. Give me some drama." And they happily delivered.

I was also like, "You should go for the Kit thing" because I think that if you get an emotional response out of your audience—whether that be immense frustration, which I'm sure a lot of people are probably feeling after watching season 2, or just any kind of emotional response at all—it means that everyone's doing their jobs correctly. TV is supposed to invoke some sort of emotional response, so I wanted her to struggle through season 2 because Lucas is in a great time in his life. … That's probably really hard on her, and that's why she finds solace in Kit, who's also going through a very similar struggle just in life and trying to provide for his brother. I think that's probably why they found a connection there.

What was most exciting for you in terms of picking things up with Lauren for season 2?

Honestly, I think knowing where they were going was really exciting because I love drama. I love dramatic work. So being able to come into this season, you can see she has this level of discomfort within her body because she just doesn't feel like she provides value anymore to cheer. She had that scholarship she was betting on getting, which didn't end up happening, and now, she feels this level of guilt with Lucas because he's soaring in his life, and she doesn't want to feel jealous of her boyfriend. But also, she doesn't really even know how to relate to him anymore, because she has gone through this massive struggle in her life with her family and her friends and future career. Knowing that that's where we were going this season, I was really excited. I think it was necessary, given season 1. She was on such a high, and Lucas was the one who was struggling. I think having that switch really impacted both me and Garrett and what we got to do, and we had a blast.

As if things weren't already rocky between Lauren and Lucas, Lucas's brother Kit is home, driving a further wedge between the two. What is the deal with all these brother love triangles?!

Girl! You know what? The people want the love triangles with the brothers, and I'm happy to be part of the crew now.

Is it even fair to ask who you personally are shipping between Lauren and the Russell brothers?

I feel like it's always so taboo when the actor plays into it, but then again, I like to watch these interviews and be like, "Wait, I want to know who she's actually rooting for." At the moment in her life where Lauren is, I don't think she can be a really great partner to Lucas. And he's such a golden retriever, so it really stings to watch. The way that she went about this relationship ending was a bit messy. I think Kit just makes sense for her right now. However, I don't think I'm gonna rule out Lucas coming back to the table in the future, because there's that scene where they say, "Maybe someday. We're not okay right now, but we might be some day." I honestly think that they're so young when they're together in this show, and in order for them to really grow and get to know themselves, they have to do that apart for a while. I think there's a world where they come to the table in the future, and they're both more mature, more solidified in who they are as people outside of just being a couple. So I think it was necessary. Maybe not in the way it went down, but I think that the heart wants what it wants, and Kit was that in season 2.

I did see Garrett say, "If Lucas and Lauren aren't endgame, I'm never believing in love again."

I think they are endgame. I really do. Their love story is so pure and so innocent and has this level of mutual care and understanding for each other. But again, I think the place where Lauren is in her life, she can't be that person for him anymore, and I don't think she wants to drag him down and be his Achilles' heel when he is soaring in his personal life. It needed to happen in season 2. But season 3, who knows?

So much is happening this season. Are there any other storylines you loved watching play out?

Oh, I love Josh [Duhamel] this year. He's always great. I think him being able to have comedy this year, and where his character was this season, was such an enjoyable watch, and he's phenomenal. Honestly, I really enjoyed watching him squirm a bit, seeing that Quinn is now seemingly good, and she's taking care of business, and she's with this new guy, and he's providing for her. Getting to see him be like, "I don't like how this feels. I'm supposed to be this masculine, unbothered person," and then this girl gets under his skin, I was just like, "Ah!"

Well, you are busy with a capital B. Next year, you are starring in The 99'ers, which is about the 1999 U.S. Women's World Cup final match against China. With the Women's World Cup taking place next year, what does it mean for you to be a part of this project?

Oh my gosh. I can talk about this all day. My dream as a kid was to be a soccer player. It's all I wanted to do in life. When I got on Nickelodeon, I still was not letting go of my dream, and I told Nickelodeon how much I loved and wanted to be a soccer player on the show that I was on. They got Alex Morgan to be on it, and that made my life. It's been such a large part of my life, and as the years have gone on, obviously, acting has become my forefront. But I've always kept a soccer ball in the back of my car, and when I was in Vancouver on the ABC show I was on, I would go play in Chinatown at the field out there all the time, and in L.A., during the [actors'] strike, I would go to the Autry Museum. There's a little grassy field there, and I would play. It's always been therapy for me, and when this came in my inbox, I was just like, "Oh my God, what I would give to be any part of this project, big or small—just the idea of getting to do soccer camp with these girls." Thankfully, everything worked out, and we did six weeks of soccer camp, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But us girls were forged in fire, and we had the best time, and it was such a wonderful experience. I have so many mementos around my house. I can't wait for everyone to see, and with soccer fever everywhere now, hopefully it'll resonate with people.

Catch up on Ransom Canyon season 2—now streaming on Netflix.

Photographer: Raul Romo
Stylist: Jenna Filingeri
Hairstylist: Eduardo Mendez
Makeup Artist: Kara Yoshimoto-Bua

For all intents and purposes, Juno Temple's Ted Lasso chapter came to a close following the show's season 3 finale. She said goodbye to Keeley Jones and moved on to other projects, such as the animated buddy adventure Swapped and dystopian sci-fi comedy Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. Then Jason Sudeikis turned back the page—he wasn't quite done with the game-changing feel-good comedy.

When Ted Lasso arrives on Apple TV on August 5, don't expect to see the men of AFC Richmond. Instead, the series will focus on the Lady Greyhounds, the football club's new against-all-odds female team—a notable pivot given increased interest in women's sports and the lead-up to next year's Women's World Cup. The season will introduce some fantastic fresh faces, including Tanya Reynolds and Faye Marsay, and fan favorites like Keeley, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), and Coach Lasso (Sudeikis) are all coming back.

"I was really nervous," Temple says candidly of reopening the Ted Lasso chapter. "I was like, 'What if I can't do it anymore?'" It had been almost two years since she stepped into Keeley's eight-inch stiletto heels. Nerves were to be expected.

Coming from a place of intense care rather than fear, those thoughts were quickly brushed away when Temple met up with costume designer Jacky Levy for a five-hour fitting. Suddenly, all the joy of Keeley Jones came rushing back to the actress. "We were all reminded of how much fun it is to create Keeley from the toes up to the top of her hat," Temple says. "She's like a weird surrealist yet classic painter with the way she presents herself in the wild, and that's something that I really love about her."

Temple hints at an unbelievable number of looks this season, including one standout moment consisting of a bubblegum-pink Alexander McQueen blazer that Levy sourced the night before at Selfridges and a special pair of pajamas featured later in the season that were designed by a friend. It's not surprising to learn Elle Woods has been and continues to be a huge inspiration for Keeley as a similarly career-focused woman who embraces her favorite color as pink.

Piecing together Keeley's "bonkers" wardrobe was a fresh reminder to Temple of how once-in-a-lifetime special the character is. "I don't know if I will ever have an opportunity to inhabit someone like that again," she says. What fun it is to embody someone who says yes to everything, whether it's wearing an animal-print suit or launching their own PR firm. We could all learn a little from Keeley's determination and eternal optimism. While Temple and Keeley share a love of the color pink and being part of a team, Temple admits to wishing she could take more of Keeley's attitude into her regular life. If she's taught the actress anything, it's to believe in herself in ways that she doesn't always.

Temple's on- and off-screen friendship with Waddingham, who plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca, was just another perk of returning to the show. A beloved dynamic duo, Rebecca and Keeley showcase a beautiful portrayal of female friendship and how two women can lift each other up. "I love everything about her," Temple says of Waddingham. "Sometimes, I wish I was genuinely taller so I could make better eye contact with her because those eyes are very beautiful." Temple goes on to affectionately describe Waddingham as a nurturing mother figure and a force to work with, adding, "Being in front of that and having that around you and so alive is something that will forever be inspiring for me."

As for Keeley and Roy's "will-they, won't-they" dynamic this season, Temple is keeping mum on any details for fear of slipping up and revealing too much. Instead, she leaves me only with this: "I'm excited for people to see where it goes and what happens, and I hope people enjoy it as much as we did."

At a time when joy on our screens is a welcome distraction from the crazy world around us, the return of Ted Lasso feels fitting. What makes the show so great—genuine optimism, writing that delivers both wit and deeply emotional moments, and an underdog story—is all there. "People that I've spoken to so far say that it feels kind of like a throwback going back to season 1," Temple says. "I'm not sure we could get a better compliment."

Stream season 4 of Ted Lasso on Apple TV starting August 5.

Photographer: Tiffany Brodman
Stylist: Raquel Paiva
Hairstylist: Christopher Naselli
Makeup Artist: Gita Bass
Set Design: Lauren Bahr at Walter Schupfer Mgmt
Postproduction: Kassie Jackson

The ingredients that make a winning Mindy Kaling comedy are a cup of charming and relatable characters, a pinch of complicated relationships, and a strong helping of comforting nostalgia. These are all qualities her latest offering, Not Suitable for Work, has in spades. The workplace sitcom about a group of ambitious 20-somethings trying and notably stumbling to achieve career success while navigating personal relationships in NYC will hit home for anyone in close proximity to Murray Hill's finance bros and anyone who has ever tried to make a name for themselves entering the workforce—basically everyone. But the show's real chef's kiss comes from its core five played with impeccable chemistry by Ella Hunt, Avantika Vandanapu, Will Angus, Nicholas Duvernay, and Jack Martin.

For us, Martin was a particular standout this season as Josh Teitelbaum, an aspiring journalist who uses his last name to land a job at a large media company of which his father is the CEO. At first glance an entitled nepo baby with daddy issues, Josh ultimately proves himself a good friend and idealist who uses his connections for good. Not to mention, Martin's comedic timing is effortless throughout, delivering some of the show's best one-liners.

To hold us over after season 1's major cliff-hanger involving Josh, Hunt's AJ, and Angus's Davis, we caught up with Martin to discuss his own wobbly career journey, the prestige TV that shaped him, and why rich-people satire makes for comedy gold.

How's your summer been so far?

It's really good. You know, a lot of promoting the show, which has been awesome. And it's been great to see it come out and get the reception and everything. I just took a trip to Europe, which was really fun.

Yes, you went to Copenhagen, which is one of my favorite cities.

Oh my God, it was incredible. My friends were getting an Airbnb in Sicily, and I wanted to meet them, and they were doing Copenhagen first. I was like, "I guess I'll just join for that too." I was blown away. I think it's the nicest city I've ever been to. The fashion's crazy. I got some really nice clothes. The subway system is the nicest subway I've ever been on in my entire life. The food is really good. I jumped into [one of the harbor baths]. That was great.

Sounds amazing! Well, let's talk about Not Suitable for Work. The show is about career-obsessed 20-somethings. Speaking of your own professional journey, when did you realize acting was the career for you?

I wanted to do it when I was a kid. I just pretty quickly believed that it wasn't possible, so I didn't get back to it until I was a lot older. I took an acting class [in college], and I was reminded of how much I loved it. I was doing this monologue and repeating it over and over for fun and getting way too into it. I signed up for this summer program at NYU, and it was great. I got my first agent there because they'd have these industry nights where you could audition for people, and I got signed. I graduated early because of that, and then COVID started immediately. That was awesome. So I started making sketches online because no productions were happening, and I had basically bet my entire life on acting. My current manager, who is the best ever, cold-emailed me, and I literally thought it was spam. I was like, "Why would a guy this great cold-email me?" He's an amazing guy, and he saw all sorts of things for me—probably more than I did for myself—and signed me. I got my first show pretty quickly after that.

What were some of the earliest influences for you in the industry? Were there any characters or actors that really shaped you?

I've always loved film, but I think what I was really die-hard about as a kid was prestige TV. I loved HBO. I would watch everything on HBO. I loved The Sopranos, loved Game of Thrones and Curb Your Enthusiasm. I think Succession is the greatest show of all time besides Not Suitable for Work, of course! Those are the kinds of series where I watched them 1000 times.

I love satire. Not to sound like a pretentious actor, but I love when art speaks to something really effectively. Sometimes, satire doesn't even have to be funny. Or it's not meant to be funny, and then I find it funny anyway. I find that Succession, The White Lotus, Sopranos, and those sorts of things are really funny because they are so close to a real truth. Well, I guess I can't say that as much about Sopranos because I'm not in the mafia.

Fair. I was gonna say that most of those are pretty heady dramas. Did you not initially see yourself as a comedic actor?

I mean, no. I always loved comedy. I loved Arrested Development, Always Sunny [in Philadelphia] (I think Glenn Howerton is the greatest comedic actor ever), The Office, Mindy projects. I'm a Nathan Fielder disciple. I've seen everything he's ever made. There are so many great comedies that I love. I truthfully just didn't think I was funny enough to do comedy. I think it's because I revere these people so much, and I thought I could never do what these people do. And then I started making the sketches, and they were comedy because you can't really post dramatic acting, crying online. People liked it, and I was like, "Okay, I guess I'm a comedian."

How did Not Suitable for Work find its way to you?

It was so crazy. It was both the most random thing and the most "meant to be" thing ever. I've been a big Mindy fan forever, and I heard about this show comically early. I saw it probably before the Deadline announcement. I think I was hearing about it from reps and stuff, but I heard she was making a show about Murray Hill, which is where all my friends from college moved to after graduation, and they did the finance-bro thing. So I was so familiar with that world. That's what a lot of my sketches were about, these finance guys and LinkedIn and that whole world. I just think it's so funny and so performative. When I heard she was making that, I was like, "Oh my God, I gotta be in that show."

It's actually a crazy story. It's kind of a story where I feel like I'm not supposed to tell it, but I think [Mindy] mumbled it in public, so I think I'm good. It's not bad or anything. They were looking at someone, and they called… I don't know how to put this without really specific names. They called him, a guy I know, about this other guy, and he was like, "Well, what about my friend Jack?" which was crazy. I didn't know this was happening. I didn't know he was going to do this. I didn't tell him to do this. It's the biggest friend move someone's ever done for me. But he did that, and literally, they called me that day. I did a Zoom, then I got a test deal that night and flew out to L.A. and met Mindy and did my final read in person and got it. It was like a four-day process. It was also literally my birthday.

The universe was really out there working for you. What do you love about a Kaling comedy and what she brings to the table in terms of writing?

Because she's so smart, if I could just put it simply. This is the kind of thing I could talk about for 10 hours, but that's really the bottom line of it. She's just brilliant and very thoughtful, very intentional. Every single line is very thought-out. She's very precise, and she's threading a very specific needle in this show, which is a skill that she's incredible at—making something that is for everyone but it's also about something very specific and is true to that specific world. It's so hard to do both of those at the same time because they're literally opposites. It's very impressive to me. I'm very grateful to be part of it.

What about your character Josh felt like an exciting or unique challenge for you as an actor?

What I was saying earlier about Succession and stuff like that, I love things like that. I love The Menu. I love Triangle of Sadness. Rich-people satire, you know? Because it's about power, and that's a very playable thing as an actor for a character. It can lead to a lot of comedy. This is a different character, different show. It's not the same at all, but he reminds me a little bit of Kendall Roy, and that was really fun to play because [of] the whole dad dynamic, where he worships his dad but he also hates his dad but he also wants his dad's approval. It's like one million things at once, and it's so essential to who he is. My thing with comedy is I always try to take it seriously and play the character as I think they would really be in real life and play it earnestly and not try to be funny. Hopefully, that reads as funny. But you need good writing to do that, and luckily, this is an incredibly well-written show, an incredibly well-written character. So that made it easy for me.

How can you personally relate to the experiences of these characters?

Truthfully, I relate the most to Kel [Washington], an actor. [There are] definitely a lot of differences, for sure, but just the whole actor experience and choosing not to do the prestigious job and everyone thinking you're crazy and doing the acting because you love it and practicing your monologue in your living room, annoying your roommates because you're doing vocal warm-ups or whatever. I think all of us would say that on the cast. Also, Nicholas Duvernay is a phenomenal actor. He makes you want to relate to him.

The season ends on a big cliff-hanger with Josh seeing AJ and Davis kissing. How would you imagine Josh handles this situation?

You know, the true and real answer is I have no idea what they're gonna do, so I can't even spoil it if I wanted to, but I think it'll be interesting. He's someone who is so focused on everything else. He's focused on being successful and having a great career. He's focusing on being the man he wants to be. He has this vision of the perfect guy, and he's trying to be that. He's trying to appease his dad and figure out all that, get promoted, be a person, change the world. There are so many things on his mind, and love is not one of them at all. You can tell because he has two breakups in the season that are basically because he's not invested. What's cool to me about that kiss moment is I think it's the first moment of the entire season where he does care. I think that'll be interesting because, obviously, it ends there, so we have not seen that version of him at all. My assumption is just based on what I know about the character. … I think that you're going to see more of that and that version of him where suddenly love is more of a priority.

It looks like you had a genuinely good time working with this cast. What are some of your fondest memories?

It was incredible. I feel like it's always gonna sound like PR when everyone's like, "I had a great time." I really had a great time. We're all such good friends. Will Angus, who plays Davis, I've been close friends with for years. We met in 2020 doing sketches, and we've done a bunch of stuff together. When I found out he got it, I was over the moon. We lived together when we shot the show. And Nicholas I met right before we started shooting, and we just instantly hit it off. Avantika and Ella are awesome. Everybody is—Victor Garber, Mindy, obviously.

One moment that was really special to me is [that] those sets that we shoot on the stages are real buildings. It's not like there's only one wall. After we wrapped, we all went into the guys' apartment, and it was just the five of us, and no one knew we were there. So it was this very private moment. We popped a bottle of champagne and just hugged each other, and it was so nice. I feel so lucky. This is such a special cast. They're kind. They're generous. They're humble. They're respectful. They're funny. They're incredibly talented. They're phenomenal actors.

Well, here's to hoping a second season happens because they can't just leave it there. That's rude.

It's funny. I'm the same. I'm, at the end of the day, a fan. I hope we keep going. I hope we keep going for a long time.

Not Suitable for Work is now streaming on Hulu.

Photographer: Max Montgomery
Stylist: Jake Sammis
Groomer: Simone Kogen

Romance-novel lovers could rest a little easier when they saw Belmont Cameli's dark head of curls come into frame as the first episode of Off Campus, the book-to-screen adaptation of the best-selling series by Elle Kennedy, colored their televisions. Cameli, 28, is the latest fresh face to step into the role of BookTok boyfriend—a title more desirable than ever as New York Times best sellers like Heated Rivalry and Every Summer After continue to seep onto the small screen. Joining the ranks of Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, and Christopher Briney, the star has seen how quickly internet fandom can flip one's life on its head. But rest assured, the tall, dark, and handsome brunette from Chicagoland is up for the challenge.

Since giving dedicated book fans the physical manifestation of the womanizing collegiate hockey star Garrett Graham—one half of the lead couple in Off Campus season 1, accompanied by Ella Bright as Hannah Wells—Cameli's career has shifted into high gear. With the show's massive success (Amazon Prime Video reported a record-breaking viewership of 36 million streams within its first 12 days, according to Variety) came magazine spreads, first pitches at Chicago White Sox games, and now beauty campaigns. Remember those umber, scene-stealing curls we talked about earlier? Yeah, they landed their own Tresemmé deal.

Ahead, Cameli fills Who What Wear in on life after the show's splashy debut, the shrouded happenings of season 2, his future career goals, and his simple routine for those signature curls.

I've seen pictures of you in your high school football jersey with some not-curly hair—how and when did you learn to embrace your natural texture?

I didn't have a natural curl until later in high school—maybe around 18. I started growing it out more. It started getting wavy, and then I would cut it down and grow it out, and it just kept getting curlier.

Growing up, my hair was poker straight, so there was a whole period of time that I suddenly had curly hair and could not figure it out for the life of me, which is why I'm really happy to have Tresemmé on my side today. They make it so easy, so I don't really have to think about it. I just go in with their three new products in the Bouncy Curls line, and it takes no time at all. I can just go about my day. But I've struggled—learning the curly-hair [routine] later in life with no help was difficult.

We just spoke with your costar Stephen Kalyn (Dean Di Laurentis) about season 2. How is filming going so far?

It's great! We're having so much fun. We're all very busy, and we're just really proud of the show. We're working on episodes 3 and 4 right now, and these scripts are really impressive. It's just nice to be back with everybody—the cast, the crew, and our creators. It's been a blast. We love shooting the show.

Kalyn told me that you once called him on a day off just to tell him about your high school football experience.

Oh, I call him randomly every single day, and he calls me too! We talk all the time; we just get along so well. He's from the suburbs of Toronto. I'm from the suburbs of Chicago. We have similar trajectories and stories. We're the same age, we started acting at the same time, and obviously, this show happened to us together. But yeah, I gave a 30-minute soliloquy about my high school football team. He was like, "Okay," and honestly, I've heard him talk about hockey and his hockey teams for hours on end, so whatever!

That's how friendship works! How does this season—both the filming process and show itself—feel different than season 1?

It doesn't really feel all that different. It's almost the same crew, so it was kind of like we took a break and came back home, you know?

Obviously, we're aware of the attention the show has gotten, but that doesn't really affect us while we're working, so the days on set feel very familiar. It almost feels like no time passed at all between season 1 and season 2, which has been really nice. I'd say the biggest difference is that when we're shooting on location, there are more [fans] around.

If you could describe season 2 in three words, what would they be?

Ensemble, love, and friendship. I haven't had time to think of a good three yet, but those three are definitely in there—lemme tell ya.

They definitely count. It must have been nice to jump back into filming after such a crazy press run of a summer.

It was. It was so nice to have work and to be all together right after the press run and the release of the show. We got to come back into our bubble. For me—and I think for them too—having work is a real privilege.

How does it feel to have your career explode the way it did this summer—to not only be in such a famous role but to also land campaigns with brands like Tresemmé?

It's been really interesting. I think a lot of actors hope for the audience that we've garnered now. I feel really honored to have new fans of my work. I'm really grateful for the opportunity that it's presented me—when it comes to my next jobs, when it comes to partnering with Tresemmé and their great line of Bouncy Curls products, and getting to talk about my hair. It's really nice, and it's been an adjustment, but it's been cool. [But] my day-to-day is pretty much the same. All the things I'm seeing with my eyes are no different.

Since you've been acting for a minute now, is there a beauty hack that you learned on set that changed the way you get ready?

Eye patches go a long way for me. I'm a tired boy most of the time, so letting those soak in is totally cool. When it comes to my hair, turning my head upside down and scrunching is essential to getting those curls right. You've got to do your hair upside down a lot of the time.

And if I want my hair to look good, I usually have to use a diffuser somewhere in the process. If I want to completely air-dry my curls, they end up looking incredible, but that takes so much time. Once you get the Defining Cream in there and put a little mousse in, give it that shape, then go in with the diffuser, and set it and forget it, it's great.

I know you're busy shooting Off Campus until early fall, but do you have any other upcoming projects that you can share with us?

I do, but not [ones] that I can share. There's some really fun stuff that I'm looking at with my team right now, and hopefully, we'll get season 3 for Off Campus. In the time between, I'm really looking forward to going to work and shooting some features. There's some fun stuff I can't say, but I'm really just excited to be on set more. I want to spend all my time on set—literally all my time. So hopefully, that's what I'll get to do.

I'm curious—do you guys see the TikTok edits? Are you sending funny comments to each other? Can you laugh at everything?

We definitely can laugh at it. I'm not on TikTok. I'm not on the internet, really, unless it's, like, woodworking videos on YouTube. But there are a lot of pink-helmet videos that go around that we really enjoy. People have really given the pink helmet the life that it's deserved online. I've seen some of the edits of the show, and a lot of them are extremely impressive, [even] just from an editing standpoint. I've seen plenty of it. It's all fun, weird, and cool. It's just wild, honestly.

There's been a lot happening this summer. Between the World Cup, your breakout show, and filming, there's a lot to obsess over. What are you obsessed with right now?

I'm so predictable: It's Chicago White Sox baseball. The Cubs and the Sox are both doing really well right now. There's a lot of good baseball happening on the South Side. I'm obsessed with driving my car. I bought this 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser from Japan. It's this little diesel engine with four-wheel drive, and I love driving it so much. Vancouver is a gorgeous place to drive around, and I'm also obsessed with getting eight hours of sleep whenever possible.

I hear you guys are up early doing hockey practices!

Yeah, we do a lot of boot camps. We are in the throes of filming right now, so when we're shooting, we're on the ice for 12 to 16 hours, which ends up really hurting your feet but being good practice.

The shooting schedule, on top of other fun stuff we have going on outside the show, keeps us pretty busy, so when I know I have a night when I can get eight hours of sleep, I get so excited. I'll have, like, 100 dreams and try to write them all down in the morning.

Speaking of dreams, your life is opening up in big ways these days. What are some new personal and career goals that you've set for yourself?

I really want to wear multiple hats at some point as a filmmaker. I never really knew when the next step toward directing would be, and right now, I'm realizing that if that's going to happen, it won't be in a way that I foresee. … I really just want to go to work as an actor, build out a diverse body of work, play unpredictable characters, and work in different genres and arenas, so right now, my vision is honestly the same as it's always been. I want to do things that are different from the others that I've done.

I've done a decent amount of comedy television now, and I've done some genre films, some drama. I've played in this YA space a couple of times, and I really just want to protect the vision of doing different things and work with cool filmmakers that I like. It's a pretty broad goal, but my goal is just to work. I really love being on set, so that's where I want to be.

Shop the Tresemmé Bouncy Curls Collection

Reality television fans know her as one of the latest additions to Bravo's Summer House, a series that follows a group of New York City friends and their many dramas in a seasonal share nestled in the exclusive, coastal Hamptons. Rihanna knows her as a close friend and trusted confidant. Las Culturistas hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers just awarded her the title of Best Vibe, Hands Down at the 2026 Las Culturistas Culture Awards. If that wasn't enough to decorate her résumé, she's also a bona fide makeup lover, so it was only natural for Mia Calabrese to divulge her summer beauty secrets to us.

On a balmy summer day in late June, Calabrese curls up on a couch in a sprawling downtown Brooklyn hotel room, her face gently sculpted in a flurry of Fenty Beauty. "I feel like she and I have a very similar energy," Calabrese tells Who What Wear of friend and Fenty Beauty founder Rihanna in an Instagram Reel. The reality star and real estate salesperson credits their compatibility to the stars (Calabrese is a Cancer, and Rihanna is a Pisces), though she confesses to being a Fenty makeup stan for years before the duo met.

We asked the burgeoning star for her summer makeup tips ("How does she keep those looks locked in place in the Hamptons heat?" we often wonder), discovered what's on her beauty restock list, and dished on her sisterly relationship with costar Ciara Miller. Keep reading.

First, we asked, What's one beauty product that at least someone needs to have on hand in a share house? Calabrese's response—the Fenty Beauty Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder—nearly came out before we finished the question. "It's so hot in the Hamptons in the summer, so I put the Invisimatte all over my skin," she mimes, dabbing the product on her face. The translucent pressed powder extends the life of your look, controls oil, and keeps sweat at bay for hours. "So you're glowy, never oily!" she tells WWW.

She also shares that sunscreen, specifically the Fenty Beauty Hydra Vizor, is a nonnegotiable. "It makes your skin so glowy and beautiful," she adds. "Some SPFs break me out, but this one doesn't. It sits on my skin perfectly. It gives my skin this natural glow, and I know my skin is being protected. I'm very serious about my SPF." Calabrese also calls out bug spray as a must in the house. "I can never pick just one!" she exclaims. Continue on for more.

You and Ciara famously live in the same apartment building—do you ever share products or clothes?

We joke that our closets are extensions of each other's. We're like sisters that don't fight. If I need to borrow anything, I'm like, "I need to go upstairs," or she'll come down [to mine] and be like, "I need to borrow these paper towels." I actually cannot think about not living in the same building with her; it makes me anxious.

Your friendship with Rihanna is iconic. What's your relationship like nowadays?

She actually texted me two days ago. I love her. That woman knows so much about my business. She's so sweet, such a good friend, and so thoughtful. She's just always checking in, which I appreciate as a water-sign girlie.

We know Rih's a reality TV lover. Did she watch your season and keep up with you as episodes came out?

She did! She was late to the reunion, though, and I had to text her. She's a big Summer House fan. When we were out, she was introducing me to people like, "Everyone, this is Mia from Summer House!" I'm like, "Everyone, this is Rihanna, period."

Do you remember your first Fenty Beauty purchase? What was it, and do you still restock?

Of course, I do!

Calabrese shouts out the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb and Match Stix Contour Skinstick as her first purchases from the brand, though they are far from her last. "I still restock, obviously!" she adds.

What's your beauty vibe this summer?

"Bad bitch" is my look this summer. I'm going for glowy skin and overlined lips.

(Duly noted.)

Shop Fenty Beauty Picks Inspired by Mia Calabrese

In the modern world, sports aren't just about what happens on the court, field, or track. Much of the buzz around athletes actually takes place before their events—that is, when they arrive at their respective venues and showcase their latest fashion creations. In basketball, that's referred to as a tunnel 'fit; in Formula One, a paddock 'fit; and so on. What athletes wear when they're not in uniform matters, especially to fans who might never get to speak to their heroes. Clothes are the perfect form of communication—a window into who your favorite athlete is and what they stand for. That's what Go Sports is all about. Yes, we care about box scores, the results of Free Practice 1 (even if it is at 3 a.m.), and RHOSLC-level rivalries, but today, sports fashion matters too. We're not ashamed to say so.

According to Sports Illustrated, WNBA point guard for the New York Liberty and University of Oregon legend Sabrina Ionescu was responsible for the third most-worn basketball shoe in the NBA this past season. Her Nike Sabrina 3s were played in for a total of 26,125 minutes, with wearers including Steph Curry, Derrick White, and more. The only styles worn more? The Kobe 5s and 6s, created by the late Kobe Bryant, one of Ionescu's biggest mentors, in collaboration with Nike during his storied career in the NBA. Ionescu's 1s (2023) and 2s (2024) were just as popular, both in the NBA and the WNBA.

This morning, her fourth Signature shoe, the Sabrina 4s, debuted, continuing her journey with Nike and no doubt ushering in a new favorite among star players across the basketball landscape. It's the partnership's most innovative collection yet, according to Nike, with "a TPU FlyPlate inspired by the feel of a sprinter's launch off the starting blocks." Nike engineers then reworked the technology to gear it toward basketball. "Together with a responsive forefoot Air Zoom unit and plush Cushlon 3.0 midsole, the technology provides the support and stability needed for quick reaction times on the court," Nike stated in a press release.

To get the backstory on the Sabrina 4s, available now on Nike.com, I caught up with Ionescu midway through her season with the Liberty. Scroll down to read our conversation.

How does it feel to be releasing a fourth signature shoe and collection?

It's an honor. I can't believe we're on four. Time has just like flown by, but every single one has been so meaningful, and we've been able to create so much change, so it's an honor. I'm so blessed to be in this position—to be on the fourth—to continue to improve and want to get better every single year with the Signature line. So I'm excited for the world to be able to put them on their feet really soon.

What’s been the biggest takeaway from your experience creating now four signature shoes and collections with Nike?

You can't please everyone. At least for me, I am always like, okay, I want to create the best shoe for everybody. And then, so many people have so many different needs, and their feet are different, and what they like and what they don't like. So I think it's just been the understanding of you can't please everyone, and you just have to go out and do your best in terms of what works for you, what you think will work for the majority of basketball players—young and old—and how you can continue to improve every year. But it's just hard. Some people like them; some people don't. I think when you go out with the mindset of wanting to please people, you're not focused on what's most important: doing the best you can in the design of the shoe. So for me, every year, it's obviously collecting insight into what basketball players are saying—what they like and what they want to see different—but always knowing that I gotta just do what feels best and what we think is best as a team.

At the end of the day, you have to wear them. How much is it you and how you play and your style when you're making the shoe and how much is it looking the broad scape of basketball players?

It's really based on my needs and how I play. The feel, the weight, the traction, the comfort, and the cushioning—all of that is really based off what I need and what I feel is most important when I'm stepping out on the court, especially as a guard. So I'd say that is always the foundation and the principles of when we're pushing innovation. That's always at the forefront of what we're doing. But I think it's understanding that technology is growing every day, and we're learning more and more. So I think it's finding a great balance between pushing, but not steering too far away from what makes it a Sabrina's shoe.

What makes this particular collection special/different from the last three? How does it represent this unique stage in your basketball career?

I think it just continues to tell a really fun story. You can go out there and accomplish what you want, be who you want to be, while also enjoying the process, believing in yourself, and putting in a lot of hard work. You know, you don't get to where you are by chance, but you get there through a lot of hard work, believing in yourself, and continuing to tell that story. So, for me, it's been fun seeing the evolution of [Nike and I] being able to tell that story as I've continued to evolve in my career.

Aesthetics-wise, tell me about how you made some of the decisions you did for this collection.

I'm always tweaking a little bit, but also trying to keep what I really love in the shoe the same. So the vertical swoosh is the same. The S pattern that we have—like the haptic on the entirety of the shoe—is different. There's an eye, kind of like a gradient eye on the back, which we've always had. The traction, like pattern, is different. So we've just added a lot of different new and improved things while also keeping it the same. And then in the clothing, which is what I'm really excited about. The Aerofit is something that I haven't had in clothing and hasn't been done. So that's something I'm excited for everyone to feel when they're training and how it feels on.

Are there any pieces in the apparel collection specifically that fans of your style and your tunnel 'fits can expect to see make an appearance?

I'd say the Icon Hoodie is something that we had in the Sabrina One, which is just the hoodie that you're able to tuck the cords into the S label, and that's something that was in the 1 [collection], and then we brought it back in the 4 with obviously a different technology and in a different sweatshirt. So I'm really excited, but I would say the new Aerofit in the apparel collection, especially for training, is something you can wear. I can't tell too much, but it's sleeveless, so you're able to train in it. It's breathable. It's obviously Nike's newest material. So I'm really excited for consumers to be able to wear it and feel really, really good in it.

These collections often have little, minute pieces of personalization that you can incorporate for fans to find and experience a bit of who you are. So does this collection have any of those touches?

Definitely, like on the fly plate, it says everyone everywhere. That's something that I love because for the first few, it's been anyone anywhere, and we've evolved it. Just as we continue to grow my business globally, the shoes [are now] for everyone, everywhere. So that's been really exciting. And then I would also probably say the chrome logo that we have on a lot of the clothing reflects like a mirror, and it's to be able to see yourself in it, and you can see your own reflection. It's you versus you. You have to look in the mirror and see yourself, and you're able to go out and accomplish whatever you want because it's your own journey of finding your own purpose.

If you could have any player wear/play in this shoe, who would it be?

I think I would pick a young player, like I love Jazzy Davidson. She's been wearing a lot of my shoes. She's at [the University of Southern California], but she's an Oregon kid, as well. So I feel like that's always been fun. I've known her for a really young age, from when she was young. But I think she's the future. So it's really exciting to see how she's continued to evolve in her career. I hope she wears them.

Paige Lorenze has great taste. As the founder and creative director of Dairy Boy and a content creator with over two million combined followers on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, she's built an impressive personal brand grounded in individuality, authenticity, and stylish fashion and beauty picks. Although her picturesque New England lifestyle doesn't hurt either.

If you've watched her YouTube vlogs for as long as I have, you'll know she's no stranger to a GRWM video. She often does her own makeup while chatting to the camera, whether it's ahead of an important brand meeting or before supporting her fiancé, professional tennis player Tommy Paul, courtside at a Grand Slam match. Because she has great taste, I'm always taking notes, ID'ing the specific products she uses and how she applies them.

If there's one makeup product Lorenze seems to use most often, it's Clinique's cult-classic Almost Lipstick ($25) in Black Honey. The shape-shifting raisin has been around since 1971 (yep, that's an impressive 55-year history), which is why it continues to transcend generational lines. A quick scroll through TikTok is all it takes to prove that it's just as beloved by baby boomers as it is by Gen Z. Lorenze has been a fan of it for years. In fact, she was introduced to it by her mom years ago.

Cut to 2026, and she's the face of Clinique's new Black Honey campaign, The Difference Is You. It celebrates the enduring popularity of Black Honey, as well as Lorenze's personal taste and organic love for the product. Ahead, I chat with Lorenze about all things beauty, including her formula for a quick five-minute face, how she stays confident in the public eye, and what we can expect from her highly anticipated wedding.

Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

You're a longtime, organic fan of Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. It's such an iconic product and collection. What do you love about it, and why do you keep coming back to it despite having tested so many beauty products over the years?

I love that you organically follow me because I'm sure you've seen me use it. It's definitely been a staple of mine forever, so this campaign is beyond my wildest dreams. Originally, I stole it from my mom. My mom is very much a "no-makeup makeup" girl, and I actually wear more makeup than her. When I stole it from her, I thought, "This is such a good product, whether you're not wearing makeup or you are wearing makeup." It was a fun entry into makeup because it's hydrating and balmy, but it has color and is buildable. Now, it's everywhere. I have one in my car, one in my purse, and one in my makeup bag.

Even if I'm not wearing makeup but want to look fresh and healthy, I'll put it on. But if I want that perfect dark-purply shade of lip—which is honestly my lip color but better—I can layer it on with a lip liner. It's very effortless but also very multifaceted. You can use it for so many different things.

I always say Almost Lipstick in Black Honey is one of the most versatile makeup products. Also, moms have the best beauty recommendations. They always have the simple, good things.

Yes, exactly, 100%.

Let's say you're short on time. You woke up late and have to be out of the house in five minutes or less. How are you using Almost Lipstick in Black Honey to create a quick makeup look?

I think doing your eyebrows, having a nice facial mist, and putting Almost Lipstick in Black Honey on your cheeks and lips is enough. If my eyebrows are brushed up, my skin is looking fresh, and I have Black Honey on, I feel like I'm good to go.

Do you have a favorite brow gel or face mist at the moment?

My favorite face mist… I feel like I use so many different ones. Honestly, I've been using Clinique's Moisture Surge ($33) for years. It's really, really good, and it's nice because they have it in so many airports around the world. They usually have a Clinique in TSA, so I've bought Moisture Surge a million times while traveling.

I've actually been using a brow oil that's meant for growth and fullness. I bought it at my local lash and brow place, and I've been using it to brush up my brows. I feel like it's been making them look really healthy. People also use things like Vaseline and castor oil.

Those are all good. Using a brow serum to brush up your brows is a good hack. It makes them look good while also giving them the growth benefits. Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey has a 55-year history, which is really impressive. What about it feels timeless to you?

I think the packaging feels really timeless. I think [Clinique's] graphic identity and the way [the brand] has stayed true to itself are very authentic. I also love that it's science based and backed. Everyone feels comfortable using Clinique products because they're universally known, loved, and have been around for so long.

Finally, I think it feels timeless to me because my mom used it and because you can find it in so many places—at the airport, at the mall, or wherever you shop for beauty products. It's accessible, which makes it feel classic and very American to me.

Speaking of timelessness, I feel like Dairy Boy captures a sense of timelessness in its design portfolio, and your home design and lifestyle content on YouTube does as well. How have your personal style and, especially, Dairy Boy's brand identity evolved throughout the years? Do you intentionally try to capture that sense of timelessness?

Definitely. I think growing up in New England has given me so much source material to pull from and so many inspirational people to look to—whether that's public figures, family members, women I grew up around, or just the people who shaped my taste over the years.

I feel like I was surrounded by so many beautiful properties. I rode horses a lot, spent a lot of time in Vermont, went to boarding school there, grew up going to Nantucket, and was born in Boston. I grew up all along the East Coast, and I've always seen the beauty in loving where you're from and taking inspiration from those places.

I think the East Coast has a very classic, timeless sense of style that values things collected over time and things with history. Those are the things that inspire me a lot in my brand, my home, and everything that I do.

I love that. It's like that quote I always see: "You're a collection of your favorite things."

Yes, totally.

What's next for Dairy Boy? Can we expect it to expand into any new categories, whether that's home, lifestyle, or beauty?

We've been developing a perfume for about a year and a half, and I'm really excited about it and looking forward to launching it. I'm going to be wearing the scent on my wedding day, so that's a category we're really excited about.

That's so exciting. Speaking of your wedding, I wanted to say congratulations. How have you approached the beauty element of the wedding? It can be a lot of pressure for people when they're putting together their wedding look. Can you share any insight into the look you wanted to create or any inspiration you've drawn from?

That's such a good question. … Because I'm both a creator and a consumer of content, I tried at the beginning of the wedding-planning process—whether it was beauty or décor—to stay away from Pinterest. I think it's good to collect a Pinterest mood board over the years, even before you're engaged, of the things you love and then put it away when it's time to actually plan. I feel like I've seen enough. I've seen so many beautiful weddings and beautiful things, and I really wanted to put that mood board aside and create something that was completely ours.

It's so easy now, with how many beautiful weddings you can find on Pinterest, not to create something that feels individual. I think the most special weddings—regardless of the beauty, the money, the dresses, or the looks—should just feel like the bride and groom. If you spend too much time looking at other people's weddings, it won't actually end up being a true reflection of the couple. That was challenging because there were so many decisions where I thought, "I would love to see how this looks, and I'm sure there's a photo of it somewhere."

I really tried to push myself with my dress, makeup look, and hair to do things that felt flattering to me and aligned with the things I know and love. I wanted to keep things simple but also romantic and a little more whimsical. For the beauty side of things, from the skincare part of my wedding journey to my wedding makeup trial, I've just tried to keep things simple. I wanted to use the things I know and love and not try anything new.

That's why working with Clinique around my wedding is such a dream. It's also a sense of comfort on your wedding day to know that you're using products you've already been using, that you love, and that you trust.

Absolutely. Wedding planning can be so overwhelming, and I think there are so many different avenues you can go down with beauty. I love the idea of keeping it simple and relying on your tried-and-true products to feel like yourself. I love your Pinterest hot take about having your board but not relying too heavily on it. Do you have any other wedding-planning tips or tricks?

Yes. I would say if you're going to spend money on anything, spend money on your planner. You cannot buy peace of mind. There's no price on that. I would say cut back on other expensive things and invest in a good planner because if you can pass off your vision to someone who will execute it and you don't have to micromanage, it allows you to enjoy this season of your life so much more.

Being a bride isn't only about your wedding day. The entire year that you're engaged—or, for some people, multiple years—is such a beautiful season of life that you'll hopefully never experience again. It's so important to enjoy that process and not dread planning your wedding or feel like you have to micromanage every detail.

It's universally known that brides get incredibly stressed during the year of their wedding. For me, my wedding planners were Easton Events, and they were the best of all time. They are expensive, but it was so worth it. They're not just expensive because of the weddings they've done. They're expensive because they have incredible organizational processes, detailed systems, programs, and technology they've invested in to make the wedding-planning process easier for me and my entire family. That's made a huge difference. Especially as a business owner, I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I'm sad that I won't have meetings with them anymore because they're so sharp."

I can understand that. Peace of mind is the biggest thing. I want to know more about how you relate to Clinique's The Difference Is You campaign. It celebrates individuality at its core. What does individuality mean to you, and how do you keep it central to everything you do—whether that's content creation, Dairy Boy design, or your foundation? How do you celebrate your individuality?

I do that through my work. I love pouring myself into my work because, with owning a brand, especially a lifestyle brand, the more authentic and true to myself I've been and the more I've gone back to my roots and stripped away any layers that weren't me, the more I've been rewarded and the more I've found my community.

It's really nice that, in my work, being authentic pays off. That's been such a fun thing over the years. I love what I do for a living, and I feel like I'm able to be really self-expressive through that.

Totally. You're in the public eye a lot as a businesswoman, brand founder, and content creator. What makes you feel confident, and what do you do to build your confidence on days when you might not be feeling your best?

I think confidence does come from within, but feeling and looking good and refreshed never hurts. If I'm not feeling my best, I'll do an everything shower, get a facial, do my makeup and hair, and give myself a blowout. That usually helps a little bit.

I also spend time with my family, but … if I'm ever feeling off, it's usually a sign that I'm not doing the things I love or spending enough time outdoors. It's easy for me to recenter myself now that I live in Connecticut because I'm surrounded by so many of the things I love.

Speaking of Connecticut, since you moved back, has it influenced your beauty routine?

Yes, I would say everything is much simpler—my skincare routine, my beauty routine, everything in my life. I think that has contributed to my happiness.

Shop the Rest of the Clinique Black Honey Collection

If you're a fan of the illustrious Lupita Nyong'o, you'll be pleased to know that we spoke to her in an in-depth interview for our July cover story. The full story dives into her dual role as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra in Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated The Odyssey. As a preview, we have a sound bite of what your read will be like, as we take Nyong'o through some quick-hitting, lighthearted questions.

In the video, you'll get Nyong'o's thoughts on her most iconic characters and costumes, from Black Panther's Nakia to her role as Viola in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night opposite her real-life brother Junior Nyong'o, who played Sebastian. She also dives into the moment she found out Beyoncé, your favorite celebrity's favorite celebrity, name-checked her in her renowned song "Brown Skin Girl," telling us, "I was name-checked in a song about embracing our complexion, which is legacy-building that I didn't know I was going to be a part of." Watch the full video below.

Watch Our Video Interview

Read Our In-Depth Profile

Click here for our Who What Wear cover story and photo shoot with Lupita Nyong'o.

Lupita Nyong'o arrives to lunch at Sukh, her go-to Brooklyn Thai restaurant, in incognito mode: dark glasses and a black pashmina looped around her head like an Old Hollywood starlet. But when the Oscar-winning actress sheds her scarf and shades, her cover's blown. Standing in this quaint dining room in a denim micromini, a white oxford shirt, and beaded necklaces from her native Kenya, Nyong'o is—unmistakably—the most beautiful woman in the world.

This month, Nyong'o plays Helen of Troy, the mythic face that "launched a thousand ships," in Director Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated, much-shrouded summer blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey. As arguably the industry's most influential director, Nolan makes movies that are not so much theatrical releases as Cultural Events. (Remember "Barbenheimer?") Nyong'o is part of an all-star cast: Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and many more. Opening-weekend tickets are largely already sold out, some a full year in advance.

Yet on the Tuesday in June when we meet, Nyong'o herself has not been consumed by bubbling Odyssey mania. "If I could be very honest with you, I haven't been in New York," she says shortly after sitting, nothing but waters and menus on the table. "I've actually been recuperating from a surgery, so I've been away, in nature, taking care of myself."

In May, Nyong'o underwent her second myomectomy, a major surgery to remove more than 50 fibroids, or noncancerous tumors, growing in the lining of her uterus. Her first myomectomy came after she was diagnosed with fibroids in 2014, the same year she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her breakout role in 12 Years a Slave. Nyong'o shared her private struggle with fibroids in public for the first time last year: the "seasons of constant pain"; the heavy, prolonged periods in which she lost "dangerous amounts of blood each month." Earlier this year, she revealed her fibroids had returned.

The surgery is still "very fresh," Nyong'o says. She's not quite ready to talk about it yet. First, she suggests, "let's warm up."

Many women struggle to take a simple compliment. Nyong'o is not many women. When I ask how it sits with her to be cast as the most gorgeous minx of all time, she replies with an enthusiastic "Really well." Nyong'o laughs a little, but she's not kidding: "No, I do love this for me."

Here in our snug corner booth, Nyong'o is wholly owning the role.

"Listen. I'm not going to be mad at anyone calling me beautiful," she tells me. "I grew up feeling kind of like an ugly duckling." She references her 2019 children's book, Sulwe, inspired by her own experiences with colorism: "It took me a lot of conscious work to get rid of my insecurities and to free myself from the discrimination of my skin color."

Regal, striking beauty is inextricable from Nyong'o's public identity: as Nakia, the warrior/spy and love of the late Chadwick Boseman's King T'Challa in Black Panther; as the first Black face of Lancôme and a suited Chanel ambassador. The "jarring" attention started when Nyong'o moved to her birthplace of Mexico to study Spanish at age 16: "I was like, 'Wait a minute. I'm odd enough here. I'm singular enough that people are translating it as beauty.'"

At 43, Nyong'o speaks with the steady, almost mesmerizing conviction of a woman who has done the work. "When people compliment me these days," she adds, "I embrace it."

Early Odyssey discourse has been so preoccupied with Helen, it's largely glossed over that Nyong'o pulls double duty as her sister, Clytemnestra, the tortured queen who murders her husband, Agamemnon (Benny Safdie), as payback for sacrificing their daughter to the gods. It's a role that Nyong'o first played as a student at Yale School of Drama in a class called The Greeks. "Her story is so tragic," she says. "It's hard to forget."

In some versions of The Odyssey—including Nolan's, Nyong'o reveals—Helen and Clytemnestra are twins. She immediately agreed to play the more storied sister during her first meeting with Nolan. ("I never ever thought that I would be offered a chance to play Helen of Troy.") When the Oppenheimer director doubled down with Clytemnestra, Nyong'o "almost fell off the creaky chair [she] was on," but it helped that she'd already played doppelgängers in Jordan Peele's psychological thriller Us.

"I had the reassurance that I had done two roles before," she said. "My role in Us, I was the Odysseus. It was more of a heavy lift to do Us than it was to be a really, really valuable and pivotal part of Odysseus's journey."

To tackle the twins, Nyong'o knew she had to craft key physical and vocal distinctions for each character, an approach she says "Michael" (as in Michael B. Jordan, her Black Panther costar and the Oscars' reigning Best Actor for playing twins in Sinners) has also discussed. How, specifically, did Nyong'o approach Helen versus Clytemnestra? "I can't tell you that," she says slyly.

Inevitably, we've reached the point in our interview when Nyong'o must maintain the mystique of a new Nolan film. The director famously rejects the modern movie-marketing machine, a gauntlet of appearances, interviews like this one, and a deluge of TikToks and Instagram Reels promoting—and potentially overexposing—the project. When Nyong'o and I meet in June, there have been no glimpses of her in character as Helen. Two Odyssey trailers have dropped, neither of which feature her. Journalists typically screen the film their celebrity subject is promoting; not this time.

"I actually think that a lot of filmmakers want to be guarded about what they're making, but the industry doesn't allow them to be," Nyong'o says. "Chris has that power. He is that power."

Nyong'o is a director's darling, consistently working with the new masters, including Peele and Black Panther's Ryan Coogler. Even so, the mythology (pun intended) around Nolan felt different. "There's so much lore that goes with the Chris Nolan experience," Nyong'o says. In reality, she found him to be remarkably open, inviting her into three-way discussions with him and the costume, hair, and makeup departments. She praises Nolan's no-phones-on-set policy and the fact that he didn't coddle The Odyssey's constellation of stars.

Even before The Odyssey, Nolan's and Nyong'o's careers were creatively aligned. Both have a way of elevating blockbusters, bridging the gap between Best Picture and box-office hits. The Oscars have toyed with adding a "popular film" category, but between Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight (Nolan) and Black Panther, Us, and Wild Robot (Nyong'o), the synergy between art and commerce is already being realized.

For Nyong'o, filmmakers like Nolan and Coogler mean she doesn't have to view her career in terms of the old industry juggling act of "one for them, one for me" (projects that pay and others that feed your soul). "They do work that means something to them. They're not just collecting a paycheck," she says. "That's a gift, to have artistic convictions that happen to correlate with a popular movie." She could just as well be talking about herself.

Nyong'o has gravitated to iconic IP (Marvel, Star Wars), but her meteoric, Oscar-winning debut came in a comparative indie. In Director Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave, she played Patsey, a young enslaved woman immortalized in the memoir of the same name. I wonder how it's impacted the rest of her career, to get everything she's supposed to want, upfront, at age 31.

"That is the only life I know, right? The version of life where I won an Academy Award for the first movie I ever did," Nyong'o says. "It's unbelievable that it happened that way, but I'm so glad it did because it happened before I had a chance to want it and now I get to be grateful for the rest of my life." Some say it's a curse, but Nyong'o credits the Oscar's weight, and not just because she sometimes uses hers as a dumbbell. "I would not be in a Chris Nolan film were it not for that," she says. "It legitimized my presence in an industry that has a very short attention span."

Growing up, she never dreamed of acting as a viable career path. She can't seem to stress this part enough: "I come from a very different world, Michelle." The daughter of a Kenyan politician/professor and a public health advocate, she was raised between Kenya and Mexico City, born in the latter after her family fled political unrest at home. "My options for what I could be were very narrow," Nyong'o says. "I had internalized that women were secretaries and business women." But her mother, Dorothy, clearly saw her potential, signing her up for public speaking, improv, and poetry recitation classes.

"I remember seeing Whoopi Goldberg in more than one movie, and I was like, 'Wait, you could do this?'" she reenacts her childhood enlightenment. Especially "because she was dark skinned, I really took note of her." It's moving now for Nyong'o to imagine her career providing the same kind of recognition for a new generation: "I feel very honored to be anybody's Whoopi."

Still, Nyong'o's bright-burning breakout was not without complication. "The years after winning were very challenging for me, psychologically, because I was riddled with the question of, 'What does up look like from an Academy Award?'" She aimed to give herself permission to fail.

"That's what got me to a place where I was eligible for an Academy Award, because I approached 12 Years a Slave with courage," she said. "It cannot be about the accolades. It has to be about the boldness with which I go about my work."

Maybe it's because Nyong'o grew up a world away from Hollywood that she's managed to approach its gilded trap with grace. "Trying to maintain other people's regard of you is not sustainable," she says. "The Academy Award was external validation, but it cannot be the prerequisite for self-appreciation."

Nyong'o knew too well that winning an Oscar isn't a cure-all. Fans saw her in plunging, powder-blue Prada, statuette in hand. Behind the scenes, 2014 was coupled with the crushing low of her first fibroids diagnosis: "It was just a very brutal reminder that no number of red carpets will protect me from poor health," she tells me.

Over her colorful salad and my plate of branzino, Nyong'o is ready to go there. She's been listening to Lena Dunham's memoir, Famesick, and relating closely to the story of a buzzy young star privately grappling with a chronic health issue.

It's tempting to write that Nyong'o has suffered in silence, but she now describes her experience with fibroids as something more specific, something all too female: She did not recognize her suffering was remarkable at all.

Though her period was going longer and she was experiencing cramps, abdominal pain, and clotting—all fibroid symptoms—"I didn't know I was sick," Nyong'o says of the lead-up to her diagnosis in 2014. "I didn't know there was an alarm to sound."

It was only after she insisted to doctors that the toughness in her abdomen signaled a deeper problem that an ultrasound confirmed she had 30 fibroids growing in her uterine lining. "I blamed myself because it had been a stressful year, and fibroids grow in a stressed-out body," she said of the dizzying high/low. "I was the thinnest I've ever been, and that was not by design. There was not enough time to eat, and I didn't have an appetite. My diet was cortisol and adrenaline."

Nyong'o says no one could explain why her fibroids had developed or if they'd return. Doctors repeatedly shrugged at a lack of research. Despite affecting 80% of women by age 50 and disproportionately affecting Black women, fibroids were—and largely remain—"under-researched, underfunded, and routinely dismissed," according to a piercing description by health policy nonprofit The Commonwealth Fund.

Nyong'o's treatment options sounded more like an ultimatum: surgically remove her fibroids or continue to suffer. She says hysterectomies—the only certain cure for fibroids—have too often been recommended as an extreme first course of action. Facing her first surgery, "I felt very alone, and I also felt like I had to deal with it in private," she recalls. Overnight fame was disorienting enough without publicizing her medical records. After a myomectomy that removed 23 fibroids, Nyong'o continued to grind. Ten days after the procedure, she honored a prior commitment to speak before 10,000 women in Boston. "I didn't know that I could say no, and I think a lot of women do that," she says. "Taking care of their bodies is not on the agenda, because the world does not create an environment where your pain is considered."

Post-op conversations about prevention felt similarly bleak. Nyong'o recalls two options: go on The Pill, which can alleviate symptoms but isn't a cure, or accept that it would only be a matter of time until her fibroids returned. "I lived praying that my fibroids weren't coming back," she said, "so when I learned that they were, it was this inevitable tragedy."

Nyong'o was mostly able to live her normal life in the years since her first surgery, but over time, her symptoms flared. "It wasn't until my period lasted more than 30 days that I finally crumbled," Nyong'o said. In early 2023, she learned her fibroids had returned and more than doubled: There were over 50 tumors, the largest being the size of a peach. This time, she was almost a decade older and full of fiery resolve: "I realized this system has failed me, and I got to try and understand the female body for myself."

Playing a cancer patient in 2024's A Quiet Place: Day One proved a turning point. "That movie where I had to look ill actually made me more well," Nyong'o said. To safely lose weight for the role on a short timetable, she worked with a healthcare facility that dialed into her nutrition and bloodwork. She learned that fibroids feed on estrogen and eating iron-rich foods could improve her liver function and, therefore, her hormonal balance; that getting vitamin D via sunlight and supplements could inhibit fibroids from growing (which is notable for Black people, who can be vitamin D deficient, as the melanin in their skin decreases sun absorption); that reducing stress and inflammation can make your body a less-friendly host for fibroids.

Nyong'o approached her second myomectomy this past May empowered by information. "Last time, I felt completely helpless and at the mercy of the medical industry," Nyong'o said. This time, "the fibroids don't have the same power over me."

Instead of racing back to the grind, "I went away for a month, and I stayed in the countryside, and my mother came and she took care of me," Nyong'o shares. She ate well, walked every day, and got tons of sunshine, "like a wounded cat." Nyong'o is still healing, including discomfort and pain from the surgical wound, but she says her body seems lighter already.

Even on set of The Odyssey, she strove for sleep, rest, and maintaining her anti-inflammatory diet.

Nyong'o doesn't feel alone after this second surgery, either, in part because of the community she's created by going public. Nyong'o has established herself as a truthteller. In 2017, she lent her voice to the #MeToo movement, alleging in a stinging New York Times op-ed that Harvey Weinstein made sexual advances on her while promising to boost her career. When she broke up with boyfriend in 2023, she skipped the typical, pat statement, instead vulnerably writing on Instagram about "a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception."

She decided to share her fibroids story last year. "Honestly, I just had it," she tells me. Part of her advocacy is awareness. "Why is this thing that's so common a mystery?" Nyong'o asks. "We should know about fibroids as much as we know about impounded wisdom teeth. Every single girl should know about the risk of fibroids in their teens when they're learning about their period and their reproductive system."

In March, she announced a Make Fibroids Count campaign with the Foundation for Women's Health, creating a grant to research less-invasive treatments; it has surpassed its $200,000 goal, raising more than $230,000. "I would love for there to be more solutions for women than just cutting us open," Nyong'o says.

This is the true beauty of Lupita Nyong'o: her resolve to do something productive with her pain, and her fame. "It's the delight of my soul," she says.

The Odyssey is in theaters July 17.

Photographer/Creative Conception: Kenny Germé
Creative Director: Natalia Sztyk
Stylist: Jan-Michael Quammie
Hairstylist: Vernon François
Hair Assistant: Batiseol Gomis
Makeup Artist: Nick Barose for Exclusive Artists using Chanel
Makeup Assistant: Naruedom Putipan
Manicurist: Bagir Hasanov
Set Designer: Lane Vineyard
Video Director: Sarah Al Slaity
Entertainment Director: Jessica Baker
Producer: Nick De Bellis

"A fellow blonde! I love it," a bubbly Lexi Minetree exclaims as she logs on to our Zoom call. I let her in on a secret: Mine isn't natural. "Neither is mine," she tells me. Here we are, a couple of natural brunettes bonding over the high-maintenance upkeep of golden tresses. Fortunately for Minetree, though, she has a team of pros on hand to keep her buttery-blonde blowout looking fresh at all times. It's one of the many perks of playing the iconic Elle Woods in Amazon Prime Video's Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle.

Minetree looks strikingly similar to Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods—the aforementioned blonde locks, a heart-shaped face, crystal-blue eyes, and a petite frame. But that's half the battle when bringing such a beloved and internationally recognized character to life. There's also Elle's high-pitched inflection, enthusiastic mannerisms, and unapologetic confidence, which I can confirm Minetree executes effortlessly across the show's first eight episodes. (Season 2 has already been shot.) It's easy to see why the 25-year-old actress was a standout among thousands of submissions.

In Elle, we meet our titular character in 1995, long before she defied the odds at Harvard Law School, navigating the highs and lows of a much higher-stakes institution—high school. When her family is forced to uproot from their sunny Bel Air life to gloomy, grunge-inspired Seattle, Elle finds herself (fully clad in pink) as a fish out of water. But Elle Woods never backs down from a problem. With a young Bruiser by her side, the teen will overcome any obstacle, all while trying to land her dream internship at Cosmopolitan magazine.

What, like it's hard?

First things first, your Elle Woods blonde is perfect. What was the process of getting to this shade?

I actually went blonde before the open call was even announced. A lot of people think I went blonde after I booked it. It was more of a very random kismet thing that occurred because I'm the kind of girl who will be like, "I want to cut my bangs," and then I do it the next day because I have no willpower and then regret it immediately. I had just graduated college, and I was like, "I'm entering a new era of my life." I want a big change because I naturally have brown hair, and I'm a college student. The money that I have is questionable, so I kept going to salon schools to do my hair. You pay $30, and they'll do your hair. They do a wonderful job, but to be fair, they're students, and you have multiple people doing your hair. So my hair was a mosaic of different artists. When you looked closely, it was not a pretty sight.

When I booked the role, the hairstylist was like, "Oh dear God, what have you done to your head?!" They called in a bunch of different pros to help adjust my hair to make it look good.

I know Reese Witherspoon has talked about the color being quite specific.

They call it a buttery blonde. Nowadays, ashy blonde is in, and if you rewatch the movie, her hair has warmer tones underneath versus ashy blonde, [which] has more silver tones. So they really want to keep that warmth in there. They are truly masters of their craft. People even think that I'm a natural blonde. I tell them that I'm brunette, and they're like, "Really?!" My roots will be showing and everything. That's when you know you nailed it.

Let's take it back to the beginning. Your audition tape was pretty special. How did that come together?

I think it was first announced that they were doing an open call at the end of September, early October, and … when it first came out, five of my friends immediately texted me and were like, "You have to audition for this. You look just like her." And I was like, "I'm, of course, gonna audition, but everyone and their mother is going to be going for this." But … if you're gonna do something, don't half-ass it. Go all the way. They asked for a self-tape and a slate, which is your name, your height, where you're based, and 30 seconds on why you would be a good Elle Woods. I remember having this light-bulb moment, like when Elle Woods gets her light-bulb moments. I was like, "I know what I have to do. I have to re-create her Harvard admission video." They're not actually wanting to know why I would be a good Elle Woods. They're wanting to find someone who can embody Elle Woods. And what's more Elle than being so extra that you make your slate the craziest thing of all time, like a whole production? I was home at the time filming something else, and I literally wrote the script. I filmed it and edited it myself. I put music over it. I spent hours on it. I remember thinking, "Oh gosh, casting will probably never see this, but if they do, I think they're going to like it." And I think they did.

Legally Blonde came out the year you were born. What's your earliest memory of the film?

Oh gosh, it feels like one of those movies that I always kind of knew as a kid. What's great about Legally Blonde in particular is that I feel like you can watch it at any age. You can show this to a younger kid, and for the most part, any of the mature jokes will go over their head. Or an adult can watch it and really enjoy it. I think I watched it at a very young age, and it's just one of those movies that has so much rewatchability, which I think is why, 25 years later, people are still quoting Elle Woods and talking about Elle Woods and are going to law school because of Elle Woods, which is crazy to think about. She's such a relatable character, especially to women who are often shamed and looked down upon or trivialized by society. In fact, that ends up being her superpower. As women, we have to remind ourselves that no matter what people are saying, we are far more capable than people give us credit for.

I loved the video of Witherspoon breaking the news to you that you got the part. What advice did she give you ahead of filming?

Oh my gosh, so much. It's crazy because she gave me her number, and we'll send each other voice memos. That's a sentence I never thought I would ever say. But she's been so encouraging. … One thing that's really special about this project to me is how involved she is in it. I know Legally Blonde is so important to people, and they're very precious with it, and they don't want anyone to mess it up in the legacy. But I think, particularly because she is so involved, people are going to be so happy with where we have taken Elle Woods. It's very much a collaboration, and everything we do is to honor this character. Reese herself sent me many clips from the movie, and we talked about things that she loves about Elle. For example, she sent me the clip when Warner asked Elle to get back together, and Elle shut him down in a very kind way. Reese was saying, no matter how cruel the person was to her, she's never a bully. She always takes the high road, but she sets a boundary. I think that's important because you don't want to teach people to be a doormat and let people do bad things to you. But you also don't need to sink down to their level. That's one thing that really stuck out that she pointed out to me.

One of the first things that stood out to me watching the show was how you really nailed her voice. Did you spend a lot of time perfecting that?

I feel like her voice in particular, even over her movement (which I did work on a lot), was the thing that I really wanted to nail the most and really focus on because it's such a specific cadence. It's really easy to go into a stereotype of a Valley girl accent or something, which I didn't want to do because she doesn't have that. I watched the movie a lot, and I noticed that when she asks questions, she has this thing in her mouth where she makes this little tisk sound. When she's excited, she goes really high. I love voice-over, and I love doing accents and dialects, so it was really exciting for me and very fun to get into it and discover it, especially with dialogue that hasn't been said before by this character. I didn't have a reference for young Elle Woods.

When I was in high school, my voice was a little bit higher, so I thought maybe she has a little bit of a higher-pitched voice because she's in high school. Our voices do change from when we were younger to older. And then there are certain things like her cry that's so iconic that I was like, "I simply have to do this." My voice can tend to go a little bit lower than Elle's, so every morning, I'd do a vocal and body warm-up before set. Sometimes, I'm called at 4 a.m., and the voice is not there yet. It's doing scary things. I sound like Gollum, so I'd make sure I do all these different vocal warm-ups so that I can be able to reach that right lifted place.

Elle Woods is such a cultural figure to so many. What else was important to you to get right in terms of the interpretation?

There are two big things. One is Elle's earnestness. She approaches the world with such openness and brightness and joy. And I'm gonna be honest. She says some diabolical things that if anyone else were to say it, they'd give them the biggest side-eye of all time. But she means it with such good intentions, and she means it with all love that you can't really be mad at her. I love that she sees the bright side of everything, and I wanted to do that.

The other thing I really wanted to emphasize is to not judge her as an actor and play her stupid because I think that the whole point of this character is that people think, because she is optimistic and bright, that she's not intelligent. And that's not the case at all. She's very capable and very smart, and both those things can exist simultaneously. The thing that Reese did—and, again, why this character is so iconic—is that when you see her play this character, she doesn't judge her character. She doesn't play her stupid. I wanted to bring that same energy. Of course, she's in high school, so there might be a little bit more of a naïveness or maybe a little bit less self-assuredness than you'd see in the movie because when I was in high school, I was not nearly as confident.

The show is set in the '90s, which lends itself to a lot of nostalgia. How was it stepping into that world?

First of all, a car phone—can we bring that back? We are thoroughly lacking. I love how tactile everything was. It's funny. A lot of Gen Z are going back to a nostalgic era that we never even had ourselves. There's something about having the physical thing in your hand and putting the CD in the CD player. It's rewarding and slows you down a bit. The phones, I'm obsessed with the phones because there are so many different variations. Long antennae that you pull out. There are the ones that have the cords. I'm learning so much from my costars who lived through the '90s. It was a whole other world then, and I think that it's a world that forces people to confront the place they are at because they didn't have the crutch of ultimate connection that we have now with the internet and with FaceTime and calling.

Can you take me inside the wardrobe fittings for Elle? It feels like a fashion-person fantasy situation.

Oh my gosh, it is a world of beautiful, beautiful pink. I have worn nicer clothes in the past two years than I have ever before in my life. I'm a thrift girl. I thrift most of my clothes. So to be able to wear all these designer clothes and couture, it's mind-boggling. It's really been fun to dive into this world of fashion because the fashion in the movie is so important. You get to see Reese's style evolve and adapt to where she is in the movie. I think it's going to really surprise the audience in the best way to see how Elle's style evolves because she comes into Seattle from Bel Air, and it's very obvious. She sticks out like a sore thumb. She doesn't wear any jackets. She wears skirts and dresses, much to my chagrin. I was freezing cold. But it's fun because you get to see her fashion start to evolve as she adapts to Seattle's little isms and things involved. She still stays true to herself, but as the season progresses, she takes inspiration from them.

Did you have a favorite look of Elle's from this season?

Oh goodness, there are so many. There was this one dress that I wore in episode 8, the last episode. It was this Vivienne Westwood dress. I felt like a pretty, pretty princess in it. I had this gorgeous updo. I think that might be one of my favorites just because I felt beautiful in it.

How do you feel about the color pink personally?

I love the color pink. I love a baby pink, like a soft pink. Do I think I can wear it as much now? Probably not. My favorite color is green. Green is great, but pink is also lovely. I love pink, and I'm surprisingly not sick of it yet.

We have to talk about your beloved costar Bruiser Woods. You recently said he is your spirit animal.

He's a little baby. He's adorable. I'm obsessed with him and his matching outfits. I don't think you will ever see him naked. We won't let that happen. He'll always be wearing something. He is a baby Chihuahua. As you can imagine, there are some moments where he'd be a little feisty. But he gets lots of treats, and we take very good care of him. He's our little star.

The cast is all over your Instagram, and it seems like you all have grown so close. How was that dynamic on set, meeting these folks and building that friendship both on-screen and off?

It's kind of scary how well we get along. We like each other so much. It's the dream. It's always great when you get along because you're spending ungodly hours together, sometimes up to 15 hours a day. You really have to be like family if you're going to be spending that much time together. Honestly, being on set, it feels like summer camp in a way. And it's really great because you have some of your closest friends so close by. We're all a bunch of theater nerds, so it's great. We started a play-reading club together where, every Sunday night, someone would pick a play, and we'd read it together and assign characters. We would just nerd out about how much we love storytelling. Also, it's always nice to stretch the muscle for other characters and stuff because we're obviously in this world now, but it's nice to remember there are so many different stories to tell as well. Last night, we literally were up all night playing hacky sack. I did win. I have to make that clear.

It's amazing that you guys have found that. You're already filming season 2, right?

It's done.

Oh! I know you can't say anything, but what can you tease at all about what's to come?

Dare I say, I might like it even better than season 1? It's crazy because season 1 is so, so good. But season 1, for most shows, you introduce the world, and you introduce the characters. And season 2, if you're doing it right, you get to really dive in headfirst. I think people are gonna get to see so many more dynamics in season 2. I feel like the tone of our show… We get even wackier and funnier, and I have a blast. I get to do things I never thought I'd get to do. I think that people are really gonna like it, and I'm really glad we're doing it because so many times with shows, people have to wait so long [for the next season]. Fans can watch peacefully knowing that season 2 is already done.

Stream Elle on Amazon Prime Video on July 1.

In the year 2026, the world has no shortage of internet boyfriends. From silver-screen regulars like Jacob Elordi to the actors playing beloved BookTok characters (Every Year After's Matt Cornett is the latest to step onto the scene), fans have been well-fed this year. But there's another slightly unusual place the chronically online have turned their attention lately: the world of sports. And we're not just talking about the New York Knicks' historic NBA Championship win or the FIFA World Cup.

People have been all about the fictional happenings inside and out of the hockey rink (or "boy aquarium"—IYKYK) since the late-2025 debut of Crave's Heated Rivalry, a TV adaptation of the enemies-to-lovers series by Rachel Reid that shot its leads Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams into superstardom. The latest spicy hockey sports-mance to enter the chat—Off Campus, which is based on the NYT best-selling college romance series by Elle Kennedy—is doing the same with its cast of fresh faces.

The show's slam dunk of a first season broke Amazon Prime Video's viewership records with 36 million streams in its first 12 days, according to Variety, and now, lead actors Ella Bright (who portrayed Hannah Wells) and Belmont Cameli (Garrett Graham) are passing the main-character torch to their costars Mika Abdalla and Stephen Kalyn, who will take center stage as spunky Allie Hayes and playboy Dean Di Laurentis. While both casts of Off Campus and Heated Rivalry continue filming their respective second seasons in Canada (no, they haven't yet run into each other—yes, Kalyn's heard the Storrie comparisons), we caught up with the faux-blonde burgeoning star to discuss his flourishing career and past life as a real high school hockey player, his style evolution, this hotly anticipated second season, and, of course, that sexy dance party scene.

First of all, how are you? How's your day so far?

It's been really good. We had a hockey rehearsal today. My one day off, they had to throw something in there! I just had my morning coffee, I've been sitting on the couch and doomscrolling for a minute, and now, I'm here.

A healthy morning, honestly. Since you have your morning coffee, let's get into it. Do you remember where you were when you learned you got the role of Dean Di Laurentis?

I was in my parents' basement when my agent called me and told me that I had to get on for another meeting. [I was thinking], "What, another audition?" Then he said, "No, no, no, no," but he kept it quick. He never keeps it quick. When we talk, we talk for like 25 minutes. This was 90 seconds, and he says, "You just gotta get on the call. Bye!"

In my mind, I took it as them just calling me to let me know that "You did a great job in the audition process, but unfortunately, we're gonna go with someone else." But then I thought, "Wait, why would they call me just to tell me that I didn't get the role?" But they told me on Zoom in the basement—I had all my hockey equipment and weights around—and then it all changed from there.

That feels authentic to the character.

I remember in between takes in the audition—because it was a three-hour chemistry read—I had a mirror right beside me, and every time they'd give us a break, I'd turn and go, "You're f*cking Dean. You're Dean! You got this!"

You were manifesting! I know hockey was a big part of your life growing up, but when did acting come into play?

I went to drama camps as a kid if I wasn't playing hockey, but I did a play in high school. I remember doing the rehearsals and auditioning, and I just loved it. I stepped onto the stage—there were about 500 parents in the crowd—and I loved every minute of it. I did that for two years in high school and thought, "Okay, I know what I'm going to do." Hockey was wrapping up, and I knew I wasn't going to the NHL. I could see more of a future in a career as an actor. Even though I knew it wouldn't be easy, I could just see it happening.

You're like a hockey Troy Bolton.

Pretty much! That's exactly the story. "What am I gonna do, Dad? Hockey, performing?!"

It's great that you were encouraged to do both growing up.

My parents have been so supportive in the sense of, "Whatever you want to do, go after it," and I'm very thankful for that. I know for a lot of people it's like, "No, you can't do that. It's not gonna work out. Just go get a serious 9-to-5 job somewhere." But they always respected this, and I'm very thankful for that.

My dad's always said, "You're gonna make it. Just keep going and banging out those auditions, and one of them is gonna stick." And then [it] ended up being a hockey-player role.

They've got to be so happy about that.

Oh, they're extremely happy.

Especially teeing up to this season! I know you're in production for season 2 of Off Campus right now—what has your preparation process for a role like this been like?

I read a little bit of The Deal because I had heard about the series, and I wanted to audition for Garrett. And then no audition came in for Garrett, but one did come in for Logan. I'm like, "Oh, here we go. Now's my chance." I sent it in, and then I never heard anything back. "All right, well, there goes that one." But then I got Dean, and within a day after getting the role, I read his book.

It's an easy read; you can fly through it.

Very easy read. I'd never read a smut book before, and I actually really enjoyed it. Well, technically, I read Fourth Wing before that, and this book was kind of like it, in a way. I just wanted to know what was next, you know? It was intriguing.

You have good taste in books. If you really want to commit to a series like that, try Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

Is it spicier than Fourth Wing?

When you get there! It takes a few books. But speaking of books, we've seen bits of Allie and Dean's storyline in season 1. What can fans expect in season 2?

I think you get really great, iconic moments from the book that fans love, but you're also going to get a lot more in-depth situations that these characters go through. You get more into it. It makes it much more interesting, heartbreaking, and very, very sweet at the same time. You really get to see why they are the way they are, and you start to feel it for them even more.

What does it feel like to step into the lead role of such a hotly anticipated season?

I love it. It's so much fun. I was very nervous at the beginning, but this is our third weekend of shooting. We're just about to wrap up episodes 1 and 2, and it's been great so far. I've been working a little harder, but I love that, and it's been really fun.

You got to see fun party Dean and some emotional stuff toward the end of last season, but this time, you don't just see the playboy anymore. You start to strip the walls down a bit and see his vulnerability, which has been so much fun to play with.

There's also a lot more ensemble stuff, too, which has been great. We have so much fun filming these scenes together.

It's probably cathartic. You all went through this major change together and then went right back to filming.

It couldn't have gone any better, honestly. I'm so grateful and happy that the show has been received in such a positive way, but it's nice to get right back to work and focus on what we have to do—to do what we did last season but find ways to make it even better. I think our writers and our showrunners know our characters that much more now, so they can write toward how we would do them as us, as actors.

Every time I read the new scripts that come in, I can see what we learned from season 1—what worked and what didn't—and that we're really applying that this season. I think we have a really damn good season coming.

This is definitely getting me hyped up for the next one.

Yes! I just read a new script recently, and it was a page-turner. There was so much going on, so much happening, and I was like, "I can't wait for people to see this."

You had a wild press tour for season 1. I've seen you guys everywhere, from Off Campus–themed bars in New York to red carpets. How do you feel your sense of style has changed in this time?

Big shout-out to my stylist, Amanda Lim, for knowing what I like and making it come to life. Before I started this, we met over Zoom, and I sent her all my inspirations: a little Jacob Elordi, some Drew Starkey, a little Austin Butler. She really, really nailed it and found a way to make it more Stephen at the same time. We've been working together for a bit now, and she's been amazing. She's done a great job. She works really, really hard, and I love her. She's the best.

What's the Stephen touch? Do you take inspiration from pop culture, maybe even other actors?

I've always loved the classic '90s Hollywood stars, that '90s vintage style—Johnny Depp, DiCaprio, Keanu Reeves, all those cool guys, I love their style. They've been huge inspirations to me in the fashion world and as actors.

Going back to the show, it's hard to convey chemistry, but you and Abdalla nail it. How did you find your stride as scene partners?

We're both very similar in the way we work. We didn't really talk much at the very beginning because I didn't have many scenes with her, but then Louisa [Levy, the showrunner,] was like, "You guys need to get to know each other." The only scenes that we had done [at that point] were for the audition, which was already somewhat tough because we did it on Zoom, and everyone else she did chemistry reads with was in person in L.A. for the screen tests. Dean and Allie's relationship at the start is very physical and touchy, so it was hard to navigate that over Zoom in the audition process. But we somehow made it work and made it believable.

We ended up going out. She invited me to a Pilates class with her, and I didn't make it, and she was not happy about that. Then I said, "Well, let's go get a drink." So we had vodka sodas, talked for two or three hours, and I really got to know her. She got to know me. I learned her process of how she works, and it's very similar to mine, and then it was pretty cool from there.

The classic Pilates-to–vodka soda pipeline. You did owe her for the no-show fee, though.

Yeah, I actually still have to pay her back.

You've been playing Dean for about a year now. Are there any aspects of Dean's character that you feel overlap with yours? Where do you separate?

I think Dean loves to put on a show, and [it's] something that Steven likes to do too. … If Dean wasn't this hockey guy, he would be in the arts and performing. I feel like that's where we click: that performance style and always wanting to be "on." And, of course, hockey and coming from a good home.

Briar University is the backdrop for this entire series, and watching it made me nostalgic for my own college days. Did you get a university experience before beginning your career?

I did! After I finished high school, I was accepted into Humber College, their acting for film and television program. I met some really great people there that I still speak to today, and I studied there for two years. I learned the basics of acting and the structure of the business, and it helped catapult me into auditions and getting an agent, so that was a huge help.

Would you say there were any parallels between Dean's college experience and your own?

Literally no, not at all. So experiencing this through the show was definitely interesting.

Fair! Your life has changed drastically in the last few months—millions of Instagram followers, a hit show, and a season focused on yours and Abdalla's characters currently in the works. What does life feel like nowadays?

It feels the exact same. The only difference is when I walk around, I get the odd head turn and "Are you in Heated Rivalry?" And then I'm like, "No, no, no, no—other show." Then they say, "Oh, Dean?"

Wow, they think you're Connor Storrie.

It happened once! The other day, I was walking down the street with Victoria [Lovatsis, Kalyn's fiancée], and this guy was listening to "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson—no, he was blasting it. He looked at me; I looked at him. He kept driving, and then he pulled over and goes, "Hey bro, are you in Heated Rivalry?" I'm like, "No, different show." He goes, "Oh, cool" and just drove away.

No follow-up or anything!

Nothing. Everything was a little overwhelming at first, but it's been really cool, and I'm so happy that people have felt connected to the show. I want to get these episodes for season 2 out there right now because I just know that we have such a good season coming. But maybe the wait is good, actually. Maybe this will make people really excited. We want to feed the fans.

You guys definitely are—I saw countless TikToks of that J.Lo scene before I'd even watched the show.

I can't believe that was the scene that people felt so wowed by. It felt so awkward doing it, but sometimes, you do a take, and you think, "That was the best acting I've ever done in my life," and then you go watch it, and you're like, "That's it?"

We did a quick rehearsal for that too—an hour of Mika just learning some moves and me just kinda swaying in the back. It's just so funny that that was the scene that people felt really connected to.

Fortunately, they were able to blast "On the Floor" [by Jennifer Lopez] when we filmed. At the beginning, Silver Tree, our director, was like, "You need to loosen up a little, man." I was like, "I'm f*cking loose, Silver, I'm loose!" She said that, on camera, I was too tight, so I was like, "That's it." I went to Mika and said, "On this one, I'm dropping it low, and you just gotta go with it. You can do whatever you want, but I'm dropping low."

We were shooting it in slo-mo, and I remember Belmont afterward saying, "You're so hot." He was watching it on the monitors in slow motion and said, "Man, this is gonna be good."

Was that the take that made the final cut?

I think it was!

I heard you received the Most Likely to Win an Academy Award superlative in your high school yearbook. What's your wildest career dream?

Living in the Amazon and taking photos of animals for National Geographic. Something to do with animals and filming them. In an imaginary world, it might be fun to do that.

When this is all said and done and you get a great camera, you should go off and do it.

Maybe I might! Might have to retire after season 2 and move to the Amazon.

If you could go back and tell that kid in your yearbook what life looks like today, what would you say?

I would have told him, "Hey, man, you were right—not that you won an Oscar but that you chose the right path. Continue. Keep doing what you're doing. Don't give up, and just keep trying to get better every day."

Photographer: Max Schultz
Stylist: Amanda Lim
Groomer: Colleen Dominique

When the music video for Hayley Kiyoko's viral female queer anthem "Girls Like Girls" debuted on YouTube 11 years ago, Thai American Myra Molloy was 17 and living with her family in Bangkok. On the corners of the internet of American pop culture, Molloy, an aspiring actress at the time, came across Kiyoko and saw in her an idol. Watching Kiyoko, who is Japanese American, out there doing her thing was inspiring. Ten years later, an audition for Girls Like Girls, the feature film directed by Kiyoko, arrived in Molloy's inbox. It was a full-circle moment that still has the rising star floored today.

Inspired by the breakthrough 2015 music video and 2023 NYT best-selling novel of the same name, Girls Like Girls is the coming-of-age story following 17-year-old Coley (a fabulous Maya da Costa), who is forced to move in with her estranged father in rural Oregon after the sudden loss of her mother. Grappling with grief, she meets Sonya (a captivating Molloy), a popular girl with an on-again, off-again boyfriend. The two develop an immediate spark after spending a summer together and must confront the truths and fears of their feelings.

In their first lead roles, Molloy and da Casta are fantastic, delivering some of the most authentically vulnerable and heartfelt performances we've seen in a while. We immediately zeroed in on Molloy and couldn't take our eyes off of her. In casting the two newcomers as Coley and Sonya, Kiyoko not only shows Hollywood that two half-Asian women can lead a film with themes of queer joy and identity, but she also turns the spotlight on two exceptional actors who have exciting careers ahead of them.

Here, we speak with Molloy about exercising free will, feeling deeply with Kiyoko, and all the ways Girls Like Girls made her dreams come true.

What was your first impression of the "Girls Like Girls" music video?

Oh my goodness, it's so nostalgic—that era of YouTube too. I feel like anyone born in the '90s or early 2000s… YouTube was our home pre-Vine, pre-TikTok, pre–all these things. I felt so transported, and I thought the music video was a cinematic masterpiece. I was like, "This woman has a vision, and this song is a banger," and it was just so beautiful to watch. It's such a testament to Hayley's very crystal-clear vision and perseverance that she was able to take that essence and turn it into a feature film over the course of 10-plus years. I really commend her. I start some things, and then the next day, I'm over it. And she stuck it through in such an insane, beautiful way and really stuck the landing. I'm just constantly in awe of her. It really is so cool that this song was brought to life in so many different mediums and how she was able to expand on the story for each of them. No one's doing it like her.

I heard you originally auditioned for Coley until Kiyoko saw your tape and immediately said, "She's Sonya."

When you get the email as an actor, you see the project, you see the role, and then immediately, my brain was viewing it through the lens of Coley because I was like, "Okay, I'm gonna lock in with what they're requiring of me." Even reading the scripts, I was reading it through the lens of Coley, and I was so touched. I was so moved by it.

I wrote something out for Hayley, which I don't usually do because I'm embarrassed, but I think the message for me, if I can impart anything, is we should all exercise our free will more. If you feel something, you should say something. And I expressed to her how moved I was by the script and by Coley's story. When she told me that she wanted me to read for Sonya, initially I was like, "Oh my goodness. Wait, that never even crossed my mind." And then reading over it again through Sonya's POV, I was like, "Yeah, you're right." I think I see myself in both characters, and that's the beauty of this film. … No matter where you stand in the relationship or in your life, you can see yourself in both characters. But I really resonated with Sonya. I was so excited to bring a misunderstood character to life. As humans, we all experience things for the first time, and we make mistakes, and we stumble. I really saw so much of myself in Sonya.

How did all the different mediums of Girls Like Girls influence your performance? Did you have a conversation with Kiyoko that really put things into place for you?

Having the reference with you at all times is kind of wild. … Hayley is the director and writer and was always there as a sounding board of like, "Hey, what if we did it this way?" Or I would try something, and Hayley would be like, "Actually, I liked what you did better." I'm so lucky to have Hayley as my big feature-debut director because she is so collaborative. She's probably the most empathetic person I've ever met. Every time I see her, someone's crying, either me or her. She just feels so deeply, and I feel so deeply, and the story has such emotional depth.

Whether it's referencing the book or referencing the aesthetic of the song and music video or just her personal story, having her there and being able to talk to her and ask, Does this feel true? Is this working, or is what I'm bringing to the table as Myra and my choice working for what you envision for Sonya? Sometimes, it didn't work; sometimes, it did work. It was an amalgamation of both, but it was just really cool to have her there. Beyond her being the encyclopedia of all things Girls Like Girls, it really shows in a project when a director really cares, when a writer really cares, when the actors really care. And not to be corny, but to be corny, I think that's [Hayley's] superpower—being able to conjure the care and love out of people because that's just who she is. We just wanted to do Girls Like Girls justice.

Talk to me about working with Maya da Costa, who plays Coley. You both are newcomers in this industry.

She's the sweetest girl in the world. We got to hang out a bit off set because [Kelowna, Canada] is such a small town. We would spend the weekends going to the lake together. Also, sometimes with Hayley, we would get coffee. We would get to know each other, but I feel like the bulk of getting to know each other was through the story, and by the end of the film, we were really close and had shared a lot of things. It's special how you get to know someone, and it's tangential to your character getting to know them too. So it felt method-y in the sense that I'm sussing you out, and you're also sussing me out, and it's also happening on film and in my life. But I felt our chemistry and our friendship [were] always there. Everything felt very divine. Everything felt like it was meant to happen. I felt very lucky and blessed in that situation.

Did you have a favorite scene that you worked on together?

I have favorite scenes I worked on with Hayley, and I have favorite scenes I worked on with Maya. Maya is such a gracious scene partner, and you're lucky when the coverage is on you, if you get an actor that really delivers and really is still there with you. Maya is such a wonderful actress and scene partner and person, so that was very effortless. Shooting the train track scenes where they're laying on the ground just having that heart-to-heart, it was truly a moment where I felt the world stood still. You could hear everything, and everyone was so quiet and so locked in, and I was locked in. I was just so moved by Maya, and I thought that was so special.

But also, working with Hayley on the scenes where we had to do pickups was so fun. Hayley was always like, "Myra, my girl, you're my closer," because I work super well under pressure. Maybe I'm a masochist. I love working under pressure. Put me in an Instant Pot. I will deliver. We would always do B-roll scenes or extra footage, and I would be at the end of the day, and we would just bang them out, and me and Hayley would be like, "Yeah, we got it." It was just so fun to do that with Hayley. I really had the best time that summer.

Kiyoko has spoken on how proud she is that both leads of the film are half Asian and to have that representation. What does being cast in this project mean to you?

Oh my goodness. It's still so surreal. I can't believe that it's happening or that it even happened. I think that's why I went up to [Hayley] at the end of the chemistry read and was like, "Thank you so much. Have a great life." … I was like, "Maya is half Asian. I'm half Asian. I don't know if Hollywood is gonna allow that." I just wanted to be a supporter of the film, so when I heard that I was also cast, I was so shocked because I was like, "Oh my goodness, is this really happening—us in a studio feature representing our culture and our upbringing on the big screen in America? That's crazy." That's something you dream of but never thought would happen because my narrative for most of my 20s was "I'm always just gonna play the supporting best friend. I'm always going to play a small, minor character" because I feel like they're not ready to see two Asian leads. They're not ready to see that kind of representation that actually reflects our reality. So when this happened, I was floored. I'm so excited for people to come see the film and feel seen alongside themes of queer joy and coming of age and identity and first love and all that. I'm so glad I get to see it in my lifetime and be a part of it.

The soundtrack for the film is amazing. Do you have a favorite song?

My favorite song off the soundtrack is actually "Lakeside." It sounds very Imogen Heap–y. I also produced and wrote a song on the soundtrack as well. I scored one of the songs—no big deal. Just Kiyoko making all my dreams come true. She's crazy for that. She did the whole sound [for the film]. I just don't know if she's a human being. Sometimes, I'm just like, "Let us crack under there."

How was it seeing the finished film for the first time?

It's so surreal because, of course, when you're in front of the camera, you have no idea what's going on behind the camera. It's not like they're showing us playback on set because there's no time, so the first time seeing it was crazy. I always say the film is made in the edit. I don't think the general patron of cinema knows how powerful the edit is. The editor genuinely can make or break a film, and I think they did a banging job. It really hit me how beautiful the film is—not just aesthetically but sonically and emotionally. The entire world-building of it is so cohesive and so genuinely expressive and colorful, and that's Hayley in cinema form. I was crying. We were just a small crew, short shoot days. We're making an indie film. And then you see it, and you're like, "Oh my goodness, we made a film film. This is cinema." I just know that's a labor of love if I've ever seen one.

It's dreamy, summer nostalgia vibes.

This might be the hottest take, but I'm so sick of seeing iPhones and seeing your age. I'm sorry. I don't wanna see it. But the flip phones, the desktop, the AIM of it all—that was also my childhood, so I was like, "I love that." Like waiting for my crush to come online.

I was perusing your Instagram and got the sense that you're very comfortable and talented behind the camera with your photography. Do you have aspirations to direct one day?

This is my favorite question. I'm not even lying. I love framing a shot. Films that people usually don't like I love because they're really slow and really beautifully shot. Perfect Days by Wim Wenders is one of my favorite films. I always say in another life, I would have loved to be a cinematographer. I would love to be a DP. But I did say that after seeing [Hayley] direct this film, I never want to be a director. Oh my god, that is so hard. She has the patience of… I don't even know what to compare it to. I thought I had a lot of patience, but we saw her deal with every department—front, middle, behind, back camera, people not even there—and having to manage and make all these micro-decisions and have it all together and also be emotionally available and support us and have time for herself. I was just like, "Bro, I don't think I can be a director. I'm happy to assist the director." So [I'll] be in front of the camera or help frame something up, but doing the conducting? Absolutely not. I'll just stick to home videos and film photography. … Shout-out to all the directors.

Girls Like Girls is now in theaters.

Photographer: David Dickenson
Stylists: Anna Huger and Lauren Gray
Hairstylist: Madeline Campagnolo
Makeup Artist: Marla Vazquez

Three years in, Cyklar—the multisensory beauty brand offering a range of bodywashes, lotions, oils, and fragrances—is not just hitting milestones. It's blowing past them. Since its launch in 2023, the brand has been an Allure Best of Beauty and Who What Wear Beauty 100 winner and a recipient of Marie Claire's 2025 Prix D'Excellence Award, and it was included on Oprah's 2025 Favorite Things list. This spring, it announced its first major retail distribution deal with Sephora, rolling out in roughly 450 U.S. stores, a game-changing next step for the brand.

So to what does Cyklar and its founder, Claudia Sulewski, owe its success?

If you look at the Venn diagram of Sulewski's career, you'll see that great storytelling is at the intersection. Through her many successful endeavors, we've come to learn that Sulewski is a master storyteller. It dates back to 2009, when she launched her YouTube channel, BeyondBeautyStar, at 13. The platform—where she shared makeup tutorials, product hauls, brand reviews, and unedited vlogs—taught her how to build a powerful community and, in many ways, informed the launch of Cyklar 14 years later. And then there's the more literal version of storytelling as an actress and director. It's all to say Sulewski knows how to speak authentically to audiences and consumers, making her an anomaly in an oversaturated market.

"My years of making YouTube videos have really taught me how to tell a story, both in a small way and also in a big-picture way," Sulewski tells me over Zoom on a beautiful spring morning in Los Angeles. "And so much of owning a brand is telling a story through your product launches, through your marketing, your imagery, everything."

Sulewski likens her YouTube content-creation days to beauty boot camp. Not only did she watch some of her favorite brands evolve and grow and see what worked and what didn't for them, but experimenting and talking about other brands also allowed her to better speak on her own. "YouTube has been such a great, great vehicle to help transition into this next chapter of my life," she adds.

From the beginning, Sulewski set out to create a brand that combined high-performing formulas with a luxury feel. The decision to launch bodycare over a cosmetic or skincare line is explained by Sulewski's personal relationship with taking care of herself and listening to her body. "There is something so inherently intentional and luxurious about putting on body cream or a body oil. Oftentimes, we're so focused on the face, the hair, the nails, the things that you see, but underneath your clothes, our skin is our largest organ," she says. Sulewski was answering the question of, How do we turn those rituals into moments of nourishment and stillness? Thus, Cyklar was born.

Coupled with a sleek, gender-neutral design; a "luxury feel for less" approach; and tight product launches, like its recent Rose Bud scent, the brand immediately appealed to Gen Z and millennial consumers, leading to an estimated $15 million in generated revenue in 2025, according to Forbes.

With Cyklar's third anniversary approaching this fall, I ask Sulewski about her biggest learnings in this time. She half-jokes that owning a beauty brand is "to be putting out small fires at all times," but in all seriousness, she says she's truly learning through every phase and chapter and product launch.

"I've learned to not be too precious about anything because, wow, do you need to stay flexible, nimble, and not sweat the small stuff," she tells me. "Perfection is the thief of joy, and it cannot exist within owning a business. We are constantly evolving and growing. And what's been really fun is I've been bringing that mentality into my own content and in my own personal life and just not tripping up about the thing that I said at dinner. We can't sweat the small stuff."

Now with Sephora in the mix, it's a whole new world, and Suleweski tells me the partnership with the beauty retailer has elevated everything. Her favorite thing is walking into a Sephora store and seeing the Cyklar endcap a mess. "It means that people are coming up, and they're interacting with it and experiencing it physically, which is so satisfying because up until now we've been a direct-to-consumer brand. You can only describe a fragrance so many ways online versus someone actually being able to smell it," she says. Indeed, fragrance sales have boosted since, she tells me.

The support of Sephora also means eventually expanding internationally, which Sulewski can't wait to do. Her fans around the world have been clamoring for it, so it's the number one goal she thinks about when growing the brand. Product-wise, though, Sulewski's dream is to continue to innovate formulas that cover skin concerns in different areas of the body.

How Sulewski has time for a personal life, much less additional jobs, I'm not quite sure, but in between running a multimillion-dollar business, she can be found in front of and behind the camera as an actress and director. As we said, she is a storyteller at her core.

Sulewski made her feature-film debut in the 2022 comedy I Love My Dad before landing a recurring role in the Apple TV+ series Shrinking. "If I'm looking at the priority list or the pie chart of my life, Cyklar is certainly sitting at the top, and acting is right next to it or maybe, let's say, number two," she says. What acting offers that Cyklar can't is access to a completely different side of her brain and creative process as well as a surrendering of control. So many of the final choices in film and TV are out of her hands. It scratches another itch for Sulewski.

She tells me she's a sucker for those "slice of life" movies that are kind of about nothing but also about everything and hopes to one day be in one, but right now, she's taking things day by day and is open to anything that comes her way as long as she can continue to flex her acting muscles.

When I ask about stepping behind the camera, she flashes a grin and says, "Oh my gosh, yes, I dream of it!" She's already building a résumé thanks to the two music videos she directed, "2001" and "Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa," for fiancé Finneas. (The two plan to wed this summer.) She again credits her YouTube days for informing that process and making her feel qualified to do it. "It was like a mini master class and [experience of] something that I've always dreamt of doing being a YouTuber for so long and really appreciating cinematography, lighting, storytelling, editing," she says. While she's not sure where directing on a larger scale will fall in the grand scheme of her life, she's putting out a call to people: "If anyone needs a music video or if someone has a script!"

Telling thoughtful and exciting stories—whether it's via a great script, a new Cyklar product launch, or an in-store activation—is at the heart of every strategic move Sulewski makes. And with her proven track record of success, whatever Sulewski is selling, we're buying it.

Photographer: Lauren Leekley
Stylist: Thomas Christos Kikis
Hairstylist: Ericka Verrett
Makeup Artist: Jen Tioseco

In 2015, Hayley Kiyoko released her single "Girls Like Girls" and subsequent viral music video starring Stefanie Scott as Coley, a 17-year-old girl navigating a crush on her female friend Sonya (Kelsey Chow). The empowering anthem for queer women was a breakout hit for the artist. Since its release on YouTube, the video has accumulated 163 million views and over 171 thousand comments, mostly calling for Kiyoko to expand on the teen dream world she created. In 2023, the artist released Girls Like Girls, the number one New York Times best-selling novel praised for its portrayal of sapphic youth, but the goal for Kiyoko was always to create a feature-length film. Eight years in the making, Girls Like Girls finally hits theaters this month.

While getting Girls Like Girls off the ground was not without its challenges, Kiyoko believes it to be the most authentic version of the story of Oregon teens Coley and Sonya. Similar to its music-video predecessor, the film sees Kiyoko at the helm and fresh-faced rising stars as its leads, with Maya da Costa and Myra Molloy delivering standout performances steeped in vulnerability. Everyone can relate to the emotional high stakes of pursuing a crush, and Girls Like Girls captures that experience beautifully through a nostalgic lens and summer-tinged soundtrack. In its final form, Kiyoko's Girls Like Girls is at its best.

Take me back to writing your 2015 viral hit "Girls Like Girls." What did it represent for you at the time?

It was a rainy day in Los Angeles in 2015, and I remember one of my cowriters, [Lily-May Young], was like, "What is the thing you're most scared to share with the world?" I cried and was like, "I'm gay." It was the first time I had really come out to any of my coworkers, and we wrote a song about how I wish I felt approaching women and feeling confident and "stealing kisses from your missus." It was this manifestation of wanting to be confident in self-love and self-worth. It's so wild to see where the seed was planted, to release the music video, to have the book, and now the most authentic version of this story, which is the feature film.

What was the catalyst for turning the music video into a novel? Why that medium?

There were so many comments like, "We need this as a feature film" and "I want to know more," and I realized there was a big space and hole in media and representation for sapphic women that I wanted to contribute to. Expanding the story of Coley and Sonya and finding a way to tell my personal story when I fell in love with this girl in high school through the lens of Coley and Sonya was really exciting for me to do. I felt like it was just important to be able to have that representation, especially as a half-Japanese, half-white person growing up in Los Angeles. In the book, I made Coley half Japanese and half white and got to indulge in more of her internal struggles.

Growing up queer when you know you're queer and you're hiding it, it's a very silent journey because you're not sharing it with a lot of people, so the book really gave me that medium to share my experience as a queer teenager navigating young love and how life-and-death it feels. When you fall in love with someone, you're like, "I'm going to marry this person." That's why when I finally was able to direct the movie, I approached it from a mature lens. …Even though our protagonists are young women, you feel like you're 35 when you're 16, 17 years old—like, "I have it all. I know it all." That was really important to me with my approach.

I heard it took about eight or nine years to get the film greenlit. What were some of the hurdles you faced in that time?

I think a lot of people don't understand the filmmaking process and how long it can really take and the challenges you have to go through to get there. It was, How do you write a great story? How do you pay for that story? Who's paying for that story? How do you get people to believe in you as a first-time filmmaker and to invest and take a chance on the fact that maybe there is a community that wants to see the story? So for eight years, with so many nos and so many "we're not sure"-s and so many "Oh my gosh, we almost shot it, but we've lost our funding" or "We can't shoot there anymore," it was full circle when I finally got the green light and we were finally going to shoot the film.

Your first director credit is the "Girls Like Girls" music video, and now, your first feature-length director credit is the Girls Like Girls film. How have you grown in that time as a director and artist?

I think I started directing out of necessity. I codirected "Girls Like Girls" with Austin Winchell back in 2015, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, I love directing." This is what I've always been doing. I just didn't realize it. From there, I directed 11 of my music videos after that, and I just caught the bug of "I love storytelling. I love world-building." But then you're a woman of color trying to be like, How do you actually direct a feature film? And how do you create this trust with people to be like, "Hey, let's direct a 90-minute film"? It's just been an ever-evolving journey.

As an artist, I've always had to create from a place of necessity of not being able to hire a director and having to step in, and with this feature film, it was really cool because it was like coming home. I love directing. I love storytelling. I love casting. I love writing music. I love creating worlds, and I did create this out of necessity because we need a movie like this more than every 10 years, every 20 years. But I also felt like this movie was just a love note to my younger self who felt so unseen and lost. Even every single person, no matter who you love, has had to approach their crush and be like, "Do you like me back or not? Are we moving forward or not?" It's so nerve-racking, and it's so vulnerable. These experiences bring us all together. I've evolved immensely as a director. I feel very confident in who I am and in my vision and that I want to continue to do this forever.

Talk to me about the casting process for the film. Stefanie Scott and Kelsey Chow, who played Coley and Sonya respectively in the music video, were fresh faces at the time, similar to the film's leads, Maya da Costa and Myra Molloy. What was important to you in terms of finding these leads?

Maya da Costa was actually the very first audition tape I was sent. We had over 4000 submissions, and I watched her tape, and there was a moment at the end where she was just sitting on the bed in Sonya's room and taking in the space. I remember that moment of being in my crush's room, and you're just like, "Oh my gosh, this is so vulnerable that it is their space." And I was like, "She's gonna be the one to beat." She was 18 when we shot this movie. She's just so authentic, so innocent, and just so Coley. I'm so proud of her performance.

Myra actually auditioned for Coley [first]. She turned around, was wearing this jean jacket, and I was like, "Uh, you're Sonya," so we brought her back for a chemistry read. It wasn't planned, but I'm so proud that both leads are half Asian and reflect what I look like and represent my experience so authentically. But I love working with young talent. I think it's really exciting to be immersed in a film and to not be like, "Oh, that's so-and-so." It really gives the audience a blank slate going into it. So I was so grateful that Focus Features and my producer team supported me in casting young, new talent for this film. Also, as an actress back in the day, I would have dreamed to be able to be a lead in a movie like this, so to be able to pass the baton and create that space for these young girls to shine bright as they are is super rewarding.

You cowrote the film with Stefanie Scott, who was in the original music video. Was that always the plan from the beginning?

I'm so grateful for Stefanie. She took a chance on me and starred in my music video when I was a nobody and then was very involved early on in the development process of the story. I felt it was important because she originated the character of Coley in the music video. From there, I took it on, and there's been so many different iterations and life-forms of this story, but I'm so grateful for her. The music video was so special, and she was a big part of that.

The story and film are set in 2006, which was very nostalgic for me watching as someone who graduated high school in 2005. Why did you want to keep this particular time period for the film versus setting it today?

My experience was in 2006, falling for my crush at that time period. My experience was AIM. My experience was MySpace or waiting for people to text you back, and you only have so many characters to text someone back. I just wanted to tell my authentic experience and story, so it was really important for me to set it in 2006. To be honest, it's so funny. It is nostalgic and timeless, but also it's kind of current even now because I feel like their fashion is very Gen Z. So it's totally a throwback, yet it's very modern.

Can you tell me about working on the film's soundtrack, which features collaborations with other queer artists?

When I finished the film, my dream was to have some kind of soundtrack inspired by an album. It was so awesome to jump back into the studio and write music through the lens of the characters' eyes. Also, I approached this album of not overthinking it and going back to my roots. I used to write songs on the guitar in my bedroom, and going back to my younger self, a couple of the songs in the actual film were ideas that I had started when I was 16 and was able to write and complete it for the film.

But every artist on this soundtrack—with Young Miko and Tegan and Sara and Gigi Perez and Chelsea Cutler—they've all been somehow connected to Girls Like Girls. So when I was putting this together, I was like, "I want to bring my favorite artists together to celebrate this cultural moment," and I'm so grateful for these artists to collaborate with me. I also got to genre-bend because there's so many different genres. There's literally a song for everyone. It's one of my favorite albums. I'm so excited for people to hear it. Honestly, I just tried to write an album that I wanted to listen to. The brief was summer nostalgia, and if it feels like summer, if it feels nostalgic, then it's going on the album.

If you could expand on another one of your singles via a novel or film, which would it be and why?

I don't know if I'll ever do a journey like this ever again because it was so long. But I love "Gravel to Tempo," and I had done a music video to that song that I really loved and was more my experience in high school. "What I Need" featuring Kehlani is really great, too, and is a great music video. I'm so proud of all my music videos, actually, and music videos are so hard to make. I mean, just any kind of visual is so hard to make nowadays, but I'm looking forward to the future. I have my second book, Where There's Room for Us, so maybe I'll be able to make that into a movie or a TV show. Adapting a song into a movie, this might be a one-off.

Girls Like Girls is in theaters June 19.

Gabrielle Union is no stranger to the world of sports. From playing Division 1 soccer at university and cheering on her former NBA star husband Dwyane Wade to dazzling our screens as a cheerleader in Bring It On, she lives and breathes great competition. That's why her latest partnership with Casamigos to celebrate the FIFA World Cup comes as no surprise. Ahead of this past week's World Cup kickoff games, I spoke with Union on all things game day.

"I'm such a crazy sports fan," Union explains. When discussing her favorite part of the frenzy, she mentions, "There's the preparation, all of your superstitions. You're gonna wear your lucky socks. You're going to put on your lucky jersey."

Since Union has seen many of the watch parties, courts, arenas, and stadiums in her time, we asked her for her go-to fashion recommendations for various sporting locations. From comfy at home to courtside at a basketball game, Union gave us all the details on her ideal looks and must-have beauty, too. Keep scrolling to read what she had to share.

Gabrielle Union's Game-Day Outfits Recs

Viewing at Home

"When I'm hosting, and I know the people … and [we're] in my home, I'm very casual. I will probably have some Umbros on and some slides and a T-shirt, nothing exciting.”

Hosting an Official Watch Party

"I'm wearing this beautiful [teal dress] that has a lot of movement at the bottom [and] a bit of a heel, like a reasonable, cute, not quite a kitten. Maybe it's a cat heel."

Attending a Live Game at a Stadium/Arena

"I'm in this very baggy-jean phase. I had a shoot, and they brought these Gap jeans and [I loved them]."

Game-Day Handbag Beauty Must-Haves

Amazon Prime Video is on a hot streak both literally and figuratively. For four years running, the streaming giant has dominated the "YA BookTok series adaptation" genre with successful shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty, We Were Liars, My Fault, and its recent juggernaut Off Campus and their ensemble casts of attractive breakout talent. It stands to do it again with its latest series Every Year After, the adaptation of Carley Fortune's best-selling beach-read romance Every Summer After. Sun-soaked, feel-good, second-chance love set to Lana Del Rey and Dolly Parton? Consider us seated.

Every Year After follows the tender friends-to-lovers story of Persephone "Percy" Fraser (Sadie Soverall) and Sam Florek (Matt Cornett) across six summers in the idyllic lakeside town of Barry's Bay. A decade after a devastating mistake tears the young couple apart, a tragedy brings the two back together for another chance at love.

Cornett, with his gentle demeanor and charismatic charm, is next in line to carry the internet boyfriend torch thanks to his spot-on portrayal of kindhearted boy-next-door protagonist Sam. Having graduated from the Disney Channel pipeline with past roles in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and Zombies 3, Cornett emerges in his leading-man era this month ready to sweep you off your feet. Trust us—he will.

Take me back to when you got the audition for Every Year After.

I got the original audition when I was filming a movie in North Carolina. It was under a fake title for a romance show for Amazon and to play the leading guy, and I was so excited. He was this sweet, kindhearted, gentle boy, and it was such an interesting thing that I was going to be playing him at 16 and also 28. I was like, "This is strange. Super cool but how weird." I sent the audition in and didn't hear anything for a few months, and then about three months later, I got a call from my team saying, "Hey, they want you to come back in and meet with the producers for the show." I had completely forgotten about it. As actors, we audition for things, and then we let it go. So I had gotten that call to meet with Amy Harris, the showrunner, and one of the directors. And then I got brought back again with Amy another time, and that is when Amy told me that it was based on the book Every Summer After.

At the time, I didn't know what Every Summer After was. I wasn't really into the whole romance genre. After I got off the session, I was like, "Let me research and figure out what this little book is." Little did I know, it wasn't so little. It was a very large book, and when I went to buy the book at Barnes & Noble, I walked in, and it's the first book on the first table at the main entrance for Your Summer Reads. And I was like, "Okay, so this is a really huge deal." It was a very interesting way of finding out that I was gonna be playing this guy in this really awesome book.

What was your first impression of the story?

I didn't read the book until after I booked the show because I didn't want to get my hopes up and get excited about it and fall in love with it and then not be able to do it. So once I booked the show, I read the book, and it's such a strange thing. I wanted to read it as just a fan, but it's hard because I knew I was going to be playing Sam, so inherently, I read the book seeing myself as Sam. It was strange because I'm seeing myself as this guy. As I was reading, I immediately was falling in love with these characters and with this story. Carley wrote such a beautiful book, and I think that this world that she created is so incredibly impressive and so in-depth, and these characters have so much heart and so much soul behind them. Something that really intrigued me was how they bounce back and forth in the timelines. I was like, "I cannot wait to see how they do this in the show." The second I read the book, I was like, "Oh, this is gonna be something really special."

What a surreal experience. In what ways did you immediately connect with Sam while reading the book?

When I did my audition with Amy Harris and one of our directors, there was a scene I did. It's a different version of the scene than what happens in the show, but one of my audition scenes was the big, long monologue that happens at Sue's memorial. In my audition, I had one singular hair that kept falling in front of my eye. As I was doing the scene, I was so annoyed because this hair keeps falling. I move it, or I'll run my fingers through my hair, and that one hair always falls back. I don't know why, but this one thing was just pissing me off. I read the book, and it mentions multiple times about Sam having his long hair and a few times having one hair that dangles in front of his eye. And I was like, "That's insane." It was pissing me off, but I didn't even know that that was the most insane thing that could have been happening at that moment.

There were so many different parts of Sam that I saw myself in. When he gets comfortable around people, he becomes a bit of a goofball. I feel I tend to be the same way. And he's just got such a kind heart, and he's just such a good guy. Obviously, he has moments where he kind of teeters and is trying to figure things out, and he gets nervous and pulls away. But at his core, I think he is just a kind, loving guy that cares with every bit of his being. That was something that was just so intriguing to me about him.

When did you first realize or experience the dedicated fan base of the book series?

[There are] two moments that I remember. There's the moment when they announced the casting. That was really nerve-racking because inherently fans, as they should, have an image in their head of who these characters are. So when they announced the casting, we were all a little nervous—like, "I hope that they feel I'm this character. I hope they feel like we fit these roles." I think the casting team and Amy and everyone involved killed it, in my opinion. I'll speak for every other character. I think Sadie is so perfect for Percy, and Michael [Bradway] is so perfect for Charlie. I cannot picture better people to play these roles. They just knocked it out of the park, and that was something I know was really important to them—not only in casting but in every sense of the matter—staying true to the book. It's a phenomenal book for a reason. We wanted to stay very true to the book, and I think that starts with the casting. So for me, the first moment was that casting announcement, and then seeing how excited people were getting about feeling like we were capturing what Carley captured in her book was really exciting. And then seeing those things pop off and blow up and [seeing] all the talk and chatter about that was really exciting.

The second moment was when I was out to lunch with Joseph Chiu, who plays Jordie in the show. We went out to get lunch one day, and we were walking back to our places, and all of a sudden, this group of people [walked] up, and the show's not even out yet. I think they had just announced the casting, and we're walking out, and this group of people comes up freaking out, and they're like, "You guys are the cast of Every Year After!" They were just talking about how much they loved the books, and at that moment, I was like, "Oh, this show has a big enough audience that people are seeing us and recognizing us simply from the fact that they follow the book enough. They know this casting."

The story hinges upon the chemistry between Sam and Percy. What was the chemistry read like with Sadie Soverall?

Coming into it, I believe Sadie was already cast. I believe that they had just cast her or offered her a couple days before we did the chemistry read. I went into the call, and we had a 10-minute little moment on Zoom where we just chatted. Everybody got off the Zoom, and just Sadie and I stayed on and chatted for about 10 minutes to get to know each other and get comfortable with each other. I remember immediately being so enamored by her accent because I've never worked with a British actor or anybody with an accent nonetheless. I just kept asking her questions about where she's from and her accent and stuff. She was probably like, "This kid is so weird." I was just so enamored by it. We did that little 10-minute thing, and I felt like there was an instant comfortability with each other that we had, and then we hopped on and did these scenes.

One of the scenes was the anatomy-textbook scene, which is such a huge scene in the book and, I think, a scene that a lot of fans are really excited for on the show. And then another scene was where Percy reveals to Sam what happened. So two very important scenes. Intensity on two totally different spectrums. I felt an instant connection with Sadie, and obviously, she's a phenomenal actor. I remember being in this chemistry with her and being like, "Wow, this girl is really good. I need to step up my game." I felt really confident about the session, and what Sadie and I were doing was really working, and I felt like we had this connection that we knew this version of Sam and Percy we were doing was working.

Did it feel that instant on set as well?

I think it was very important to us that we had this chemistry going into it because, obviously, these characters have such immense chemistry. We both got to Vancouver, and at night, we went and got dinner and bonded over our love of bread. The restaurant we went to had the most incredible starter bread. It's so funny because it's strange meeting a person that you know you're going to be kissing a lot and talking about that—being like, "We have to have this chemistry that two friends who've known each other for years and years have." And also, sitting across from somebody that you've never met but knowing "I have to play your love interest, and we're going to be kissing a lot. We're gonna have a lot of physical contact"—let's talk about it. Let's make sure we're all good. Let's get the weirdness out of the way now.

Sadie always made things so comfortable and fun and silly. I know there were so many moments in those intimate scenes where we would just laugh through it because inherently, it's so funny to do these things with your friends. I just love Sadie to death, and we had so much fun on set, and I think we had this immediate comfort with each other where we felt like we could fully be ourselves. There was one scene where we have to kiss for a very long time, and it's kind of a montage-y scene, and we're kissing for like a solid minute in this take. We were in between takes, and before we were shooting the scene, we were both eating chips and salsa over in the green room. It was like, "You're going to eat salsa. I'm gonna have salsa. We are not gonna worry about the breath, man. Just gonna lock into it." I think that's a beautiful testament of Sadie and I's friendship and how comfortable we were with each other.

Was there a scene that felt particularly giant for you?

I think there's a few. The anatomy-textbook scene was a big one. Honestly, most of the scenes that are big scenes in the book are the ones that were really, really important because it was important to me and the entire team that we really do the book justice and that we stay true to the book. I wanted to make sure that we were capturing the book scenes the way that the book captures them because they are so beautiful. Carley wrote them so perfectly that I wanted to make sure that the feeling and emotion that she captured in the book we were able to capture on-screen to a more heightened degree. But I think the anatomy-textbook one was a big one and then also the memorial scene. Those are two huge moments for Sam: that first moment with Percy when they have their first real intimate moment together and then the moment where he's having to speak at his mother's memorial.

How was it shooting on location with this great ensemble cast of rising actors?

It definitely felt like summer camp. Everyone was so lovely. We had this really fun dinner with everyone and went over to Sadie's, and she did a roast. There was another night where we came over to my apartment and just played games. This was all before we started shooting—just getting to know each other and hanging out. Michael and I spent so much time playing games on set. I would come in with a new game every week. Michael, Joe, and I would go play golf, and we would spend so much time together outside of work. I had so much fun with them. They are all so silly and goofy and fun in their own ways. They're such a little family.

Amazon is on a hot streak with its YA romantic dramas. Are you prepared for the massive response to the show?

You know, it's so weird because me and Michael have talked ad nauseam about this. I'm a "don't count your chickens until they hatch" kind of guy, and … I obviously see the success that The Summer I Turned Pretty had. I see the success that Off Campus is having. I am so happy for both of them. They both deserve it so much. The casts are lovely people, and the shows are phenomenal shows, and they deserve it. I feel very good about our show. I feel like our show is a really solid show. I'm so proud of it. It's a weird thought to me—and this is with every project—to think of people watching this thing that I did. I hope that we're able to make something that people love, and I hope we're able to talk to people's hearts that are missing certain things and bridge a gap in so many different areas and do it in our own new way. I really hope it does that well, where people love it and they want more and it blows up. Obviously, we all want that, but it's such a weird thing to be like, "This show's gonna blow up" because you never know. I feel like our show has the legs to do really well, that people are going to love it. I'm just excited to see fans' reactions to it and let them see the love that we poured into it.

Every Year After is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Photographer: Henry Wu
Stylist: Ashley Weston
Groomer: Aika Flores

Actress Emma Myers is busy, starring in some of the most beloved and popular IP franchises today. When she isn't fighting off monstrous classmates or doing spellbinding choreography (calling all "The Dead Dance" fans!) in Wednesday or venturing into the Overworld in A Minecraft Movie, the actress is solving murders as the charismatic Gen Z sleuth Pip Fitz-Amobi in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, which just returned for its highly anticipated second season.

Even when we speak over Zoom during a press cycle for AGGGTM, the sweet and shy Myers is in the midst of filming season 3 of Wednesday. It's giving "No sleep. Bus. Club. Another club…" But Myers wouldn't have it any other way. She notably lights up when we dive into all things Pip and AGGGTM season 2. Following the massive ratings success of the first season on Netflix, the mystery thriller is back to deliver fans of the Holly Jackson best-selling YA series and show a new nail-biting investigation to solve and plenty of Pip-Ravi moments to make us swoon. Pip is growing up this season, but so is Myers.

You are filming Wednesday season 3. How's it going?

We're just about halfway now, almost halfway. It's going really well. It's flown by, this season, which is crazy, but it's been really fun.

Any new dance sequences this season?

I don't even know. I haven't read all of the scripts yet. They don't give them out very willingly. I don't have the scripts until right before where we're about to shoot the block, so who knows?

Were you surprised by how much the Dead Dance took off?

Not really because it's Lady Gaga, so I knew it was going to be a moment. I am so glad that the people were so receptive to it, and the fact that me and Evie [Templeton] got to dance at the O2 [Arena] as a result, that was crazy. But I definitely knew that people were gonna go crazy just for the song because it's Lady Gaga.

Well, the real reason we're chatting today is your other Netflix series, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. You return as Pip for season 2. What excited you about returning as the teen sleuth?

I like each book more than I did the last one, and I had such a good time on the first one. I made so many good friends, and I also feel very unsettled if I start something and I don't finish it. So I was like, "I have to get back in and finish this next season." I think the show deals with a lot of important topics, and I like to be able to bring awareness to that, but also, playing Pip is such a challenge for me. It is nice to stretch those muscles and be challenged. I love the books, I love the cast, and it was kind of a no-brainer.

With season 1 under your belt, did you feel more confident as Pip going into season 2, or were the nerves still there?

It's a mix to be honest. I felt a bit better because I had one season under my belt, but going back in, I think we were all so nervous because there are so many expectations around it following the books. But [A Good Girl's Guide to Murder author] Holly Jackson did write this season, so I feel good with the material and stuff. She knows her story best, so I felt okay in that aspect. But still, going back into it, especially in an accent that is not my own, it's a bit daunting. You're excited to do a new season and bring a new story and keep going, but then you also want to make sure you're getting everything right. So I think it's a bit of a mix of fear and excitement.

Do you have any tricks for yourself in terms of finding your English accent? How do you prepare?

I don't watch anything because Pip's accent is so region-specific. I'm not trying to do a London accent. I'm not doing a northern accent. It's Standard Southern British [English] (SSBE). I have a dialect coach who's amazing. Her name's Elsbeth, and she's the best woman ever. I'm so glad that I have [her] because, on season 1, I didn't have my dialect coach with me on set. I would do the session once a week, which was definitely not enough, but I joined super late last season, so I only had a few weeks to learn the accent in the first place. Going back into the second season, my stipulation was my dialect coach has to be on set every day, and I have to run my lines every day. It also helps just being around the entire cast, who are English. It helps when you're around people 24/7 who are speaking like that. I was living in Bristol, and a lot of my friends are English, and I genuinely think it has a lot to do with the environment but also a dialect coach.

How has Pip evolved from season 1 to season 2?

Well, somebody attempted to murder her, so that definitely changes a lot for a teenage girl. She's definitely maturing. She's trying to move on from everything that happened last season, but of course, she can't really help herself. She gets stuck back into another case, and Pip always feels like everything is on her shoulders, even if she has nothing to do with the situation whatsoever. So you're just trying to move on, trying to grow and walk away from it. She can't help it. I definitely think that she's changed so much because going through what she went through in season 1 would change anybody, especially a teenage girl.

Season 1 ends with the long-awaited kiss between Pip and Ravi. Where do we find them now?

They're a bit older now. Their relationship is heading in a more mature direction. This is Pip's first big relationship and Ravi's first real one, I would say, since everything's happened. They found comfort in one another, so they're both trying to move on together. … They both went through this huge thing together, and I think that really bonds two people. So they definitely have a much stronger relationship this season. I like their story arc. It will be fun for people to see the Pip-Ravi moments.

What was that like, building on that dynamic with Zain Iqbal, who plays Ravi?

It's good fun. There's a scene this season that's very dramatic, and I'm not spoiling anything, but it's nice to have somebody that you know when you're doing these big scenes. Otherwise, it would just be like the worst thing ever. The content that we're shooting, it can get repetitive and stuff if you don't mix it up and try to have fun with one another, and I think we both try to make jokes out of it, honestly. Pip has to explain things so that the audience understands. We definitely try and have good fun with it when we can because it can get so expositional.

You said this season has been really special to you. Can you elaborate?

Season 2 felt like a huge step up for some reason. It felt so much bigger when we were shooting it than it felt shooting season 1. It's so special to have Holly write the scripts herself, and it's nice to have her on set constantly because if I ever have any questions, if anybody has any questions, she's always there to answer. I also was so creatively involved in this season, getting the script drafts and giving notes and deciding things. That was really fun for me because I am on set all day, every day, and it's nice to be able to express your opinion and have it be listened to. This whole crew is just so amazing with collaborating. I love our directors this season, and I love our set pieces, and our new additions to the cast have been amazing. So it was genuinely the best time.

If a third season happens, what would you like to see next for Pip? Is there a particular book you are excited to do?

I think that's Holly's goal—to follow the books as closely as possible. That would be my goal as well. There are so many fans of this series. I want to do them justice. But the third book's my favorite, so I would love to be able to do all the stuff that happens in the third book. It gets so big and crazy and emotional, and it's a really good read, so I'm excited to see how that would translate on-screen.

You've described your teen self as being in an emo era. How would you describe your 20s self?

Oh, that's a good question. I'm finding out a lot of things about myself that I would never have thought in my teens. I think the past couple of years have been filled with a lot of big firsts for me, and going through those experiences, you learn so much about yourself. So I would say maybe my 20s [are]… It sounds so influencery corny but like self-exploration. [It's] my self-exploration era.

You recently turned 24. Are you ready to move on from playing teen characters? Is there something you'd really love to explore next?

Yeah, I would love to start mixing things up with adult roles. I know that I do not look that old. How realistically I can portray somebody who's actually my age is debatable, but I do want to start doing more mature things. I'd love to do a sci-fi project, and I'm obsessed with Backrooms that's coming out. I was obsessed with back rooms online when I was a teenager, so something of that nature would be so fun. But I don't mind playing teenage characters because I was a teenager, and sometimes, I still feel like I'm 14. If the role is right and the character is right, I have no problem playing whatever age. I just want to be able to connect with the character. I'd like to start mixing up, but for Minecraft, I drive this car, and I drive this moving van on the back. I got so many comments from people in my life being like, "You do not look old enough to be driving that van around." So I think it just depends on how much somebody can age me up.

You have talked about being guarded on social media. How do you decide what you share in that space versus what you keep private?

Most of my Instagram is used mostly for work things now. I don't post too much outside of work. I do occasionally like to do a photo dump of pictures, but they don't really reveal too much about me. I just like to post things that I find or my friends and stuff. And all of my friends who post pictures of me, everything that they post is always approved by me, so it's not like things are being shared about me that I don't know. When my Instagram was first blowing up, I would be pretty open about my life because I've always been an open person. I'll share details about myself, but it's when people start crossing lines and start getting weird… Because you're sharing things about your life, they assume that they know you more than they actually do and then make assumptions. It just goes down a whole rabbit hole, so I pulled back on how much I post to save my own sanity and the people around me.

You get to explore different fashion styles through the characters you play, but how would you define your own personal style and relationship to fashion in your everyday life?

It's changing up so much. I've always been drawn to baggier clothing and I guess more street style just because that's something I'm comfortable with. I grew very much a tomboy and never really wanted anything feminine to wear, but now, I'm getting to that point where I'm like, "Oh, maybe I do want to wear a dress. Maybe I do want to wear a skirt." … Within the past few weeks, I just bought a bunch of skirts because I'm like, "I can force myself to wear these because I want to be able to." So I always feel like it's changing. I think it definitely depends on the season. I will not be in anything but jeans and a sweatshirt in the winter because it's too cold.

Is Enid creeping in a little bit?

There's some feminine wardrobe that I think is cool, but I would not wear the color palette that she wears, so I'd have to find an equivalent to my color palette. Her fashion sense is great, and it works for her.

So from a style perspective, you're more of a Pip?

Definitely. A lot of Pip's costumes for season 2, I was always like, "Oh, this one feels great!" I think I'm definitely more aligned with her style.

I know nostalgia is a big thing for you. What are you nostalgic about right now?

You know what I've been nostalgic about is my friend Asha Banks. She has been doing so well recently. She has a film coming out. I just watched her perform in London. There were so many people in the audience screaming these songs back to her, and I remember when she came to visit me [while] shooting season 2 of Wednesday before any of her music was released, and she showed me a few demos of her songs. It's crazy. She was such a baby when we first met, and now, she has done this world tour and has so many fans. She's got these films coming out. I'm super proud of her, so Ash is who I've been nostalgic about.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Step into the universe of the coolest creatives in the fashion industry with our series My World, where readers will discover how the top stylists, designers, and tastemakers built their careers and get a peek into their favorite restaurants, beloved albums, fashion finds, etiquette rules they stand by, and so much more.

If you've watched The Summer I Turned Pretty, you're already familiar with Lola Tung, but after even a few minutes of talking with her, it becomes clear that the qualities that have made her a breakout star—her warmth, curiosity, and easygoing confidence—extend far beyond when she first graced our screens as the bright and bubbly Belly Conklin hanging out at Cousins Beach all those years ago

When we connect, Tung is in the midst of a busy season, balancing work, travel, and the whirlwind that comes with being one of Hollywood's most closely watched actors. We hop on Zoom a few weeks after she wrapped a massive Foot Locker and Adidas campaign, where, in the sweltering New York sun, she shot different looks in the back of a delivery truck like a pro. Despite it all, Tung comes across as refreshingly grounded. Whether she's discussing the Adidas sneakers she reaches for most often, the artists and writers who inspire her, or the timeless Cher looks she still thinks about years later, she speaks with the enthusiasm of someone genuinely excited by the things she loves.

That perspective seems to stem from her wide-ranging interests. Alongside acting, Tung is an avid reader, a lover of vintage fashion, and someone who pays close attention to the creative women who have shaped culture across generations. It's why her current summer reading list includes a classic Patti Smith title and why conversations about personal style quickly lead to discussions about self-expression, storytelling, and individuality.

Ahead, Tung takes us inside her world—from her adorable dog Bodie and the classic '90s TV show that's always on repeat to her fashion inspirations and everyday essentials she can't get enough of right now.

Give us a peek into your world. What does a typical day look like?

Every day right now is different from the last. I just did my second Adidas campaign last week, so I got up at 6:30 a.m., which is not typical for me, but it was nice to get up and see the sun rise. I got to set, got ready in hair and makeup, and shot the campaign. Thankfully, we had nice weather in the morning, because it started raining later on. We wrapped around 5:30 p.m., and I met up with one of my dear friends for dinner. It was a lovely day because I got to have fun on set and then see my friends. I've been trying to see my friends a lot since I've been home.

You rose to fame so quickly with The Summer I Turned Pretty. How did that moment shift the way you view your career or the opportunities you want to take on?

It shifted everything, obviously, and that is the reason that I have a career. I am so grateful for it. Any actor wants to do things that feel different from each other, so if I'm lucky enough, I want to have the chance to do projects that are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I've started to have the opportunity to do that, which has been so much fun.

You were just in Forbidden Fruits, in which audiences get to see such a different side to you and a character you haven't played before. What draws you to a role?

There's not one thing I can pinpoint. It's just a good script and … interesting characters that are fully fleshed out, which was the case for Forbidden Fruits. Someone like Belly, too, was so interesting to me because she has such an active inner life that comes across through the show. Also, meeting with directors or filmmakers who just you instantly connect with is a good sign of a good role too.

You're no stranger to the Broadway world. You placed Eurydice in Hadestown on Broadway a few years back. Is there another dream Broadway character or show you'd love to be in?

It's funny because I I didn't even realize I was saying it, but a couple years before Hadestown, I had said Eurydice was my dream role. It's manifestation! I loved the show so much. It was the best Broadway debut ever. I love that character, and I love that show, and I love the music and the people in that building. It was the warmest welcome, and everyone was incredible. I don't know how I'd top that. I would love to do a new show. [There are] so many incredible new female playwrights that are writing such incredible things. I instantly think of John Proctor Is the Villain, so something new would be so much fun, something I don't even know what it is yet.

We're entering a new season—new beginnings, new resets. Is there anything you're excited to explore style-wise right now?

I love when the warmer weather happens and everybody pulls out their jorts. It's the start of summer style. I've got my little Adidas Samba Janes that are making an appearance. I love getting to rediscover what my style looks like in warmer weather. Every time it rolls around again, I'm like, "I don't have to do the coat anymore, so let's really make this outfit count."

Your style has really come into its own and has become such a big part of your identity over the last couple of years. How would you describe your relationship with fashion?

It's constantly evolving. My stylist, Britt McCamey, recently said style isn't about what you wear. It's about who you are and the way you treat people and carry yourself. It's all a form of expression. I've always wanted to feel confident and beautiful and wear things that make me feel good, happy, and just like me. Style changes every day because it's dependent on how you're feeling inside or what you want to express that day, so it's been fun to explore. Of course, I'm a sneaker girl, so shooting this Adidas campaign was absolutely up my alley.

What's your favorite way to style sneakers, especially your Adidas ones you've been raving about? Are you a jeans-and-sneaker kind of person? Dresses and sneakers?

The sky is the limit, really. It's different every day. Adidas has this cute little ruched jersey that I've been wearing with my Samba Janes, which has been really fun. Sometimes, I love a little skirt moment. [For the] last campaign I shot with them, we did a little leg warmer with it too, which feels really ballet and coquette-esque.

As you continue to grow in your career and fashion expression, you're partnering with different brands. You were just at Paris Fashion Week with Miu Miu. What's one surprising thing you've learned about your personal style as you've attended shows and worked with brands?

It's so dependent on the brand, but with Foot Locker, they're so open with me and my stylist working with them and my experimental sense of style. Shooting this campaign felt more like me, which is so nice. Across the board with any brand, since it's my style and it's so personal, I've learned that not everyone is gonna love everything that I wear, but what matters is that I love what I wear and I feel good.

If you could raid anyone's closet, past or present, who would it be?

Oh my gosh, Cher. Like, are you kidding me? Her with Bob Mackie... all of those phenomenal dresses. They're not for everyday wear, but it could be possible if you're feeling it. In New York, anything is possible.

As we enter a new season, are you doing any kind of spring-cleaning or overhauling of your closet? Anything you're keeping or throwing away?

I have some things from my mom that she's passed down to me that I will keep forever, that I love, like a nice pair of jeans. And my Adidas Sambas, of course I'm keeping [them]. They're always in my closet and great for so many outfits. I actually don't know what I'm getting rid of. I think that I try to style old clothes and give them new life. We're so fast to go through trends and buy new and get rid of other things, so I'm trying to rewear a ton of my old pieces.

Keeping in line with cleaning, organizing isn't just for your wardrobe. Are you someone who resets your frame of mind or space as we enter the spring and summer?

Honestly, I should probably clean my apartment. I love having fresh flowers in my apartment, and that always signals a new start and change for me.

Finish the sentence: My home feels like home when it ____.

When it smells like a homemade meal if I'm cooking, which is probably more rare than it should be, or when I have art and décor on the walls. I'm always saying I'll decorate, but I never get around to it. I'm always putting it off for so long, but I have some of artwork that was hanging in my grandparents' apartment now hanging in my apartment, and it's like having a piece of them there.

You're traveling around so much with your line of work. What's something that you bring with you, whether it's on set or in a new city, that feels like home to you?

My mom gifted me … a little frame with four Polaroids of my dog, Bodie. I actually have it right here in the back as I'm talking to you.

What's your screen time these days?

I don't even know because I'm so scared to turn it on. I live in ignorance!

Any apps you're deleting as you do your digital spring-cleaning?

All social media. I actually don't have any on my phone right now. Bold, I know! But I'm really into YouTube Shorts right now. I also love Pinterest, which is so fun because it's an app that doesn't let me overthink about what I'm posting or sharing. It fuels my creative juices, like outfit ideas or what I can cook and movies I should watch.

Since you're not on social media as much, is there anything you're doing to occupy your mind? Anything you're reading right now?

I'm reading something very slowly right now because I'm a terribly slow reader, and it doesn't even have to do with the books. I just have this habit of starting a book and taking months to finish the first 30 pages and then zooming through it. My friend gave me Just Kids [by Patti Smith] a couple months ago. I started it while I working on a pretty intense job, so I was very locked in [on set] and didn't have much time to read. I've been getting back into it now because it's such a classic, and I feel so behind that I haven't finished reading it. It's written so beautifully, so I'm excited to finish it, however long that'll take.

Is there a corner of the internet you're fixated on?

I get into theater videos on YouTube Shorts because I love theater. I love Brittany Broski. I'd love to be on Royal Court—are you kidding? That would be so much fun. They're so funny, and she's so great at interviewing people and making it such a fun environment.

Do you have a comfort TV show or movie that you've watched a million times but never gets old?

Sex and the City, for sure. The OG show is pretty much on all the time. It's on repeat in the background when I'm doing anything at all.

Victoria Monét's music used to drip. Her voice moved in rich, honeyed ripples that swam through sultry backbeats and orchestral symphonies. Her new music, however, soars. This is quite fitting for the former jaguar, who tells me she's traded her claws for butterfly wings.

The sugar-dipped voice that I've heard crooning "On My Mama" one million times on the radio and at sparkling New York City parties greets me during a short hour of downtime in early May. I'm hesitant to even call it that, seeing as it's the only time she could spare on a packed rehearsal day. We'd already pushed things back to accommodate her dancers' schedules, as they were approximately 40 days out from The Romantic Tour with Bruno Mars, which Monét joins this month in Saint-Denis, France. You see, the singer-songwriter (and recent culinary school graduate!) has been in constant motion ever since clinching three awards at the 2024 Grammys, including Best New Artist, but if you've been wondering where she's been in the two years that have passed since, she doesn't blame you.

Newcomers to Monét's musical universe, strap in. The star has been putting down roots in the industry for more than 15 years, spending the majority of this time as a hit songwriter for and frequent collaborator of stars such as Ariana Grande, Chlöe x Halle, and Fifth Harmony before dedicating herself to a solo career. Six studio albums, 26 singles, and 36 award nominations later, we meet Monét in a stage of metamorphosis, shedding the weight of expectations, accolades, and timelines as she etches a new chapter into her story.

I met the multi-hyphenate just a few days after her 37th birthday, which Monét used as a benchmark for a new and spotlessly cleaned chapter. She celebrated the occasion on her socials too, scrubbing every photo that predated May 1 (Taurus hive, rise) from her Instagram profile—yes, even photographic proof of her career-defining awards. It sends a subtle yet powerful message that no one needs to see her résumé to measure her worth. They simply need to see her now.

I ask her about the sudden switch-up in social presence. It usually means one of two things: a new record or a horrendous breakup. Luckily for Monét's avid music fans, it's the former—an album. She tells me it is "the longest she's ever done," with a release date and name so ironclad that even I couldn't get her to budge. Fans did, however, get a taste of what's next with her buttery single "Let Me," which became the top-added song on R&B radio in its debut week.

"I wanted to start over, using my birthday as a launching pad," she explains in her irresistibly soft voice. Monét's goal is for listeners to understand the world of her upcoming album before ever stepping inside, one that's steeped in monochrome nostalgia—inspired by childhood memories of dancing in front of her grandmother's analog television set in Mobile, Alabama—and reflective of her new outlook on life. Three Grammys later, the world views you differently, and she quickly learned that it's not always for the best.

While the singer-songwriter took these coveted awards as confirmation that she is, in fact, on the right path ("It's a peer-voted award," she points out), Monét was disillusioned by the aftermath of that career-altering evening. "Once you have an accolade like that, people often look for a reason to discredit why you got it," she nearly whispers, forlornness staining her pillowy voice. It's the age-old tale of support from those around you until your achievements highlight their own insecurities. "Once you get there, there's another group of people that question the validity of your deservingness," she continues. Monét found that it is indeed lonely at the top.

Regardless of the online chatter, the award came with an immense sense of personal pride and media attention, so it didn't take long for plenty of doors to swing open to new opportunities for the performer. Rarely, however, did they reveal a recording studio. "After the Grammys, I was so busy that I wasn't in the studio that much, which I don't like," states Monét. Her life quickly became a flurry of rehearsals as she ran the music-festival gambit and devoted every other minute to press engagements, interviews, and event appearances. "I just had waited for those types of opportunities for so long that my team was saying yes to everything," she explains. The artist doesn't blame anyone; it was a learning lesson all around. But ultimately, this period dragged her into the undertow of marketing and away from what earned those awards in the first place.

"It's one reason why this album has taken longer," she explains. "I think—pending [a Grammy] happens again—I would do the opposite and bunker down in the studio," she theorizes, looking toward life after what I'll call Victoria Monét 7 for now. She calls the now-necessary content side of her career nonstop and admittedly foreign to what she once imagined the music industry would look like. "But I'm down because I want to make sure the music goes as far as it can," she tells me. The grit required for years of work to finally become the people's favorite new artist is momentarily evident in her tone. Her upcoming album, which I'm told is arriving later this year, is one she's dubbed her very own Thriller—referencing Michael Jackson's genre-defying sixth studio album. I've coincidentally just returned from devouring every frame of the film Michael, starring the eponymous star's very own nephew, Jafaar Jackson, over a giant bowl of movie theater popcorn, so naturally, I press her for more details.

"When he was making Thriller, he wanted to expand beyond what people would think of him doing," she goes on. The artist cites Jackson's genre-bending next moves—dabbling with yacht rock and other contrasting themes to push past the confines of R&B—as part of the driving force behind her new project. "The album really doesn't have that much of a box, so it will have some moments that are more surprising sonically but also some that feel like a natural progression from Jaguar to now," she adds.

Such is evident in the seven tracks I streamed from a password-locked vault: sprinkled with vintage guitar and violin strings, peppered with synth, and glazed in sweetly seductive vocals. A nostalgic, orchestral opening track reminds me of grainy VHS tapes and dancing Disney princesses—a nod to her Southern grandma's family room, the birthplace of so many of Monét's earliest musical references. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music, and Mary Poppins were repeat hits in her grandparents' home, which eventually played a role in the performer's evolving music and style identity. The world will soon see the nostalgic influence of Dorothy Dandridge glamour shots, Singing in the Rain costuming, and the choral performances of Mr. Holland's Opus shaping Monét's new chapter.

"The jaguar exists within me always, but I'm feeling like a softer version of myself [now]," she explains. "The claws are retracted, and [it's] not growling. I'm more peaceful. I keep thinking about the caterpillar … and the transformation, the complete release of itself that has to occur for it to become a butterfly."

The synergy that Monét feels with Jackson and her other childhood references wasn't just the catalyst (or shall I say chrysalis?) for her new work. It was a wake-up call. The artist realized that she was on the precipice of something great but ultimately needed to do some shedding to move forward and continue to grow as both an artist and a person. "That's what this year is about: growing spiritually," she explains. "It's about being a better person while I'm here … [and] making sure that I have the longevity and mental capacity to handle the stresses that come with whatever my next chapter is bringing. I'm asking for more, so [I'm] making sure I'm equipped to handle more."

Spiritual and personal growth have been a theme throughout the songwriting process and slowly seeped into the project itself. "[This album] feels a lot more clearheaded, more pure," she explains. This clarity allowed her to show love to herself, offer it to others ("even people who don't even really deserve it," she muses), and thread it into every pulse of the music. I mean that literally. She's infused healing frequencies into some melodies for alignment. You can think of these upcoming tracks as your modern-day "Ring My Bell," the 1979 hit from Anita Ward that went viral on TikTok for its 432-hertz pitch—thought by many to be a fast track for abundance manifestation. Monét herself is a believer, having once danced under an eclipse moon while looping Ward's chart-topper in her bedroom.

If being a singer-songwriter, Grammy winner, and mother (yes, Monét has a doting 5-year-old daughter) weren't enough notches on the multi-hyphenate’s belt, she's decided to add another—this time in a completely different industry. After graduating at the top of her class this spring from the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena, California, she can officially call herself Chef Monét. A few of her newest acts of service include hosting generous brunches and dinner parties for her friends that include fried chicken and caramelized waffles, French omelets and chives, and date cake with bourbon ice cream.

"It's something that I wanted to do forever," she responds when I ask her what sparked this new venture. "I had such a crazy year last year emotionally that I was starting to look into it, and I would put my foot in and then be one step out." Eventually, the star set her mind to it. "I said, 'Fuck it!'" she exclaims with a laugh. "I went on the school tour, started talking to them about what it would require, including the externship that I have to do to get my actual diploma. Then a couple of days after that, Teyana Taylor posted that she was in culinary school, and I was like, 'Wait, what? You too? I'm going too!'" It's like freshman year all over again.

Though I lack the cooking prowess that Monét now wields, I've experienced the "mind wandering" phenomenon, as detailed in a paper by assistant psychology professor Zachary Irving at the University of Virginia, while chopping vegetables. Essentially, they're those brilliant, crystal-clear ideas that seem to fall out of the sky once your brain quiets down during a repetitive task. Seeing as I've gotten some of my best introductory lines and styling ideas when dicing up cucumbers, I ask if culinary school ever aided the songwriting process of her upcoming album or even unstuck a bout of writer's block. Unsurprisingly, she says yes.

"I actually came up with one of the songs on my album while making cookies," she says with a grin. The act itself became meditative: listening to music while cooking and humming while nursing a pan over open flames. "It all goes together, food and music," she states. But when it comes to songwriting in general, Monét has found that the process is entirely attached to ego.

"Opposite of writer's block to me is an ego death: just going in and getting all the 'bad' things out—the bad melodies, the bad songs, bad lyrics—and not judging yourself for it," she muses. Whether that's in the kitchen or in the studio, Monét has learned to trust in her abilities, and that includes the initial shed that each songwriting session requires. "Eventually, you'll work your way into the songs you start to feel good about, but you have to do it without ego," she adds.

At this point in her career—one marked by graduation caps, Grammys, and a growing daughter—you'll see Instagram comments like "Queen of side quests!" all over the star's social media posts. While it's true that Monét refuses to let herself become stagnant (she has future goals that include massage therapy, gardening, and learning ancient Chinese medicine), one thing that will forever remain firmly rooted in place is family. Hazel, the star's kindergarten-age daughter, has accolades of her own despite her small stature, for the energetic, button-nosed kid made history as the youngest Grammy nominee at age 2 when her mother's song "Hollywood" was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2024.

Though Monét’s mini-me achieved a goal before pre-K that most musicians won't in their lifetimes, the star is leaving her daughter's future in her own little hands. "Just yesterday, I was looking at this paper she brought home from school that said when she grew up, she wanted to be a dentist, which was my first time hearing that one," Monét says with silvery laughter. "But she also wanted to be a hairstylist, a singer, a scientist. She's taking jiujitsu. She's in piano. She loves dance—she's at my rehearsal right now. As soon as she gets here, she's in the mirror, posing, dancing, choreographing, and telling people what to do." She gets it from her mama, no?

Monét's relationships have long been the source of much chatter, but at this stage in her life, the artist is approaching romance opportunistically. "It's really hard," she says in response to my question about dating as a successful woman. "It's hard, one, to attract anyone who is going to understand this lifestyle [and], two, to maintain it. So I've just been focused on my daughter and me and what I have ahead because when I'm in a relationship, I'm prioritizing the other person as well." It should be that way, she says, but with an upcoming tour, a busy kid, and a forthcoming album, there are only so many hours in the day. However, she won't say no to a fun date.

In all, it's Monét's main wish for her daughter to have a primary example of accomplishing dreams, hobbies, side quests, and more as a mother. "I'm just trying to show [Hazel] that she really can do it, even when it's hard or you don't get the right amount of sleep or you don't feel great about your work or whatever it is," she explains, her voice breaking ever so slightly. "I'm just pushing through and letting her see by actions, not just by words."

Though artists, especially women, are taught to measure their talents by their accolades, Monét has taken care to reshape her relationship with success into something much healthier way before this next chapter unfolds—making sure she doesn't "live and die" by awards. "I would love to experience another Grammy and that feeling of being a musician's musician, but I also want to make sure that if that doesn't happen, that I don't feel any less powerful or less supported or less successful," she explains. "[I'm] just learning a new way to detach from certain things and grow, but ultimately with love."

Photographer: Erica Snyder
Stylist: Dione Davis
Hairstylist: Davontae Washington
Makeup Artist: Diana Shin
Manicurist: Coca Michelle
Creative Director: Amy Armani
Set Designer: Lucy Holt
Entertainment Director: Jessica Baker
Producer: Erin Corbett

Jonathan Daviss knows what it's like to carry expectations. He spent much of his formative years, especially during five (the fifth season is set to release later this year) seasons of Outer Banks (OBX), with audiences watching him bring Pope Heyward to life as the smart, moral, careful friend who constantly balances loyalty, ambition, and a fear of disappointing others. But for Daviss, playing Pope was never just about stepping into character. It was also about dealing with many of the same questions teenagers ask themselves: who they want to become, what success looks like, how to have ambition, and whether to prioritize education or adventure. In many ways, Pope's growth mirrored Daviss's, but only one side played out in front of millions of viewers.

For Daviss, the connection to Pope was immediate. When the first season of Outer Banks began filming, the two were close in age—around 18—so Pope's behaviors, emotions, and anxieties felt very organic. As his character struggled with expectations surrounding academics, responsibility, and success, Daviss found himself confronting many of the same stresses off-screen. "What really stood out to me about Pope in season 1 was this idea of expectations and pressure that gets put on a lot of young Black teens and teens in general," Daviss tells me over Zoom from his house in L.A. "There's this pressure to succeed, and it was something I truly have been through."

Even amid those heavier themes, Daviss says what drew him to the world of Outer Banks was the closeness among the characters, the freedom, and the sense of young people trying to find themselves. "It captured the feeling of being young and part of a close-knit group of people," he says. "It was about going through moments of fights, wins, losses, and unforgettable memories and how, over time, through it all, those friends become family." Plus, every season brought a different adventure and a new treasure to hunt down. Who wouldn't want to be a teenager, leaving your schoolwork behind to hang out with your best friends and explore the sun-drenched, mysterious Outer Banks of North Carolina?

Like Pope, who felt pressure to not waste his intelligence and fail himself and others, Daviss navigated a similar tension between escapism, responsibility, and success while growing up in Conroe, Texas. "I wanted to be free and have my friends and not have to worry about 'You gotta do this' and 'You gotta make sure you have As in school' and 'You gotta make sure you go to college,'" he shares. Although his parents didn't place heavy expectations on him, he still internalized pressure to do well, especially in his AP classes in high school.

As the show went on, the connection between the actor and the character grew even stronger. The emotional attachment deepened, too, through the parasocial relationship audiences formed with Pope over the years. For many viewers, the line between Daviss and the character blurred—a reality he initially resisted. "As actors, we're really afraid of being slammed into boxes because we want to show our range," he says. "So when I was young, I thought, 'No, I can't be [seen as] Pope' because I wanted to try other things and be different characters. However, I now really embrace him because I've learned that his character means a lot to people—and a lot to me. [Pope] is so much of me."

What resonated most with Daviss and OBX fans throughout Pope's arc wasn't just the pressure he carried. It was how he learned to trust himself. Rather than constantly seeking external validation before committing to a decision, overanalyzing everything, and second-guessing himself, Pope became progressively more decisive—even in moments of uncertainty. This was especially apparent in season 2 after he abandoned his prestigious interview to help the Pogues, his friend group, with the treasure hunt, ultimately costing him the scholarship that he and his parents had tied to his identity. "[Pope] goes through a lot of loss," Daviss says. "Knowing that it's okay to make mistakes but keep going, learn from it, and try to be better was an important through line." So much of Pope's storyline and the entirety of Outer Banks was about perseverance and "the idea of the little guy punching up and constantly getting knocked down and then clawing his way back," Daviss explains.

Being resilient was something Daviss had to learn long before Outer Banks premiered in 2020 and made overnight stars of its young ensemble cast. Like many actors trying to break into Hollywood, Daviss became familiar with near misses and almost opportunities. There were moments when he felt emotionally exhausted by the constant need to prove himself as an actor. "I remember I was kind of getting burnt," he recalls of his early audition days. "I was broke, broke. I ain't got no money in my pockets."

Growing up in Conroe, Daviss didn't have industry connections or even the option to attend acting classes. However, he did have ambition and discipline, so he created opportunities for himself. "In my small town, there wasn't really much to do, so a lot of my time was spent watching movies with my dad," he says. "That's what made me develop a love of film. But since there were no acting classes [to get my start], I read poetry and created seven-minute monologues that I would perform and then compete with others. That's how I gained a lot of my performance and public-speaking experience."

That passion for the arts—and possibly the escapism that it provided—eventually carried Daviss through long drives from Conroe to Austin for auditions and, later, to L.A. at a very young age. He sacrificed much of a traditional adolescence to build his future and chase his dreams amid uncertainty. "You only lose when you quit," he says, echoing the mindset that motivated him through those years.

But it was really after he moved to L.A., landed his role in OBX, and grew alongside Pope that significant changes took hold. As Pope slowly learned to trust himself, Daviss did too. Success no longer felt like something he had to earn or prove. Instead of questioning where he stood, he began making space for his personal and professional dreams.

Daviss's confidence is no longer on shaky ground, and that's never been more apparent than now as he prepares to step into arguably his biggest project yet: the Snoop Dogg biopic titled Snoop. According to Variety, the film will follow the iconic rapper's humble beginnings, his rise to fame with Death Row Records in the '90s, and his relationships. With the OBX chapter coming to an end, Daviss tells me that he wants to keep pushing himself and telling interesting stories, starting with this one.

Earlier in his career, a role this large—playing an iconic hip-hop artist—might have been approached with hesitation or self-doubt, but discussing this milestone moment with me now, he speaks with palpable certainty. "I'm trusting that I know what I'm doing and what I've done during the audition process was working and my choices were working," he says. "I'm going to keep trusting my instinct and the people around me."

That self-assurance extends to his approach to the role itself. Spending time with Snoop Dogg, Daviss was given access to a world most people don't know exists. "He is so much of who [people think] he is," Daviss says. "He is a light." It wasn't all fun and games, though. They worked, and Snoop assisted in the development of Daviss's portrayal of him, something that not all actors get the privilege of receiving when playing a living person. "He was very instrumental in getting me to where I needed to be performance-wise," Daviss continues. "He told me, 'Come hang with me. Shadow me. Pick up on my mannerisms, how I joke and interact.'"

Through that experience, Daviss became more interested in portraying who Snoop Dogg is at his core rather than relying on imitation. "I didn't want to do a Snoop Dogg impression," he explains. "I wanted to make you [the audience] feel like you're watching Snoop Dogg, a young dude from Long Beach, California, who was in a very specific situation and grew up in a crazy way and did something amazing in a very real way."

Like Snoop, Daviss started out young in his field and had to figure things out as they came, growing and learning from mistakes along the way. Looking back now, he understands that those periods of sacrifice and pressure don't define his story. What has stayed with him isn't the burnout, the lack of money, or having to rely on public transportation and his skateboard to get around L.A. It's what came of those experiences: the lessons.

Daviss learned to never fear the unknown, something his younger self, the one living in Texas, would have done in the past. That fearlessness has led him to pursue things beyond acting—music, in particular. "It's fun to try different artistic avenues," he shares. "Some people might like it, some people might hate it, but that's the journey." He's interested in creating a world for people to step into, a pilgrimage listeners can take. He plays guitar, makes music, and has a finished EP, but there's no set release date yet. "I didn't want to do my music and then have Snoop and make it feel like one had to do with the other and confuse audiences," he explains. "So I put it on the back burner for now."

Even as Daviss looks toward his bright future, he still feels a deep emotional connection to his early roles. "I'll look back on [Outer Banks] and remember it as a beautiful and special time in my life," he says. "Those memories will be there forever, and the people will follow me into the rest of my life. They'll be at my wedding, and they'll be there for my kids, and I'll be there for theirs." He also expresses hope of reuniting with his OBX family and working with them in an entirely different setting. "I want to show that we, as a group, have so much range in what we can do together," he adds.

He hints that the Outer Banks series finale is dark, emotional, and more personal than ever after the devastating events of season 4. "The Pogues are dealing with loss, which is where it starts," he explains. "That bombshell happened, and these characters have to adjust to a new normal now. [Pope's] going to have to make a long journey. Let's just say that."

"Grateful" is the best way to describe Daviss's attitude toward the show that gave him his big break. "I'm from such a small town, so to be able to achieve [all that I have] is such a blessing," he says. "There are a lot of people in my corner, and I don't think I could have done it without relying on the people who truly believed in me." Now, thanks to Outer Banks, that doesn't just include his real family. It also includes his chosen one.

For years, Daviss and Pope struggled with the same question: How do you define yourself when your self-worth is shaped by achievement and external expectations? But somewhere along the way, Daviss moved beyond being defined by others' expectations and began to trust his instincts, embrace uncertainty, and step into the life he has dreamed of—the one he once only saw on-screen.

Photographer: Erica Snyder
Stylist: SK Tang
Hairstylist: Imani Bacon
Makeup Artist: Camille Ariane with Exclusive Artists using Dior Beauty
Creative Director: Amy Armani
Set Designer: Daniel Horowitz
Entertainment Director: Jessica Baker
Producers: Lindsay Ferro and Luciana De La Fe

“We’re off to a great start,” Camila Mendes croons from the other side of her screen, her eyes wide with amusement and her sharp, chin-grazing bob almost perking up at the sound of my voice. Within minutes of logging on to our Zoom call, my Miami-laced tone tips her off to our similar backgrounds. We both grew up in South Florida suburbia, a humid, heat wave–filled swampland that’s both increasingly chaotic and painfully claustrophobic at the same time. She puts it best when she states that our hometown, and the bubble it occupies in our origin stories, is like another world.

Maybe that’s why our hour-long interview feels strangely familiar, much more akin to a reality-television confessional than a prim-and-proper affair. She talks about her fitness routine and starring in a Mr. Fantasy (rumored to be her former Riverdale costar KJ Apa) music video. When Mendes learns we graduated from the same high school, only a few years apart, our conversation derails into a trauma-bonding session uniquely reserved for those of us who survived South Florida adolescence. By the end, talking to Mendes feels much less like interviewing a celebrity and more like catching up with a cool upperclassman I would have passed in the hallway all those years ago.

The ease and flow of our conversation almost distracts me from how, unlike the hazy, slow life most people live in Miami, Mendes is in the middle of one of the biggest years in her career so far. In the first half of 2026 alone, she’s been attached to three separate upcoming projects; her cofounded production company, Honor Role, just released its second feature film, Idiotka; and somewhere in the middle of it all, she’s planning a wedding to longtime partner and former Música costar Rudy Mancuso.

And then, of course, there’s the small matter of starring in a major summer blockbuster. This month, Mendes steps into the sprawling, nostalgia-drenched world of Masters of the Universe, the live-action reimagining of the beloved ’80s He-Man franchise starring Nicholas Galitzine, Idris Elba, and Jared Leto. In it, Mendes plays the sword-slinging Teela, who teams up with Prince Adam, played by Galitzine, to defend their home planet of Eternia from the evil wrath of Skeletor. It’s the kind of studio summer spectacle built for oversize budgets, Comic-Con hysteria, and inevitable internet discourse. Masters is the largest stage Mendes has occupied since her breakout years as Riverdale’s resident mean girl, Veronica Lodge. No big deal or anything.

“I’ve never been a part of something of this scale. I’ve never been a part of a proper press tour before, and I hear it’s really chaotic in a fun way but also really exhausting,” Mendes admits, nodding to the high-intensity demands of the cast’s global premieres rolling out over the next several weeks. It’s a whirlwind of red carpets, international red-eye flights, and press-tour obligations with no educational crash course to help one prepare. But Mendes is used to it. She stays busy. Her life in this era, she jokes, is not unlike the infamous Lady Gaga meme: “No sleep. Bus, club, another club, another club, next place.” The image tracks.

Despite what her hectic schedule may imply, or the fact that Mendes’s name stays in the headlines of Deadline articles posted across Instagram by talent agencies and stan accounts, she loves having nothing to do. “I’m not someone who seeks busyness, genuinely, and I feel like if you’d talk to any of my friends or family, they’d laugh at me for saying that,” Mendes notes. “I think I’ve gotten a lot better at saying no to things as I’ve gotten older.”

There’s a surprising steadiness to Mendes when we speak, the kind that feels slightly at odds with the hypervisibility that’s followed her since Riverdale catapulted her into mainstream recognition nearly a decade ago. Despite only being a few years older than me, she speaks with the kind of emotional clarity that usually only arrives after either a complete existential unraveling or a very expensive wellness retreat—or in Mendes’s case, both.

In 2024, the actor attended the Hoffman Process, a personal-growth retreat beloved by a very specific subset of spiritually curious celebrities—think Gwyneth Paltrow, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Sienna Miller. The retreat, structured as an intensive seven-day program, has become something of a rite of passage for Hollywood figures attempting to untangle themselves from years of industry burnout. Mendes’s decision to go came at a particularly loaded moment in her life: fresh off the heels of her Saturn Return and after Riverdale’s seven-season run came to a close—a chapter of her life that, for nearly her entire adult career up until that point, dictated everything from her public identity to the rhythm of her day-to-day existence. What happens after the role that made you who you are becomes past tense?

It’s no surprise the actor needed to figure out what was next in the void of insurmountable change. “I was going through a period in my life where I didn’t know how to say no. I kept blaming the world, kept blaming everybody but myself for being busy, and had so much anger,” Mendes admits. “That experience at Hoffman really helped me clarify for myself what my priorities are and what I want out of life. I now have such an easier time determining what’s worth my time and what isn’t.”

That emotional clarity has seeped into the way Mendes approaches acting, too. Despite starring in increasingly larger-scale productions—where performance can often feel more manufactured than personal—Mendes insists the work only clicks for her when it comes from a place of authenticity. “To me, acting is being truthful, and that’s why it comes more naturally to me,” she says. It’s why she speaks about her characters less like fictional creations and more like emotional extensions of herself. Whether it’s Veronica Lodge or Teela, Mendes feels protective of every woman she plays. They all carry fragments of her.

On paper, Teela and Mendes don’t exactly seem spiritually aligned. One is a sword-wielding fantasy warrior born out of an ’80s toy empire, and the other is an actor who speaks thoughtfully about boundaries, emotional healing, and the importance of doing absolutely nothing whenever possible—their hair colors don’t even match—but Mendes insists that stepping into Teela’s world revealed more of herself than she initially expected.

In many ways, Teela’s emotional arc mirrors the lesson Mendes says she’s only recently begun learning in her own life: Softness isn’t weakness. You don’t have to become emotionally detached to be powerful.

Strength, particularly for female superheroes on-screen, is so often written as emotional restraint, Mendes says, noting she’s often felt disconnected from several on-screen female superheroes in the past. “To me, Teela’s journey in this film is about finding strength in vulnerability. Teela was really in touch with her physical strength but not so much with her emotional side,” Mendes adds. “In her mind, she’s like, ‘I’m on my own in this world. Everyone is incompetent, and I need to take care of everything,’ but at the end of the day, there’s just a really sad little girl inside of her who feels abandoned.”

The 2026 reimaging of the world that He-Man, Teela, and the rest of the Masters of the Universe characters live in feels fitting for this moment. There’s a reason director Travis Knight and the rest of the cast felt compelled to tell the story of Prince Adam of Eternia, unlocking his inner strength by accessing his emotional, vulnerable side. We’re living in a cultural moment increasingly defined by hyperperformed masculinity—where dominance is mistaken for confidence, emotional detachment gets reframed as power, and entire online ecosystems profit off convincing young men that empathy is weakness. Against that backdrop, Masters feels less like a reinvention and more like a course correction.

Despite acknowledging that, though, Mendes assures me there’s no woke Hollywood agenda the movie is trying to force-feed audiences, despite what some circles of the internet will have you believe. “There is no agenda other than to breathe life back into a very beloved franchise,” she urges. “But it just so happens that one of the themes explored in this movie is masculinity—to be expected in a movie about a character named He-Man,” Mendes adds, referencing Galitzine’s layered portrayal of the iconic hero. “It’s not just about how masculinity can hinder us but also how it can help us.”

In a direct contrast to He-Man, Teela’s entire worldview hinges on self-reliance: survive first, soften later. Mendes realized early on that embodying that mentality meant rebuilding not just the character emotionally but herself physically. Then came the muscles. Lots of them.

“Honestly, training was one of the most exciting parts of Masters for me,” Mendes recalls fondly. Alongside Galitzine, the actor spent months training in Los Angeles and London with stunt coordinators, nutritionists, and physicians to achieve the yoked-up look of Eternia’s royal battalion. But Mendes’s transformation wasn’t just about looking convincing while wielding a sword or surviving grueling stunts—it became something unexpectedly personal.

In a genre where female superheroes are often expected to appear impossibly lean while somehow possessing superhuman strength, Mendes wanted Teela’s body to look like she could fly planes and jump off of freeways, no suspension of disbelief required. “A really valuable lesson for me was realizing that not only does strength look different on everybody, but being strong and looking strong are two different things,” Mendes notes. Health is wealth, as they say. Mendes isn’t buying it, though.

“Our image of what strong looks like is really distorted,” Mendes adds. Deliberately gaining weight, even for a role, was something that might have terrified the actor in her 20s. Mendes has spoken candidly in the past about her struggle with and recovery from an eating disorder. For years, thinness felt synonymous with success. Today, Mendes’s experience in becoming bigger, even if just for the span of a few months while filming as Teela, is something she almost misses. “I didn’t want to lose all of my hard work,” she admits, looking back at the experience. “It took so long to get there. It’s so challenging, and then you become so proud of your muscles and how strong you feel.”

Mendes’s reinvention, both physically and emotionally, is a theme that’s been bubbling up in her life over the last few years. Before venturing to the planet of Eternia, Mendes had worked on a few acting projects outside of Riverdale. There was Do Revenge, a campy, teenage dramedy opposite Stranger Things actor Maya Hawke; Upgraded, a glossy Netflix rom-com about the fine-art world; and Música, a semibiographical coming-of-age Brazilian American love story that was just as important on-screen as it was off (Mendes famously met her now-fiancé Rudy Mancuso on set). Project by project, Mendes began reconstructing an identity that existed separately from the corporate CW machine that first made her famous mere months after graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

“Once I started to do other projects outside of Riverdale, I really started to gain my sense of self back,” Mendes admits, reflecting on the bubble she and her costars turned best friends, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, and KJ Apa, lived in over the course of seven years. There was an element of surrendering herself to the script—she says she was just a 22-year-old girl showing up to collect a paycheck at her first job—and a relief that came with the knowledge that sometimes, things were out of her control. “I had to detach myself from overidentifying with my role on the show and what it meant to people,” Mendes notes, alluding to the all-encompassing fan wars and Tumblr discourse that are synonymous with teenage sitcom culture. “I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I let the comments penetrate my mind too much.”

It wasn’t until launching her production studio, Honor Role, that Mendes found her respite from the chaos of the industry. Amid the 2023 SAG-AFTRA writers and actor strikes and small but mighty career burnout, Mendes and fellow actor Rachel Matthews launched their incubator-style production company rooted in storytelling on an auteur scale, offering first-time writers and directors a platform to create.

“Honor Role has reminded me of my own creative abilities outside of performing, and it’s reconnected me to my own autonomy,” Mendes explains. “Having my own production company is like tapping into my own inner power. It’s something I can always fall back on if I’m not seeing a certain role or project in the industry. We can just go out and create it ourselves.”

Mendes, lovingly, makes movies for the “girls and gays,” she states. Just like her on-screen roles, her work at Honor Role is no different. The company launched its first project with a queer coming-of-age indie, Griffin in Summer, which was honored at the GLAAD Media Awards. Next up was Idiotka, a recently released immigrant-focused comedy that touches on the perils of the fashion industry and the reality-TV ecosystem. There are dozens of projects in Mendes’s back pocket she can’t wait to produce when the time is right, she shares, particularly those with a Latin focus. Being Brazilian American, Mendes never saw herself reflected on-screen in a nuanced, major role and, to this day, doesn’t.

“There are not a lot of us out there being positioned or offered meaty roles that will garner them Oscars one day,” she notes, adding that she can count the number of breakout, executive-respected Latin actors on her fingers. She dishes about a project that she’s been developing for years, starring an all-Latina ensemble, and you can practically hear the quiver in her voice when she breaks down what it means to her. “Being Latin has only served my artistry, and I think a lot of my peers would say the same,” Mendes notes. “Our culture lends itself to being good performers.”

With Honor Role flourishing and new acting horizons under her belt, Mendes is cruising into her 30s with a steadiness and ease she admits her younger self—the 20-year-old ball of anxiety—could have never imagined. At this point in her life, she knows the quiet strength in harnessing her emotions. “I want my willingness to be vulnerable and show the deepest, most shameful, and ugliest parts of myself through my characters to help others connect to their own feelings,” Mendes explains. If she can do that well, the job she’s devoted her life to doing is done.

For decades, women in Hollywood have been taught to view turning 30 as less of a milestone and more as a warning sign—an invisible countdown ominously looming in the background. The entertainment industry has long treated youth as its most prized commodity, creating the perception that a woman's relevance, marketability, or appeal is tied to how closely she aligns with an ever-shifting ideal. As a result, many women are made to feel as though they're constantly being measured against the next generation of talent. (Lest we forget the Substance of it all!)

Hollywood, of course, sells reinvention as the antidote, and nowadays, everyone is buying it. New stylists. New faces. New bodies. Entire career revivals are built around the illusion that, with enough discipline and luck, you can shed your old skin fast enough to remain an object of desire for the public to project their fantasies onto. But Mendes doesn’t seem particularly interested in outrunning herself anymore.

There’s a quiet confidence to the way Mendes speaks about her future, one rooted less in reinvention for reinvention’s sake and more in reclaiming what’s always been there—her artistry, her creativity, or her love for connecting with the most vulnerable parts of herself. The irony, of course, is that Hollywood will probably frame this era of Mendes’s career as a comeback or transformation. Mendes, meanwhile, might simply call it finally becoming herself again.

Photographer: Gleeson Paulino
Creative Direction: Amy Armani
Stylist: Lauren Eggertsen
Hairstylist: Lauren Palmer-Smith
Makeup Artist: Jen Tioseco
Manicurist: Thuy Nguyen
Entertainment Director: Jessica Baker
Producers: Lindsay Ferro and Luciana De La Fe
DP: Sam Miron
Video Producer: Kellie Scott
Special Thanks to @blackwidowmustang and @goldlinebar

Gillian Anderson is no stranger to the spotlight. The actress has worked in film, television, and theater. She is perhaps best known for her role as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, although she's also starred in The Crown and Sex Education (my personal favorite). When she's not in character, Anderson is an activist, author, and L'Oréal Paris ambassador.

I had the unique opportunity to catch up with Anderson via video call from the South of France, where she was attending the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival on behalf of the brand. Ahead, read our exclusive interview, in which she discusses her low-key beauty routines, the aesthetic trends she loves and the ones she'd rather go without, and "doing the work" to acknowledge her intrinsic worth.

What does it mean to you to be partnered with L'Oréal Paris? It's such a prestigious global beauty brand.

I was very honored to be asked—not just as an actor but in other things that I do in my life. I talk a lot about women, particularly women's empowerment. This gives me more of an opportunity to do that on a much more global scale than I would if I were just promoting one of my books or doing something similar.

It's nice to be able to talk about it in that way. When I first started, I imagined myself saying the slogan, "Because I'm worth it." My first reaction was that I couldn't possibly say that. It felt so cheesy. Then I saw the documentary about Ilon Specht and the history of the slogan, and I thought, "What am I talking about?"

At the end of the day, it's really important to be able to say that and truly mean it without feeling shame, judgment, or embarrassment. That's especially important today with the number of young women who struggle with self-worth. I actually feel proud to say it on a regular basis.

I love it. L'Oréal Paris was really the first brand to be built around what we'd now call an affirmation before we even had a word for that. It's a very rich history.

It's very cool.

What are your favorite L'Oréal Paris products at the moment?

Most of the time, in my private life, I don't really wear makeup except for mascara. I always have Panorama Mascara with me because the coverage is so great, and it's easy to take off. That's definitely a go-to. I also use the Age Perfect Midnight Cream. It leaves my skin feeling very smooth and silky, which I like. I also have a tendency to be quite lazy, so it feels effortless, and I feel like I get the results I want.

I know you said you normally only wear mascara on your time off, but I'd love to know your daily beauty routine. What does that look like? Do you spend time on skincare in the morning?

I didn't use to take off my makeup at all from one day to the next, even after doing a shoot. My big thing now is at least trying to do that, which feels like a big step for me. If I do that, I'll follow it with a moisturizer.

I know I'm likely to do those two steps. In the morning, I struggle to do much beyond putting on a bit of mascara. If I use anything else, it'll be the Duo Serum. I quite like that. I don't often put anything on, but if I do, that's usually it.

Has your perspective on beauty changed over the years. If so, how?

I don't think I ever paid much attention to beauty. My mom never wore makeup, and it was never really part of my life. I remember Rosamund Pike telling me about how her mother took her to a beauty counter at Macy's or somewhere similar. That just wasn't part of my upbringing. Makeup wasn't part of my childhood at all. When I did wear it, it was kohl around the eyes. It wasn't until my mid-20s, when I started working in the public eye, that makeup was really introduced into my life, and it was solely for the purpose of building characters.

It's only since working with L'Oréal Paris that I've had conversations about things like collagen and skincare. Since becoming a beauty ambassador, I've learned pretty much everything I know about beauty. That basically says it all.

What I really appreciate about [L'Oréal Paris] is how science-based it is. They genuinely care about the science behind their products, and I trust them 100%.

Beauty is one of those things where you open Pandora's box and realize there's so much to learn. It's exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. When brands like L'Oréal Paris are accessible, it's really nice. That sounds healthy.

What beauty trend, past or present, would you steer clear of?

I don't tend to follow trends. Is a Brazilian butt lift considered a beauty trend?

It could be.

Then I'd say it's probably wise to steer clear of that.

That's a whole other discussion about how those things can become trends, but I think you're right. Is there a beauty look or product, past or present, that you love?

Whenever I see women who have achieved what people call glass skin, where they seem to radiate from the inside out, I love that look. They're shiny but not greasy. They just look healthy with very little makeup. I understand the appeal of that, and I'm happy that trend exists.

There was also a period when painted-on freckles were popular. I thought that was really cool. I've known a few people over the years who did that, and I think it's pretty awesome.

I love faux freckles. What's the best beauty tip you've ever heard, even if it's not related to skincare or makeup? It could be about how you carry yourself or move through life.

I'll answer that in two ways. First, a practical beauty tip: If I ever wear eye shadow in my personal life, it's usually lipstick that I've dabbed onto my eyelids. I have no idea where I picked that up, but I do it.

More importantly, when we're talking about worth and feeling like you're worth it, none of these external things really matter. They may lift our spirits or put a skip in our step, but unless we feel good on the inside, they don't mean much. We can still have all the negativity in the world running through our heads, even with a full face of makeup. More than anything, I think it's important to work on the internal stuff. The longer you leave that work until your 50s or 60s, the more years those negative thoughts have had to compound and become harder to deal with. The earlier you start dealing with your issues and truly feel that you deserve to be on this planet, that you're perfect as you are, and that you can confidently ask for what you want from yourself, your life, and the people around you, the easier it becomes. The more years you spend doing that work, the better.

Do you have a beauty icon? If so, who is it, and why do you admire them?

Do you know Harriet Walter, the actress from England? Harriet Walter has such a fantastic face, and it's the same face she's always had. There are plenty of women I admire and think of as icons for their activism or their acting.

Shop Anderson's Favorite L'Oréal Paris Skincare & Makeup Products

If season 3 of Euphoria is to be the HBO's show's last (at the time of publishing this article, nothing has been confirmed), it's certainly going out with a bang and sparing no expense with A-list cameos. There's Lexi's showrunner boss Patty Lance, played by Sharon Stone; The Silver Slipper's bedazzled neck brace–wearing stripper Magick, played by Rosalía; Alamo Brown's henchman G, played by former NFL pro Marshawn Lynch; Brown's mother, played by Danielle Deadwyler; Trisha Paytas as herself; and this week's notable intro featuring a flashback with Colman Domingo's Ali alongside a wisecracking prostitute played by Natasha Lyonne.

Lyonne's character in the gritty drama from Sam Levinson has been under wraps since her casting was announced last October. Even HBO's reps remained mum on details in the days leading up to the episode's release on Sunday. When we jumped on a call with Lyonne two weeks before, it wasn't surprising that the actress, writer, director, and producer was also tight-lipped out of fear of entering spoiler territory. But that didn't stop Lyonne, who was heading out to Cannes the next morning, from revealing to Who What Wear the funny and serendipitous story behind how her buzzy guest role came to be.

On meeting Levinson and devising her guest role on Euphoria season 3:

I met Sam at Colman Domingo's private dinner for [his film] Rustin, and we immediately hit it off. We spent the after-dinner part huddled up on a little sofa just in the zone. Sam is brilliant, and we have a lot of touchpoints that basically made us double over laughing. Cut to the end of the story, this became a joke between me, Colman, and Sam for maybe a year about how crucial it was that Colman and I were gonna get to do this in this season of Euphoria. But it made no sense. None of us thought it was actually happening. It was definitely a running joke on a text message between the three of us for a year, and then suddenly, I got a text from Sam saying, "Okay, it's gonna be next week, Natasha." And it was just like, "Well, of course it is, Sam. I'll see you there."

On her friendship with Colman Domingo:

Colman Domingo, my little love of my life. I consider Colman Domingo an ally of the highest order. Colman is so incredible at having these events where he really looks out for the people in his life and team. We all became super close because I was seeing Matthew at the time, and me, Matthew, [Domingo's partner] Raúl, and Colman decided to go to Puerto Vallarta for a vacation. We did New Year's together. It was during COVID, and we rented this house. It was the funniest and cutest thing you've ever seen, and we became true lifetime friends from that vacation.

There was so much journey in that little trip together, like [Domingo's script for the] Nat King Cole [biopic Unforgettable], for example. I remember he had it open on his laptop, and we were both working on so much stuff. We were also watching this documentary on Phil Tippett because I was about to start writing with Alice Ju, one of our Russian Doll writers, that episode that Nick Nolte was in of Poker Face. It was just like we were right on the cusp of all of these amazing things that were about to happen, and there was a feeling in the air of that house between Colman and I. We even talked about it, that this was gonna be this calm before the storm. Since we're both really journeymen, lifers in this industry, moments will periodically catch up to us, but we've been here the whole time doing the work. We really share a love of human beings. No matter how far up or down the scale, it doesn't matter.

On giving Levinson a full-nudity waiver:

Suffice to say, I'm what they call in the business a "never nude." I thought it would be really funny—because it was Euphoria and Colman and Sam—to say I'm gonna give these guys a full-nudity waiver, and CAA and my lawyer of 35 years, everyone was aghast. They were like, "There's no way! Do you know what show this is?!" But I guess, unfortunately, from what Sam tells me, I don't even think I get a full butt cheek or anything. But I came prepared.

I haven't seen it, but from what I hear, it's actually really moving and not about that. Even Sam was like, "We tried it that way. Now, we're putting all the drugs down and the clothes on." And Colman, he's beyond the most extraordinary actor. He's so deeply present, and him in that role… I mean, that diner fucking scene [from season 2, special episode 1]. I know everybody talks about it, him and Zendaya. That scene is extraordinary—extraordinary writing, directing, acting, cinematography. It's a perfect moment. I was also pretty starstruck to be working with them, and mostly, it was just about that. I think we just wanted to put a little bow on top of this really special moment.

I have all these other TV shows I'm doing, but I was so moved to just be a part of this historical, legendary moment in time that is Euphoria. I was so moved that they included me in it, and yes, because I'm a never nude … it just felt like the right thing to do to really let them know that I tried! I don't know if you remember the joke from the SNL monologue. I don't know who wrote that one (me or [John] Mulaney or Jake [Nordwind]), but it said, "Fred [Armisen] and I are the only two celebrities who have a sex tape that no one wanted to buy."

On getting to be a part of the Euphoria canon:

When you see [the role], I hope it brings some delight. I mean, a funny thing is that a lot of people have done that for me over the years with Russian Doll or Poker Face, where you come by, and it's the blessing of having somebody in [to guest-star]. To be part of the Euphoria canon universe is the most moving thing. To get to be a small part of Colman's journey in that show was why I was so moved. Behind the jokes and behind the full-nudity waiver, it was the idea that these two giants of Sam and Colman and, frankly, Zendaya… Come on—she's the one. Good luck, Keanu! To be a small part of their extraordinary journey is really what's so big to me about it. That's why I was like, "Take it all!" You guys want full nudity? Whatever you're doing, it's working. My role is really just trying to complement a moment in Colman's larger story. I understand that I'm there to be of service to Sam and to back Colman and Zendaya to the larger picture.

On the social commentary surrounding Euphoria season 3:

The season is amazing. I just think that it's such a perfect example of maybe what we were even touching on in a way, which is that, basically, something must be happening that is correct if people are having enough energy to have hot takes about season 3 or Sam or what's going on on that set. I'll tell you this much: What was going on on that set on that day was fucking amazing. And I know from being on seven years of Orange Is the New Black—every day there was fucking drama of different sorts. But globally speaking, the experience that we had on that show was the most amazing experience of our lives. That was my sorority. Those are my people for life. It is a tectonic plate–shifting cultural show. It just is. It's a fact. That's why people care enough to comment on it.

Of course, there are a million points of view on everything because everybody's having a genuine experience, and it needs to be honored that they're really having a lived experience in different moments. It's like Rashomon. All of life is Rashomon. This is what I think happened. This is what you think happened. This is some empirical truth of what we do think has happened. … It was such a close crew and so warm and creative, and we were able to do all of these different takes and versions. It was just an incredible way to get to work.

Catch up on Euphoria season 3, now streaming on HBO.

Photographer: Andrew Arthur
Photo Assistant: Adam Barto
Stylist: Casimere Jollette
Hairstylist: Davey Matthew
Makeup Artist: Yuui

Whatever term you want to use—Hollywood heavyweight or leading man—Austin Butler embodies it. From his titular role in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis to his villainous portrayal of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Dune: Part Two, and most recently, his headline performance in Darren Aronofsky's gritty crime thriller Caught Stealing, he's every ounce a classic, genre-bending movie star.

We caught up with Butler at Los Angeles's landmark El Rey Theatre to discuss his latest role—that of YSL global ambassador and, more specifically, the face of the new Myslf Eau de Toilette Intense, which is the latest intoxicating scent to join YSL's impressive lineup. Ahead, he opens up about his earliest scent memory, the grooming step he never misses, his comprehensive morning routine, and more.

YSL's Myslf Eau de Toilette Intense

The new fragrance is a woody, skin-musk scent, combining fresh and elevated notes of bergamot, orange blossom, warm woods, and white skin musks. Butler describes it as "fresh, warm, and light," the kind of scent he can wear every day. (He spritzes it on his neck and wrists before heading out the door. We asked because details are important, okay?)

The fragrance is personal and nostalgia-inducing for Butler, as he can trace its specific scent notes back to early childhood memories with both of his parents. First, there's the orange blossom note, which reminds him of growing up in Southern California. "I had an orange tree in my backyard, and my mom and I used to pick oranges together," he says.

Then, there are the wood notes—something he remembers smelling similarly in his dad's cologne, which he'd steal spritzes of as a child. Laughing, he says it was technically the first fragrance he ever wore. "It was one my dad had. I wish I could remember what it was called, but I used to go into his room and take it off his shelf and spray it on when I was a kid. I just remember it was really peppery and woody."

These days, YSL's Myslf Eau de Toilette Intense is his preferred fragrance, as it's "warm," and the perfect "everyday fresh scent." Below, read our rapid-fire Q&A with Butler to learn more about his grooming essentials, his comprehensive morning routine, and more.

What's one grooming step you never skip?

Brush my teeth.

If you had to leave the house in five minutes, what are a few extra staple products you'd either apply or bring with you?

I'd bring chewing gum with me. For me, it's my phone, my wallet, my keys, and chewing gum, probably.

What do your morning and evening routines look like?

I don't keep my phone next to my bed, so that's far away. I try not to look at that for at least the first hour of the day. I get up, take a cold shower, meditate, write for a little bit, and then make a coffee. Usually, I'll make a coffee before I write. Drink the coffee, write down some thoughts, and then hit the day.

In the evening, when it starts to get dark, if I'm home, I'll light the fireplace and some candles. Usually I don't have lights on at home. I'll take a shower before bed and do the usual, brush my teeth, get in bed and read, and fall asleep.

What's the best compliment someone can give you?

Your mother raised you right.

Watch the YSL Myslf Eau de Toilette Campaign Film Featuring Austin Butler

Shop 3 More YSL Eau de Parfums

Before there was Heated Rivalry, there was Elle Kennedy's NYT best-selling romance series Off-Campus about a house of hockey-playing college roommates and the women who steal their hearts. Is it a coincidence that two steamy, ice hockey–related TV adaptations come out within months of each other? Perhaps. Do we care? Absolutely not. Who are we to turn down a great romantic drama with an ensemble cast of fresh, soon-to-be-everywhere talent?

With the likes of The Summer I Turned Pretty and We Were Liars, Prime Video has summer YA romance dramas on lock, and the streamer is sure to have another hit on its hands when Off Campus debuts on May 13. As with the books, each season will follow a new-but-connected couple, starting with the events of book one, The Deal, about a fake dating plot between Briar University's promising young musician Hannah Wells (fabulous newcomer Ella Bright) and star hockey prodigy Garrett Graham (equally fabulous Belmont Cameli).

Our spidey senses tell us Bright has an especially (excuse our pun) bright future in Hollywood. At just 19, the actress—who made her West End debut in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child before starring in the BBC series Malory Towers and playing a young Kate Middleton in the final season of The Crown—is poised for a major U.S. breakout moment as she wins the hearts of avid Off Campus fans and new audiences alike thanks to a performance that is equal parts heartwarming and vulnerable.

We caught up with Bright ahead of the Off Campus Los Angeles premiere to talk about the show's speed-dating audition process, her instant connection with Cameli, and mastering guitar.

Between Heated Rivalry and now Off Campus, hockey is really having a moment. What do you think it is about the sport that lends itself so well to a great romantic story?

I'm from London, and we don't have ice hockey. When I first joined this show and when we were filming, we were not aware of any of these other things coming out. Obviously, hockey's been around for a long time, but I was under the impression that a nice hockey romance was somewhat of a niche interest. It's so funny that it's having such a moment right now. It almost feels like the perfect time for us to be coming out. I'm such a big fan of Heated Rivalry. I think there's a certain mystery to these hockey players because they have [masks on]. You don't really get to know them as much as you might other sports players, and I think that mystery is definitely alluring to some people. It's very funny to be in this orbit of conversation.

Off Campus is based on the best-selling book series by Elle Kennedy. You are no stranger to book-to-screen adaptations, having previously starred in Malory Towers. What excited you about this adaptation?

For all of us, it was so exciting to have people invested in this story that we're telling, and it has been this really cool group of supporters following everything from the cast release to when we started production and everything since then. It's been such an honor, and we have so much gratitude because we have this built-in fan base, which is so cool, and that's a credit to Elle Kennedy's work. The jump from Malory Towers to Off Campus was quite significant. I think what really drew me to Hannah and also what I saw in Darrell is the complexity of these female characters that I felt so privileged to be able to play.

For Hannah, there is such a journey that she goes on this season, and a lot of that has to do with her past and with her music and her connection to that. Also, what really surprised me about the show is how much the friendships are such a driving force behind it. There are so many different aspects of the show that people might not be expecting, and [there are] so many themes that it covers and so many things that people can see themselves in. That was a really exciting challenge for all of us—this complexity of the story—and getting to play with that was so fun.

Take us back to your chemistry read with Belmont Cameli. Did it feel instant between you two?

That chemistry read was, honestly, the most intense day I think any of us have ever experienced because there were 28 actors in the room, and it wasn't just Garrett and Hannah that they were casting. It was the Allies, the Deans, the Tuckers, the Logans, the Justins. It was very obvious from the beginning that it wasn't just these romantic storylines that we're following. It is this group and this core ensemble and how formative any kind of relationship in college is to people's lives.

Belmont and I, we were reading with everybody. He was reading with the hockey team. I had just been reading with Mika [Abdalla] and a bunch of different girls up for Allie. I read with a few different Garretts when we were doing the audition process, but when Belmont came in and we did our scene, it was the scene in the weight room—Hannah and Garrett's first kiss scene. We didn't kiss in the actual chemistry read, but definitely, the energy changed. He is perfect for this role. I felt really good about the energy that we were creating, and you just pray and hope that the people casting feel the same. I'm really so lucky and grateful that they did. We hit it off from the very beginning, which made everything so easy.

I love that it was like a speed-dating audition process.

That's a perfect way to describe it. It was insane.

Did you and Cameli get to spend time together before filming to build on that natural chemistry and friendship?

There wasn't much time before we started production. We got each other's numbers, but I don't live in the States, so it was not easy for all of us to meet up beforehand. But we all met up in Vancouver, and it felt super organic straight away. … The first time we all went out as a cast, Belmont and I spoke for like five hours and talked about everything ever that we had gone through. We know each other really well, and that was such a fun experience because we left everything out on the table to build these pillars for creating this story between the two characters. Honestly, there wasn't one day I didn't spend in that whole filming process that I didn't see at least one of [the cast members]. Even on the weekends, we spent almost every day together, and we had so much bonding time and really enjoyed each other's company, which is so much more than you can ask for on a set like this, especially with such a large ensemble. It really felt like lightning in a bottle in many ways.

How was it working with Cameli on the more intimate scenes?

It became very easy because we were so connected right away that we were able to trust each other so much and give each other that space to be super vulnerable. What was so important to all of us and the team who created this, who wrote this amazing show, was that those sex scenes are very character driven and very story driven and so important to the story that we're telling. It couldn't really be done without it, and therefore, we had a lot of important conversations and helped drive that forward. We were able to talk so openly and honestly with each other about everything. We had an intimacy coordinator on set with us at all points. Our directors were so involved, and we just wanted to make sure that the sets were so comfortable. It felt like a very safe space to express anything, and it actually made the whole process so easy.

In what ways could you relate to Hannah?

I definitely relate to Hannah in so many ways. I think that's what really connected me to the character immediately. She is super quirky and fun, and she's nutty but owns it. She's very confident in the fact that that's just who she is, and I love that about her. We definitely share differences, though, in her musical ability. I had to undergo a lot of training to get to somewhat of her level.

For me, I was about to go to college, and then I got this part in this whirlwind experience, and I didn't get the opportunity to go. But I do feel I got my college experience in a weird, fun, and way cooler way than I could have ever imagined.

What initially jumped out to you about Hannah that was important to bring to your performance?

The thing I will always remember is the first tape I sent in. … During the audition process I just read a synopsis and only parts of the book, and then I read the book after I had gotten the call. I played her at first very unsure of herself and more into her insecurity around Justin. She was a bit shier. The advice that I got was that Hannah is nutty, and she has a small group of friends who she trusts, and she is so confident in that. So then, I was like, "Okay, I understand her more, and now, I get to play with her sassiness," and I really loved that. I think my favorite part of the relationship between Garrett and Hannah is the banter that they have between them. Getting to really go there in some of those scenes was so fun. I think it's a new change from the books, especially in her characterization.

Were there any scenes or episodes that you were nervous to film?

There were so many vulnerable and daunting scenes throughout the whole process, but they were always taken with such care and made it such an easy and collaborative experience. But for me—because it was at the very end of the show and we didn't actually get the scripts for the later episodes until about halfway through the process—it was the pop showcase. I wanted to get that right. It's in the books, and I was like, "Oh my goodness, I don't know what song we're gonna do." It was written by Amy Allen, which was so freaking cool because she's the greatest of the great, and it was so awesome to be able to perform her song. And for Hannah, it's a very cathartic experience. It ended up being okay, but it was definitely something I was nervous about.

Are you really playing piano and guitar in the show?

I learned piano and guitar. I had an amazing teacher called Michael, and we were very stubborn about the fact that we didn't want any hand doubles for the scenes. I'm so happy that he trusted me to be able to give me the space to learn all of these pieces and to sing basically. It was a fun training experience.

Any word on season 2?

We haven't even read any scripts from season 2 at the moment, so I'm excited just as much as anyone, honestly.

What were the romantic dramas that raised you?

I grew up with all the… They're not really romances. Maybe that's not the genre but all of the Disney Channel shows I grew up with and Nickelodeon. I feel like it reflects Off Campus in a way because there are those romantic arcs, but it's also just about those formative years of school—high school and college—and how it really does affect your character in such a way. The romances but also the friendships. So Victorious and iCarly and Jessie, all of those ones definitely raised me.

You're only 19 and have so much ahead of you. What are you itching to do next? How do you look at your career beyond this project?

I love my job so much. I feel so much gratitude that I'm in this position. This is so new to me, all of this. We're on the press tour right now, and I've never done any of this before, so I'm still learning. I would love to explore other genres, like action, and I love a psychological thriller and horror. That's my kind of thing. I'm a huge theater kid as well, so that's also really exciting to me. But just meeting new characters and keep getting to do this job would be more than a dream come true. I hope people enjoy this season.

Off Campus premieres on Prime Video on May 13.

Photographer: Zackery Michael
Stylist: Laura Spriet Brown
Makeup Artist: Mia Jones Siegel
Hairstylist: Lona Vigi

Nate Archibald will always have our hearts, but The Deep, an aquatic superhero who can communicate with sea animals, is a Chace Crawford character we hate to part with. If you are not familiar, we're talking about The Boys—the subversive, satirical dark comedy about a group of vigilantes hell-bent on taking down a group of corrupt superheroes—and its obtuse, cringe-inducing antagonist who has become a fan favorite thanks to Crawford's comedic chops. After five critically acclaimed, incredibly gory, and uncomfortably topical seasons, the Prime Video series is coming to an end in typical brutal fashion. While the timing feels right in the larger sense, some goodbyes are harder than others.

"I guess I could say, selfishly, I feel unsatisfied because I could keep telling more stories about The Deep," Chace Crawford tells us of the show's ending over Zoom from his Los Angeles home. We suggest a prequel series, because we're dying to know The Deep's origin story, while he muses over putting him in some kind of half-hour comedy. Amazon and Eric Kripke, we hope you're reading this.

Since leaving the halls of Gossip Girl's Constance Billard, Crawford has zigged and zagged his way through gritty dramas and dark comedies, showcasing his range beyond the "teen golden boy" image. With The Deep, a career-defining role, Crawford's character work is impeccable. He fully commits to the comedic beats of the show no matter how bizarre they may be and acts as a perfect foil to the unruly Homelander. But even as he closes the chapter on a show that changed the game for him, Crawford has much to look forward to, starting with the summer comedy Super Troopers 3 and, later, Dan Fogelman's NFL drama The Land.

You have experience being on a long-running show with Gossip Girl, but how does it feel to be closing this particular chapter in your career, ending The Boys?

You can never really fully prepare for it. I thought I was more prepared after Gossip Girl. … After that, I was devastated because it was New York, and it was like my identity in the city is no more. It was this machinery of the show, seeing the driver and the hair and makeup people every day. You forget how much that means to you until it's gone, so I knew to appreciate that a little more, but still, I literally remember sitting here, probably doing interviews [for The Boys] in 2020 during the pandemic, thinking it just felt so far away. And now, it's here.

I think my last day was July 4 last year. I remember coming down the stairs, and everyone was clapping, and I just lost it. It's rarefied air to have a hit on TV—or with anything really—these days. It feels like they gotta land the plane and tell the story and wrap it up. You can't just keep telling these jokes for the rest of your life, but at the same time, showing up as The Deep every day in that suit [and] getting to work with Antony Starr as Homelander, I knew it would never be like that again, the fun and weirdness. It'll never be a show like The Boys. It's definitely one of the greatest shows ever.

What a luxury to end a show like this on your own terms. Do you feel satisfied with the five seasons and how it wraps up, especially with The Deep?

I feel very satisfied. I guess I could say, selfishly, I feel unsatisfied because I could keep telling more stories about The Deep, like a prequel or in between seasons. We've talked about it. I had one good pitch—this idea of The Deep in a half-hour comedy like Barry, something with three main characters. Or like Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood with his stuntman, something ridiculous. Selfishly, I'm like, "We could still have fun because people love it." It's fun to be a part of the conversation. Fame is whatever, but people recognizing your work for a really fun character is really a sweet thing. I'm gonna miss making people laugh through this show.

Yes, I want a The Deep origin story. I want to know where this guy came from. I think there's a spin-off to be had here.

It could be really fun. I'll have to cook on that for a minute.

The amazing part about getting to work on a show over multiple seasons is you get to grow and evolve with your character. What has been your favorite aspect of that with The Deep?

My favorite aspect of that with The Deep was getting to go dark a little bit. Evan Goldberg texted me. I can't remember. Maybe it was season 4. He was like, "Finally, we get to see The Deep go dark." [The Deep] really became a sycophant for Homelander and was doing his [dirty work]. To be honest, I loved every season's arc. Even season 2 with the church and doing the mushroom-trip tea, all that was so fun. I'm gonna miss that, opening scripts like, "What the hell are they gonna do this year?" That was the best. More so in the early seasons, we felt like it was summer camp because it was literally summer, and it was just a great time up there. Shooting the show in Toronto was a very special thing.

You have to expect the unexpected with The Boys. Were there any moments that felt wild reading it and that made you say, "Are we really gonna do this?!"

Yeah. The main one was… I think it was season 3. It was the gigantic penis and the guy walking into it. That's when I was like, "Have we jumped the shark?" It's just so funny that they write that stuff. The opening to that episode in the season was like a weird opening to a Bond action film.

And maybe second to that was Lucy the whale. I literally thought we'd jumped the shark with that, and it turned out to be so funny. Riding Lucy and [the boys] slamming into it and killing her was just so insane. I'm going to miss all of that.

This character really allowed you to flex your comedic muscles. Talk to me about developing The Deep and how much freedom you had with this character in terms of bringing your own ideas.

Well, first of all, [Eric] Kripke said to me, because I would really push, he was like, "It's way funnier if you just say the line." He always tried to keep it grounded, but I would push, and he was usually right every time. I think Antony was worried about how I was going to play it. He was worried I was going to try and be the alpha in the scene, like the actor who's trying to win the scene. And I was like, "No, not at all. I get the character." One of the first times was I'm behind [Homelander] as his lieutenant. I found the chest, and he's like, "And what is it made of?" And I'm like, "Zinc, Homelander." And we made this pause after [Homelander] asks this question, and then I'm like, "Zinc." My girlfriend just showed it to me, but people thought I forgot the line. We put that pause in there. That was this moment where me and Antony worked out that was so funny, and we realized, "Okay, we can work together. This is gonna be great." It was always doing those little things.

Antony was the master of really directing himself and driving his performance in scenes. It was really fun to watch him. There was definitely a lot of freedom. After a minute, it was like, do whatever you want in the blocking, and it was so much more freeing than a Gossip Girl–type situation when that was what it was. It was its own thing, and there wasn't enough time on that show. But this one, there was a lot of freedom to choreograph it the way you want. After a while, I was just putting on that suit, just feeling it, and he really came to life. Even if I had no lines, I could be doing something stupid in the background.

There are so many great actors on this show. Was there someone who always made you break in a scene?

Oh, God. I never really worked with the boys. Antony and I would sometimes get the giggle fits. He'd be like grabbing me and rubbing my Adam's apple so weird and creepy, and I would just lose it. And there were a few times, either early mornings or late nights, where everyone's waiting on you, but then you get the laugh. That's what I'm going to miss the most is working like that with him and those guys. Nathan [Mitchell] was also funny because he was Black Noir, and he wouldn't say anything. He's actually asleep in the chair, and I was dying laughing.

I spoke with Colby Minifie a couple weeks ago, and she was talking about how they had to stop putting you and her in scenes together because you would just pitch them all these crazy ideas for your characters.

Oh yeah, we had a moment where we would dovetail our characters, and I think it became too much, like Smokey [and] the Bandit or Tweedledee, but it was so much fun. She is one that could be a part of [The Deep's] spin-off. We could do our own thing. Colby is so talented. I think she was only a couple episodes in, and they're like, "Oh, we're keeping her" because she was so good. She was one we would always break as well.

How do you think you have changed as an actor since beginning The Boys?

I just felt more comfortable in my skin on camera having this permission to show range and to try things, and I never felt that before. There is a confidence after the first season and even season 2, where it keeps getting bigger, and you feel like you own this character and this role now and people are responding to it. There's this tremendous freedom and responsibility that you feel. It really afforded me so much personally on a confidence level. After Gossip Girl, it was the perfect thing to rattle the cage and shake things up. At the early stages, to have people within the industry really watching it and having that peer response, that was honestly pretty validating. It was just a different thing having a reaction from these people who you look up to, and it's like, "Wow, cool. They're clocking it. They can see this thing." It gave me permission to trust my instincts a little bit.

After wrapping a project like The Boys, did you find yourself wanting to do more of the same, or did you run in the opposite direction?

I found myself really wanting to do more comedy. I grew up on shows like Eastbound & Down, these comedies they don't really do anymore. There wasn't anything like that, and my God, it's just so much fun. Not that I've done that at all, but I found myself even wanting to do a gritty rom-com. But then again, the thing that scares me is going back against The Deep and playing a real adult in a serious project, like a lawyer or something dramatic. Switching a hard gear into The Land, the football show we're doing, it was playing an adult again, and it actually took a minute to recalibrate what that looked like. It was really interesting, and it was scary at first, but it was a great thing to transition into, to be able to have these really serious scenes with Bill Macy. So that scared me, to be honest.

But I want to do comedy so badly and still play that dry, comedic stuff. There's something refreshing when actors aren't self-conscious. They don't care how they look. There's something freeing about someone who's willing to make fun of themselves in a way, and I really enjoyed that, making fun of this guy and also the heartbreaking stuff. It had everything.

What can you tell me about your new show, The Land?

It was a hard gearshift. Coming in on day one, it's a whole new crew and a whole new cast, and it's going to take a while to get to know everyone again. It was really interesting. I can't speak highly enough of all the actors on it. I had a lot of work with Mandy Moore, Chloe Bennet, and Chris Meloni, who plays the coach. He's phenomenal. And Bill Macy, all my scenes were with those people. I've seen the first few episodes, and the show is really fantastic. I come from a football background. I am such a fan of the NFL, and it was amazing to dig into these real scenes. Mandy's bringing it every day, and she's on it, and it was just a nice way of working. Again, it was a tonal gearshift from what I was doing. That experience was so overwhelmingly amazing. I hope we get more [seasons].

You talk about that gearshift. How does that look for you in terms of prep, trying to get into the mindset of The Deep versus the mindset of your character on The Land. Do those look very different?

A lot of it, for me, is the clothes and feeling the body—going into the body first and the way you move. He's the GM of the team, right, so you have to carry that in first. That's a certain type of adult compared to The Deep, who is still basically a boy in some sense. There's a different confidence and a different kind of swagger, and I think a lot of it was the clothes and the eye contact and the way your energy is physically to someone.

I do a thing where I really know exactly the beats of the scenes for the week. With TV, you really have to be on it, like on the lines, and know what you want to do and almost overprepare. When curveballs happen—choreography or the actors doing something you didn't expect—you need to just be on top of it so you can adjust on the fly and still be free and open without having to reach for the line. It was just fun working with Mandy on certain scenes on the day and finding something different that you didn't really expect. To do that, you have to get to total freedom with the words. That was a different way of working than The Boys. With The Boys, it was playtime. The lines from The Deep just came out. I had to dig in a little bit more for this one, and I felt like I got to be on top of my game with these. If I deliver a monologue to William H. Macy, I knew I would be nervous on the day and had to have it. It was a lot of fun but a very different way of working.

You also have Super Troopers 3 out this summer. What did it mean for you to join such a beloved comedy franchise?

Oh my God, you have no idea. I got so many texts from my high school friends the second the news broke. They're like, "No way, man! I remember watching that at your parents' house like three times." I'll never forget the first time I saw it. We were with the golf team on some trip, and we saw it in the theater, and it was one of those seminal moviegoing moments.

The first day of filming, I pull up in this car. It's my character and his brother, and their squad cars are facing each other, but they turn and look at me in those aviators, and I just blanked. I forgot all my lines. It was such a surreal moment. They all looked the same essentially, and I literally forgot what I was talking about. Jay [Chandrasekhar] wrote me a really nice letter, and just to even be invited to come play with these guys on that level… These are SNL heavyweights and stand-up comedians and Lisa Gilroy. It was like, "Oh my God." It was because they were such fans of the show, The Boys, and that wouldn't have ever happened if they weren't fans of The Boys. They shot outside of Boston. It was beautiful early fall in September, and to go out there and play with those guys was a dream come true.

The Boys is now streaming on Prime Video.

Step into the universe of the coolest creatives in the fashion industry with our series My World, where readers will discover how the top stylists, designers, and tastemakers built their careers and get a peek into their favorite restaurants, beloved albums, fashion finds, etiquette rules they stand by, and so much more.

If you work in fashion, you might already know of Jenny Walton, or chances are you’ve seen a street style photo of her without even realizing it. Take one scroll through her Instagram, and you’ll immediately feel her sunshiny personality—a genuine candor (that's never cloying) that comes through on our call.

Since growing up in rural New Jersey and getting a BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design, Walton has been designing, illustrating, and writing and become known for her distinctive personal style—meticulously curating a dream wardrobe through hours on Vinted and The RealReal, sifting through vintage stores around the world, and dressing herself for fashion shows. This led to her becoming Vogue’s vintage shopping columnist.

Now, she has a book coming out on April 29, Jenny Sais Quoi: Adventures in Vintage & Personal Style, named after her Substack newsletter, which is currently available for preorder. Ahead of its release, we talk about everything from her closet and makeup bag to style icons like Georgia O’Keeffe, Diana Vreeland, Edith Sitwell, and Virginia Woolf; New York, Milan, and what’s next (California); and an assortment of her other all-time favorite things: Miuccia Prada, The Red Shoes (1948), caffè macchiatos, and her best vintage find yet, a fixer-upper in northern Tuscany.

Below, take a look into the world of the illustrator, designer, and writer.

How would you describe growing up in South Jersey?

Cornfields—randomly rural. I think most people in New York City think of Jersey and picture North Jersey, like Newark. The only thing we really enjoyed doing was going to this 24-hour diner nearby called Colonial, and that was the fun place to go late at night. But there really wasn’t too much else, and my mom was too afraid to drive into Philly, so we mostly stayed in New Jersey. But it was also really fun because there were a lot of vintage markets and yard sales. It was very suburban—going to Goodwill and the mall. So it was kind of simplistically nice in a way.

Can you talk me through your career trajectory?

I basically moved to New York when I was 18 to study fashion design at Parsons, and I ended up living there for about 15 years. I thought I'd be a designer or creative director—that was the plan. But then I was an assistant designer at Calypso St Barth for two years. It was a lot of it was emailing with factories and following up on samples, which I wasn’t that good at. I was always more obsessed with going to the flea market on the weekend to find a cool vintage sweater and bringing it in and saying, Can we remake this? I used to take this long subway ride—from the length of the G to the 7 train—because I lived in Park Slope and the office was in Queens, and I would just sketch for the whole hour to work and the hour home.

This was around 2014, when Instagram was really first taking off. So I would post a sketch at the end of the subway ride, and it was the early days where, if you were posting, you could actually gain traction pretty quickly. I got featured on a Discover page, and pretty soon editors and people were reaching out to me to illustrate. That’s when I went off on my own after two years, and I started traveling more. I began getting invited to shows. Over time, I started just by posting my illustrations, and then every once in a while I’d post wearing something vintage. People would say, Oh my God, I love that—where’d you get it? I realized I could document my life—whether it was traveling, vintage finds, or artwork I was working on—and people enjoyed following along.

There are so many people who are creative but might be in a job that doesn’t feel aligned, and they want to figure out a way to get out of it. What advice would you give them?

I think even though online it’s a lot more crowded now, if you have a distinct voice, you can still cut through. It happens all the time—there’s a new voice and you’re like, Oh, who is this person? But they’re so confident, and you really believe them. I guess my main advice is that you really just have to kind of jump, even though it’s horrifying.

My first illustration job—I remember they asked me how much I wanted to be paid. It was to live illustrate in a store in SoHo, and I said $700, because that was my rent. I quit my job based off that. My dad was like, What are you doing? What are you going to eat? You can’t just make your rent. And I was like, I’ll be fine. That's something that’s kind of nice about being younger—you’re a little bit naïve, so you’ll take those big jumps. Even when I was older—30 or 31—I moved to Italy after COVID, and that was also a big jump. I didn’t speak Italian. I moved there with an ex, and then we broke up, so it was like, Okay, I’m on my own—I have to sink or swim. And I ended up figuring out how to get a visa and staying. There were a lot of really hard moments, but it was always worth it to take that jump. You really start to believe in yourself when you fully commit to it.

Do you feel like there was anyone who instilled that sense of self-belief in you?

My friend recently told me, You know, you’re kind of delusional. I think my mother’s a very strong kind of woman. There's no convincing her. And I have two sisters. It was very important that we were incredibly independent and we went after what we wanted, and she never pushed us to study a certain thing, or that we needed to rely on a man or anything like that. So she really helped me be very independent.

Do you remember any formative memories of deciding to pursue fashion design?

My mother’s an amazing quilter, and I learned how to sew from her, so I was already making my own clothes in middle school. As dorky as this is, that’s when Project Runway was in its heyday. My dad’s not a fashion person at all. He would work late nights, but he would come home, and whatever night it came out, it was our bond. We loved that show, and we would watch it together. And I think that’s also where my obsession with Parsons came from. I already had these sewing skills, so I was like, Oh, I think I could actually do it. I think those early reality TV shows opened up this world to us.

Is there a piece of advice that stuck with you from your time at Parsons?

I had great teachers at Parsons, and they instilled in me the importance of hard work, and you can’t really get around putting in the hours. I have an essay about this in the book called "10,000 Hours of Style." I argue that you have to spend a lot of time doing it. Even an aesthetic choice tunes your eye, and I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of hours in vintage stores, looking through racks of things. Now I’m at the point where I can hold something up and I know exactly know how it will look on me—what I like and what I don’t like.

All of our main classes were six hours long at Parsons. I had a lot of great fashion illustration teachers. They really taught us this commitment to taking a lot of time, and there’s no kind of way around it. We were the only building in Parsons that was open until 2 a.m. because we would all stay so late.

I would love to talk about your book and how it came about.

An editor from Phaidon reached out to me two years ago and was like, I’d love to do a Jenny book. I’ve been following you for a long time. What could that be? And I was like, Oh my god, I don’t know. So it took a year of these two-hour-long Zooms we would do every week just talking about what would be fun, what would be cool. I felt like I was up against this thing of… there aren’t really that many good books about fashion or style. It’s really hard to apply rules to everyone, or say You should dress this way or This is the silhouette that looks good. And I say in the book, everybody is different. I grew up with another show, What Not to Wear, where it was really like, Oh, this is your style? It’s ugly. We’re throwing it in a trash can. I really didn’t want anything that felt like a guide, so I wanted to talk more from the perspective of how I found my style or things I’ve found helpful and hopefully inspire people through what I’ve learned but not necessarily tell them what to do.

Can you give a preview of more of the advice or ideas in the book?

I have another essay called "Off the Algorithm," about how you have to get off this thing that’s being fed to you because it’s being fed to a million people, and it’s too easy, too passive. You really need to go into a vintage store—it could be an old bookstore or record store—or watch an old movie. It takes time. I have another one called "Flow State Fashion," all about how you should make a mess—pull out all your stuff and start putting together weird combos, put on music, have fun with it. The beginning is awkward, and you’ll make combinations you’ve done a million times or feel boring, but as you go, you get into a flow state, and then exciting things happen. Another main takeaway, and why I named it Jenny Sais Quoi, is that I use vintage as a special little touch. Whether it’s a new Toteme blouse or a pair of jeans, then you have a cute little vintage belt or a vintage silk scarf, even your grandmother’s ring—it can be that simple, but those little things take your style to a whole new stratosphere and make it unique to you; something nobody can copy.

You have an incredible vintage collection. I know it probably changes, but what is your most prized piece in your collection right now?

I’m obsessed with a very, very bright blue, and there is this 1950s cardigan that I found on Etsy years ago. It’s just in this acrylic kind of wool, not too scratchy, but you just don’t see sweaters this bright. It's the same kind of blue that I hand-painted the [book] cover. So many minimalist brands now rarely go for color, which is frustrating because with Toteme or The Row, I want to see their color choices. The Row just showed a beautiful blue and white long dress at its last show, which was nice. I want to see people take more chances. Even last year, a pop of red was the It color, and it’s like, Okay, for everybody?

People always talk about style words. Do you have ones you identify with?

I hate the defining your style—although it’s a very lovely idea, and I see why it's very tempting—but it feels so reductive. People often ask, What is your style? And, of course, I could say vintage-inspired or classic with a twist or colorful. There are all these adjectives. Thinking in a world where it’s already so reductive, everyone’s style is becoming more and more similar, then also being like, Okay, how can I define it in a few words? feels to me limiting, but I’m slightly a rebel so…

Do you have style icons?

Honestly, I realized as I was writing the book, so many of them are artists, which is really interesting. There’s a great book by Charlie Porter called What Artists Wear. Diana Vreeland, incredible dresser. Edith Sitwell, really interesting. Virginia Woolf, also Georgia O’Keeffe. There are a lot of artists who had incredible style and designers too. Miuccia Prada has probably our current-day best style. Although, I’m obviously very biased.

Why do you think you gravitate toward Miuccia Prada?

She helms one of the most fascinating brands everyone’s dying to see every season. And yet, even the most anticipated moment of that show is when she takes the bow at the end. For me, it’s like, What is she going to be wearing? I think this is what makes personal style so interesting. It’s why everyone’s obsessed with Carolyn Bessette Kennedy—trying to replicate someone whose personal life is elusive. What you wear gives a glimpse of what might be going on behind the scenes, and so it’s much more fascinating than a model who’s been styled. Personal style actually embodies something that’s going on behind the scenes.

All of her references—whether it's an old film from the ’60s or these five different books she’s reading about women’s role in society—she’s questioning that as much as she can while still running her global fashion brand, and it’s really fascinating. She just has a great eye as well. She has incredible antique jewelry. She has a really modern way of wearing really luxe items, like a beautiful pointed silk heel and then a gorgeous vintage diamond brooch, but she’ll put it on a very simple sweater, obviously Prada, but you could also find something aesthetically similar at J.Crew or Uniqlo. But she’s got these little touches. I think accessories are very, very helpful as well.

Obviously, there are a lot of people who have a minimalist style, with The Row being so popular and especially with Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Do you have any advice for people who gravitate toward that kind of style?

Even just a cute little knee-length skirt and a kitten heel. When you go online, so many people’s style looks so similar that it’s hard to tell them apart. They’re all getting the same resources, looking at the same things, shopping at the same places. So it could be going and looking through a family member’s wardrobe, and being like, Oh my god, I love that, and maybe they let you borrow something. That’s what’s really unique. It’s so clear when people are trusting their instincts and going searching in other places.

What’s something that you never wear and doesn’t really have a place in your wardrobe?

I never really wore sneakers outside of the gym. However, I love the soft sneaker trend of the past few years. The Loewe Ballet Runner. When that first came out five years ago, I was like, Oh my god, this is the softest—there’s just no structure to it. I still have those The Row mesh flats. I essentially love a shoe that’s basically not there, as much as possible. I don’t like big chunky, bulky sneakers or footwear in general, unless it’s very much a fashion thing, like Wedge Balloon heels—it has to be completely absurd. I did give in to a puffer jacket—a short black one for going to the dog park. It's a Uniqlo one that I’ve had for like five or six years.

What’s your process for vintage shopping?

It’s an addiction. This is why I have an old stone house in northern Tuscany that I’m restoring now. Because when fashion wasn’t enough, when late-night scrolling on Vinted and The RealReal wasn’t enough, I started going to local, small real estate websites in rural villages in Italy because I was like, Oh, I’m never gonna be able to buy a house in America. I’m a millennial—this is a dream that has tragically passed my generation—but in rural Italy, maybe. So I’m working on that now. That’s my best vintage find.

Are you loyal to a specific nail polish color?

It’s exactly the same as getting my hair done, which is just complete and sheer terror—color paralysis and cut paralysis. I can only really do my hair on a completely random walk, in Milan, at a place that’s 25 euros. I can’t plan it. When it comes to nails, I didn’t paint them at all for the last year or two—really never did anything. But I am so in love with Diana Vreeland and her style that all it takes is seeing one photo of her in her completely red living room on the Upper East Side with her long red nails. Then I go into the nail salon, but I’m horrified because they give you so many options. I basically try to go somewhere in that kind of Chinese red, a lacquered shade you sometimes see on furniture from the '60s. Sometimes I call it "spaghetti red," something with a little bit of orange in it, like a nice pomodoro sauce. I don’t like too dark; I don’t like too bright.

What are your most repurchased beauty products?

I’m obsessed with Fara Homidi—have you ever tried the lip compact? The color is perfect, and so is the liner. It’s so chic. Then there’s the lip liner that goes with it, the Smudge and Contour Lip Pencil. My favorite lip product of all time is the Glossier Generation G in Zip. It’s a little coral. I’ve had it since it came out, and nobody’s ever been able to touch this color.

For eyebrow pencil, I love Gucci Beauty. They have a waterproof pencil in Brown 04, and sometimes I also use Boy Brow. I also use a Gucci foundation in 210N, which is good for 24-hour wear. Recently, I became obsessed with these K18 hair treatments because I dyed my hair blonde, and my hairstylist in New York said my hair needed it. Any black eyeliner works for a cat eye, but right now I’m using the Glossier one. I also keep a Kiko pencil on hand—it’s a cheap makeup brand in Milan, but I always have one. Hermès makeup is amazing too, and everything’s refillable.

Is there anything that you learned that has forever impacted the way that you do makeup?

I mean, I have always done a cat eye, and I really like doing that. I remember asking a makeup artist how to know where the line should go, and they told me you should basically just extend the curve of your bottom eyelid and follow that line up. That’s how you get a cat eye because it’s so hard to know whether to go down or up. Sometimes I’m doing it, and I think, Am I living in the 1960s? Should I be doing this? But I paint a lot, so I really like painting things. It feels like a modern version of painting, in a way. It’s kind of fun, but stressful.

Where are you living now?

Actually, I just moved out of Milan. I’ve been renting in Milan the past few years, but my fiancé is from California, so we’re looking to find a place there. I moved my stuff from Milan to Tuscany, and the plan is for it to hopefully be at least livable in the next few months so I can spend the summer there because it’s two hours below Milan but only a half-hour from the sea.

What's one thing you like to do whenever you're in Pennsylvania where your parents live?

My number one thing is finding a vintage store—it could be clothing, it could be a bookstore. There's an amazing free library in the basement of this little library nearby parents in Pennsylvania, and I found the most incredible book there. It's called Plant Dreaming Deep by May Sarton. She's an amazing poet, but it's just a little book about how she bought this old farmhouse and restored it. I found it just at the time that I had just bought in Tuscany. There's this little vintage store called Pink Flamingos Vintage, and that's in Brookville, Pennsylvania, also near my parents. Those are the places I'm always wanting to go to, in addition to the cutest coffee shop I can find, especially in Europe. I have to find the cute café, and then I just sit there and bring my dogs.

What kind of dogs do you have?

I have two. I have a beagle, but she's the world's smallest beagle. She's eight kilograms, which is the limit for flying with them by some miracle, and then a wire haired dachshund.

Is there anything you always try to do when you're in New York City?

I always go to The Strand because I just love used books and finding old, strange books. There’s also a great bookstore in the East Village called Bonnie’s Cookbooks. She’s just this New Yorker who tells it like it is. It’s this walk-down-basement kind of store with all these old used cookbooks.

What about in California?

I’ve been spending some time in San Francisco because my fiancé’s family is from the Bay Area. It’s a fascinating city, and they have a lot of great vintage there. I’m really excited to explore California vintage more because there’s so much amazing mid-century stuff. It’s like in the later seasons of Mad Men, when they go to California and the wardrobe just pops off.

There’s a great vintage store called Relic Vintage there that I’ve completely fallen in love with—with a lot of things from the '50s and '60s. To live, I’m thinking more around Santa Barbara County or Ojai. My fiancé went to school there, and I never really spent much time in Santa Barbara, so we’ve been visiting more so I can get a better idea.

Is there an item that wherever you live, your home isn't complete without?

I have a collection of the little coffee cups—the little espresso and macchiato cups. I’ll go to a random little store or café, and if they have a cute cup, I’ll even go to the person and be like, Can I buy this? Please? I’ll give you 20 euros. Usually, the barista just slips it to me. When I’m in the U.S., if I have some of those with me, it makes me feel like my little Italian spirit is still with me.

What is a song that you currently have on repeat?

I love the new Harry Styles album. It’s so good. Track five is called "Taste Back," and it mentions Paris, so immediately you’re like, yes—croissants, Paris, the whole mood. I’m very tied to him because his last album came out four years ago, right when I moved to Milan. I was breaking up and had to stand on my own two feet, and my girlfriend was with me. Then, four years later, when Harry’s new album came out, she was helping me move out of Milan again. We always have this kind of tied feeling. We were checking on the house in Tuscany, picking out flooring, and then drove back along the coast the morning the album came out.

What are some of your favorite movies?

I watch a lot of old movies, especially when I’m painting—beautiful ones that inspire me and have incredible cinematography. One of my favorite movies to rewatch is The Red Shoes. It’s about a ballet dancer who loves her art so much it kind of drives her to insanity. It’s stunning—the set decoration, the costumes, and the Technicolor are just gorgeous. All the reds and blues are extra saturated; it’s very cinematic and so fun.

I also love the old Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, and Bette Davis movies with really strong women. Recently, I saw Hamnet. Here’s a beauty tip: Don’t wear mascara to see Hamnet. I wore mascara and cried nonstop for two hours because Jessie Buckley is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. I was jaw-on-the-floor amazed. The last film I saw that hit me that way was Perfect Days from Japan. I kept going back to watch it.

Are there any books that you would recommend?

I always go back to certain ones from high school that I just always reread, like The Great Gatsby. I have my old copy of it that I keep together with a ribbon because I was reading it on the beach in Portugal, and the pages were literally falling apart. I love Salinger as well because I’m just eternally an angsty teen inside my head. I like Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey.

Do you have a hot take?

Cold foam is just whipped cream. I’m not saying it’s bad—there’s no shade. It’s just that cold foam is basically a rebranding of whipped cream. I started going with my dad when he would go to Dunkin’ Donuts last year, and I was writing the book in Pennsylvania. He’d be like, Do you want cold foam? And I was like, What is that? It was whipped cream basically.

For me, the perfect drink is a café macchiato, taken at the bar. I put in a little dolcificante, which is like a tiny sugar pill that comes out of a dispenser in my house. It’s not the kind of fake sugar that causes cancer—or so Google tells me. I have it at the bar like four times a day. It’s quick, easy, fun, and a great way to learn Italian and see how people actually speak because you’re just hanging out at the bar. Italians have been drinking coffee like that for ages.

What’s something that living in Italy has imposed on you?

The best thing about living in Europe in general is the work culture. And this is coming from somebody who works for herself, by herself, walks her dogs, does whatever she wants. The fact that they take a long, nice lunch together—and they eat lunch together as an office—is amazing. They know how to be normal people, have fun conversations, be silly, and even have a glass of wine at lunch. When you do that, you can be more productive because you’re not going crazy, pulling your hair out, and super stressed.

The salad-at-your-desk culture—that’s nobody’s fault, but it’s just the culture we created—is psychotic. Italians have a really good work/life balance. People make fun of it, but it’s so much healthier. They take off the entire month of August. If you go to Milan in August, it’s legitimately scary—it’s a ghost town. Everyone goes to the sea, the mountains, Thailand—they travel. A lot of them are out of office by the end of July, and then they come back refreshed. The whole culture appreciates that. They’re much healthier this way. I really love that—I’ve learned a lot from it.

Is there a piece of advice you’re living by right now? Or, alternatively, the classic question of what advice would you give your younger self?

When you’re trusting your instincts and being true to yourself, you know when you’re kind of faking it to make somebody else happy or going into people-pleaser mode. I’ve done that, whether it’s been in relationships or working a job that didn’t feel right for me. And there was always that voice in the back of my head that was like, Is this… Jenny? That’s what I really wanted to show in the book as well—knowing yourself. I have another essay called "Mistakes Make Style" about how I hold my pen in a really weird way. In third grade, the teacher tried to rubber-band my hand to the pen to make me write "the right way." But all of these little quirks make you who you are, and they’re reflected in your style as well.

I have another essay called "Perfect as a Prison." I started off talking about how my dog, Aurora, the dachshund, is my favorite knitwear designer. I’ll go to bed wearing a sweater, get hot in the night, and take it off. Aurora went through a phase for months where she would chew holes in everything. It was so funny—like, you go into a Yohji or Comme des Garçons store and see a 1000-euro sweater with holes everywhere. There’s also an Italian idea that means "a little messed up." Style should be a little bit messed up—it shouldn’t be perfect—and that’s what makes it unique. Even Prada last season, all the cuffs were really stained, and people were like, Ah…! But those things make style unique. Leaning into what makes you unique is always the right way to go. That’s the advice I would give my younger self: Trust yourself, and know it will all work out, even if it’s scary.

It's rare that an actor gets to live and breathe a character for as long as Colby Minifie has with Ashley Barrett in Amazon's satirical superhero drama The Boys. For seven years, she has walked in the stylish stilettos of Vought International's deceptive publicist turned vice president, witnessing the perils that come with ascending the corporate ladder in a corrupt world run by dangerous supes (the name given to the show's superheroes) while trying to hold on to any remaining humanity she has left. To be able to grow and evolve with a character over five smartly written and carefully planned seasons is #actorgoals. That kind of time can have transformative effects on a person—as was the case for Minifie. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

"It doesn't feel like we've said goodbye yet," Minifie tells me over Zoom. Production wrapped on the show's final season last June, but there's still the finale event in L.A. next month, which will serve as the last hurrah for the cast and crew. Seated in front of a gorgeous wood shelving unit she built herself with her ceramic wares (more on those later) on display, the actress reminisces on the lifelong family she made on The Boys. Working away from home in Toronto and on a show that asks a lot of its actors will do that. Being covered in blood and goo all the time "is a bonding experience," she laughs.

When she first landed the project, Minifie couldn't have imagined the journey The Boys would take her on both professionally and personally. "First of all, just the fact that they gave me this chance feels really surreal and very special, and [it's] the kind of thing that all actors dream about," she says. What started out as a small recurring role ("Ashley gets fired in season 1—that was supposed to be her end," she says) evolved methodically into a "fan-favorite series regular" role, bringing with it a new sense of confidence for the New York City native. "There's an internal thing of even just feeling like you're worth somebody signing a contract with you for six years," she says. "I think it happened for me in the best way because I really felt like I belonged with this cast, like I earned it."

Ashley's continued and growing presence on the show over five seasons is no doubt a testament to Minifie's fantastic performance playing the morally complex Vought corporate climber. Ashley does awful things, yet glimpses of a real human being under a tough exterior keep you rooting for her. If only she could get out from underneath Homelander's oppressive thumb. "I think people connect to Ashley because they've all had a shitty boss," Minifie says. "We all have coping mechanisms with how to deal with that kind of stress. People root for her because they want her to find a way out of this because they want to find a way out for themselves. We're all in the rat race of capitalism."

By the end of season 4, Ashley is forced to make a decision. She can either leave Vought with her secrets and risk having Homelander find and kill her or take Compound V (a substance that gives humans superpowers) and stay with the devil she knows. Spoiler alert: She chooses the latter.

Ashley's superpower—which is finally revealed in episode 2 of season 5—is, well, humbling, to say the least.

Ashley gains telepathic powers by way of a sentient tumor on the back of her head, a second Ashley named Bashley who can read minds and acts as her moral compass, voicing the things Ashley is afraid to say out loud. As far as superpowers go, it's far from "cool."

"I think that superpower is so perfect for her. She is quite two-faced," Minifie says. "And she has this voice that has been trying to reach her from inside for so long. When they told me about Bashley, it was very exciting, especially getting the opportunity to explore who that is. We were talking about how it's kind of a Sliding Doors moment for Ashley. Bashly is the version of her that, if her mom hadn't died at 17, this is who she would have become. She needed a mother; she needed guidance. She needed somebody to ask her, 'Hey, are you okay?' She needed to know that somebody loved her. That person is who Bashley is, someone who's like her college-aged self—domestic and naïve about the way of the world but also has hope. It was so fun to get to play that side of her. I was trying all different kinds of voices and stuff to see who that person would be. I initially wanted her to sound like Fran Lebowitz."

When I ask Minifie if she feels the writers did right by Ashley in the end, she tells me the trajectory felt both proper and really satisfying: "I remember finishing reading the finale being like, 'Oh wow! Yeah, that's the end.'"

Looking back on the experience, Minifie isn't just walking away with a career-defining role under her belt. Working on The Boys also helped her find her voice on set; gave her a renewed relationship with her body and fashion thanks to costume designer Michael Ground, who she tells me literally changed her life; and turned her onto a new side passion as a craftswoman. To settle her workhorse brain and pass the time between filming, Minifie took up ceramics, woodworking, and crocheting, hobbies she still partakes in today.

With this long chapter coming to a close, Minifie has her sights set firmly on a future where she's doing a bit of everything. She tells me she's eager to start producing and hints at a project she's got in the works but can't really talk about right now. She wants to do comedy. She wants to do drama. She wants to do something that is grounded in reality. But she is also open to a different kind of heightened material too. If she's learned anything from being in this business since the age of 12, it's to be open to wherever it might take you.

"I remember when I read The Boys. I was like, 'What's this superhero shit?' And look where we are," she says. "We just did the premiere in Rome, and it was the most epic thing, and I got to be there. Who the fuck am I to judge these things that come my way?"

There is no right answer for how to navigate this artistic endeavor for Minifie, but she tells me she is down for whatever writing turns her on. "I'll know it when I see it," she says.

Catch new episodes of The Boys every Wednesday on Prime Video.

Photographer: Emily Soto
Stylist: Morgan Greer Lipsiner
Hairstylist: María Pélo
Makeup Artist: Aya Tariq

Khloé Kardashian understands the power of a good hair product. She's been in the public eye since Keeping Up With the Kardashians premiered in 2007. (Back then, she would spend $25 on weekly blowouts at the walk-in hair salon across the street from the West Hollywood Dash store.) Since then, she's experimented with countless hair looks—blonde, brunette, straight, curly, long, short, and everything in between. She's had her hair styled for premieres, red carpets, and all kinds of appearances. She's worn extensions, let her strands soak in hair dye, and dealt with damage. Through it all, she's relied on the same brand to care for her hair at home: It's a 10.

The brand's recognizable bottles have stood on shelves since 2006. Founder and CEO Carolyn Aronson created the brand based on her expertise as a professional hairstylist. This year, the brand is celebrating its 20th anniversary, launching a packaging rebrand (coming in summer 2026), and naming Kardashian as its first global ambassador. Aronson calls it a natural choice, and Kardashian calls it kismet. Whatever it is, I was lucky enough to speak to Kardashian about the partnership, her haircare routine, and the ever-changing aesthetics she's embraced throughout the years. Ahead, read the exclusive interview.

"I get offers to do things quite often," Kardashian says. "I like to keep things that make sense and that I can talk about from the heart and not necessarily have to memorize something. When It's a 10 Haircare came to me, I was like, 'I love this product.' I use it on [my daughter] True." In fact, she says it's always been in her beauty cabinet. "If you came over and you opened it up, you'd see I've been using some of their products for years and years," she says.

Aronson agrees that it was a natural, almost obvious choice to enlist Kardashian as her brand's first-ever global ambassador. "I think Khloé has evolved just as It's a 10 Haircare has evolved," she says. She notes that the Kardashians are about to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original show, which, I admit, seems like a fateful parallel between the brand and its new ambassador. "It's a 10 Haircare is the people's brand. It's for you, by you," Aronson continues. "It's prestige for the masses. To me, that's what Khloé and the Kardashians are about as well. We're all evolving. We're 20 years old, but I really feel like we're just beginning."

Kardashian says the brand played an important role in her hair journey long before her global ambassadorship was on the table. "My natural texture is curly," she says. "Curly hair has always been something that I've had to learn how to manage because no one in my family really had curly hair. With that, I've probably put my hair through more damage than the rest of my siblings because I did so many experimental things. We also do so much glam, and [the hairstylists] are really good at it, but learning how to keep the integrity and strength of your hair and use products that are actually supporting it makes such a key difference."

While it's easy to assume celebrities only use the most expensive beauty products, Kardashian says that's not accurate—at least not for her. She's proud to use affordable products and isn't one to shy away from a DIY beauty treatment. "If I want to do a conditioning mask, it can be something like mayonnaise, honey, or eggs," she says. "It doesn't have to always be expensive. The price doesn't matter as much as the performance does, and [It's a 10's] performance, the 20-year history, the endless reviews you're going to see, those don't lie."

She cites Instagram and TikTok as proof that price and performance aren't mutually exclusive. "What I love about Instagram and TikTok sleuths these days is that they will take a very expensive brand, and they will discover that it's owned by the same, less-expensive brand," she says. "Or they'll tell you all the ingredients and be like, 'If you don't want to spend $120 on a conditioner, the same formula is available in this less-expensive option.' It's so silly. It's PR and branding. So yeah, one more time: Price doesn't really matter."

When she's off duty and out of the glam chair, Kardashian says she's leaving her hair alone and away from heat in a bid to keep it healthy. "I love not touching it, washing it, any of that. When I don't have my extensions in, like when my hair is my short bob, I love putting conditioner treatments in it, slicking it back, wearing a bun or a beanie or whatever, and just letting it hydrate and relax. I feel like we are constantly doing so much. It could be body, hair, face, whatever. It's sometimes good just to chill and keep it simple," she says. When I ask what product she reaches for on these days, she's quick to answer: It's a 10's Miracle Leave-In Product. "That's the one that my stylists were using, and that's the first one that I've ever used. And now, I use that on my daughter, True. I love that it works for all different hair types and textures. It detangles, smooths, protects from heat, and all that kind of stuff. It's been a product that's always in my bathroom drawer," she explains.

The Miracle Leave-In Product is the brand's best-selling product. Aronson tells me she now offers a whopping 11 variations of it, and each one is distilled with her 43 years of professional hairstyling experience. "When I stood behind the chair, there were certain products that I called golden formulas. Twenty, 30, 40 years later, they're still hot, and people try to duplicate them, but they're still the best," she says. "No one can knock them off their pedestal. That's what the Miracle Leave-In is. At the time, I was looking for something that could do multiple things in one bottle. As hairdressers, we would concoct. We would layer. One bottle wouldn't do it all. I wanted it to do it all, and I really believe it does. It brings amazing body to your hair, detangles, boosts shine—so many attributes. It brings your hair to a condition where you feel like you just walked out of the salon, no matter what. The initial mindset was to create an extremely multifunctional product that would create this full-of-life, healthy head of hair. With healthy hair, you can do anything."

Kardashian agrees. She tells me she's focusing on improving and maintaining hair health after years of undergoing harsh styling, treatments, and color switch-ups. When I ask how her aesthetic has changed since 2006, she laughs. "In 2006, I was going to Fantastic Sams for a blowout once a week," she says. "I know that because, my first season of Keeping Up [With the Kardashians], that's what I did. It was across the street from Dash, and it was all I could do, a weekly blowout for 25 bucks. It was great."

I ask her to cut to 10 years later and describe her 2016 aesthetic. She reminisces about the on-trend hair color of the time. "I might be a year or two off, but I think I'm accurate. I was big into the ombré hair," she says. "I'm almost positive. I loved it. Everyone was into that."

Now, in 2026, Kardashian isn't going to stop embracing change or experimenting with her hair. "I'm not afraid of being a chameleon," she says. "I love that I go from short to long to slicked to a bouncy blowout to curly, and I love that no one really blinks twice at me because they're so used to me being versatile. That makes me happy and proud all at the same time."

Shop Khloé Kardashian's Favorite It's a 10 Haircare Products

Welcome to The Glowdown, the series where we dive into the beauty secrets of our favourite celebrities as they get real about their routines and non-negotiables exclusively with us. Join them as they sit in our beauty hot seat, and we fire off a round of quick questions, giving you never-before-shared insight into the products they can't live without, their secrets to getting red carpet–ready, beauty pet peeves and the genius tips they've picked up along the way. This is no-holds-barred beauty at its finest.

This month, we sat down with Georgia May and Lizzy Jagger. The models and sisters have just been named Jo Malone London's global English Pear ambassadors, with a campaign centered around sisterhood. We were desperate to know all their beauty secrets, so keep on scrolling for fragrance recommendations, makeup hacks and the affordable hair product they can't live without...

1. Which beauty product gives you the biggest mood boost?
Lizzy Jagger: Fragrance, for sure.

Georgia May Jagger: I feel like putting on fragrance is the last thing you do when you’re going on a night out, to make you feel like you’ve finished your hair, makeup and dress.

2. If you could steal someone else’s makeup bag, whose would it be?
GMJ: I feel like I would steal Emily Wood’s makeup bag, because I bet she has so many fun glitters and colours. I would just like to have a look at it.

LJ: I quite fancy seeing Val Garland’s [makeup bag]. I think stealing a makeup artist's makeup bag would be the most rewarding!

3. You’ve got a spot. Are you team pop it or team leave it alone?
GMJ: I think we’re both team pop it.

LJ: I’m heavily team pop it. I’ll pop it for anyone!

4. You only have one product to use for the rest of your life—what is it? GMJ: Moisturiser or lip balm.

LJ: The May Botanicals Super Balm.

5. What’s the best piece of beauty advice that you have ever taken from one another?
GMJ: I feel like Lizzy is very good at giving herself an amazing facial before a modelling job. She instilled that in me.

LJ: Georgia’s got me further into masks by making her own out of kelp. I feel like a mermaid every time I take one off. You’re just glowing.

6. What's your signature fragrance?
LJ: Jo Malone London English Pear & Sweet Pea is my signature fragrance. I like a light fragrance in the day that I can then layer with something a bit deeper, like rose.

GMJ: Mine is Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia. I love that it’s very fresh and smells like spring.

7. Strong lip or a strong eye?
GMJ: A strong lip. I think we’re both on the strong lip. It’s just easier. We were talking a lot about how we do our makeup in the car, so it’s easier to do it on the go.

8. You’re having your nails done. What’s your go-to colour?
LJ: Either jungle red or emerald green.

GMJ: At the moment, I’ve been going for very sheer glitter nails, sort of early 2000s. I want anything sparkly and iridescent.

9. What's your beauty philosophy in a sentence?
GMJ: I feel like it’s about not taking yourself too seriously on the outside and not trying to compare yourself to others. I feel like we live in a real comparison culture. Try to embrace the individual things that you like about yourself.

LJ: With makeup, especially at night, more is more!

10. What’s your biggest beauty no-no?
LJ: Shimmery bronzer for me. Too much iridescence on the skin.

GMJ: I struggle with eye shadow with no mascara. I know it’s trendy at the moment…

LJ: I agree with that one!

11. Candles, reed diffusers or nothing at all?
Both: Candles, for sure.

GMJ: I love the Jo Malone London Red Roses candle.

LJ: And the English Pear & Freesia candle.

12. Name one beauty product that is always in your handbag
GMJ: In my handbag, the May Botanicals Super Balm, for sure. Just because it’s multipurpose.

LJ: And me too!

GMJ: Also, I usually have a concealer as well. The Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer [Stick].

LJ: I always have a Charlotte Tilbury mascara in my handbag.

13. The greatest drugstore product for under £10?
GMJ: Bleach London Hair Elixir for split ends—it’s the best.

LJ: For both of us! I’m using like a quarter of a bottle a week!

GMJ: The No7 under-eye concealer pen from Boots is really good as well.

14. Describe your brows in one word
GMJ: I was going to say "undecided" because I’m always bleaching them or wanting them dark!

15. Your worst hairstyle (or hair moment) ever…
LJ: A wispy fringe when I was pre-teen. A wispy fringe on someone who has naturally curly hair is really high-maintenance.

GMJ: I like a lot of mine. I’m sure not everyone will agree with me because I’ve had a purple mullet [at one point]!

16. Makeup primer: love it or hate it?
LJ: I just got into it. I’m experimenting more with 40-plus makeup primer, like the line filler, the pore filler…

GMJ: I have never used makeup primer on myself. I am aware it’s a thing, and I’m sure that’s why when people do my makeup, it looks better, but I have got very into setting spray, which I’ve never used before.

17. Confession time: how often do you clean your makeup brushes?
LJ: Once every three months, and I know that’s not enough, but that’s about as [often] as I can remember.

GMJ: I’m quite guilty for not really using brushes and using my hands more, unless it’s eye shadow. In which case, rarely!

18. Which celebrity’s hair would you love to steal?
GMJ: I would say my mum, but I wish I could pull off a Drew Barrymore in the '90s, short bleached crop.

LJ: Oooh, me too! I wish I could do a little Linda Evangelista short hairdo, but I’m happy with my own hair.

19. Which era of beauty inspires you most?
GMJ: I quite like the '90s, where it’s like grunge, goth beauty, but it’s also glam as well.

LJ: I quite liked it in the '90s when it was the bare-skin look that took you an hour and a half. But I’m really inspired by the '20s, '30s and '70s (even though they’re quite inspired by the '20s and the '30s). That ethereal, glowing look that’s not afraid of a bright eye shadow.

20. Best beauty hack?
GMJ: I feel like there are so many. Using a hair dryer to warm your eyelash curlers is a thing I’ve seen.

LJ: And I’ll do that after I put my mascara on!

GMJ: I’ve never been able to do liquid eyeliner as well as our mum, but she does a thing where she puts her whole head on the side, and draws like that, and every time I see it, I’m like, I just don’t understand how you’re doing that, and it works!

LJ: One last hack. Beetroot juice instead of blusher. And rubbing chilli on your lips makes them bigger.

21. What do you do in your downtime to relax and reset?
GMJ: Spending time with my son and walking my dogs.

LJ: We love going to spas and getting massages. And we both really like a nice long bath.

Shop Georgia May and Lizzy Jagger's Favourite Beauty Products:

When Matt Owens told Emily Rudd he was going to bring One Piece, the best-selling Japanese manga series by Eiichiro Oda, to Netflix, her response was pure disbelief. "I was like, 'Whoa, that one?! That's the scariest one to make into a live-action,'" she tells me over Zoom from her Cape Town, South Africa, apartment, where she's currently filming the show's third season. Though Rudd has been an avid anime and manga consumer since her youth, One Piece was always her Everest. Starting anything with over 100 volumes published and 1155 episodes is, well, intimidating, to put it mildly. Watching the anime, let alone creating a live-action version, seemed like an impossible task to Rudd, but at Owens's behest, she finally pressed play on the series, changing her life forever.

To no one's surprise, One Piece is a massive success for Netflix, and for Rudd—who plays Nami, the fiercely independent, flame-haired navigator of the Straw Hat Crew—it has been a series of "pinch me" moments. As the highly anticipated second season racks up views (16.8 million in its first weekend, to be precise) and following all-star cast additions (including fan-favorite Chopper and David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3), production is already underway on season 3 with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Rudd, hardly recognizable without her orange wig and signature Nami blue-and-white baseball tee, joins our call after a full day of shooting to discuss Nami wardrobe Easter eggs, feeling seen by stylist Enrique Melendez, and the cinematic gold that is Treasure Planet.

How is life in Cape Town?

It's so good. This is my third season down here, so it feels very much like a second home. [During] season 1, it was brand-new, and we were going out and meeting locals and hiking Lion's Head. Last season, I was just wiped. I was like a full hermit, homebody. And now, we found a balance where I'm like, "What if I just live my normal life that I would live anywhere else?" I'm doing pottery on the weekends, and I go bouldering. There's a couple indoor bouldering gyms that I like to visit. I go to the local farmers market. It's very chill.

Since we did not get to chat for season 1, I want to take it back to the beginning for a moment. I read you were a fan of the original One Piece manga and anime series on which the show is based. How did you get introduced to One Piece originally?

I grew up watching anime. I have my older brother Daniel, and it was very little sister vibes. I would do whatever he did or watch whatever he watched, so we started watching anime. Pokemon was on all the time. Also Digimon, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball Z. So we were watching that together and stuck with it. One Piece is massive. It's extremely legendary. I think anybody who knows and watches anime or reads manga knows about One Piece, and usually, the major deterrent is that it's an extremely long manga and anime series. That was what was holding me back. I did Hunter x Hunter, and that's like six or seven seasons, so I was like, "Okay, I can do a long anime, but I don't know if I can do One Piece." And then I was introduced by our season 1 showrunner Matt Owens. We were connected via our mutual agency at the time, and they were like, "Hey, you guys are nerds. You should talk to each other."

He was like, "I'm gonna bring One Piece to Netflix," and I was like, "Whoa, that one? That's the scariest one to make into a live-action." He was like, "You should really watch it." And I was like, "Okay, I'll watch it." I loved it. It's an absolutely remarkable story. There's a reason why it's the longest-running anime and longest series. I got locked in, and then a handful of years later, they finally rolled out auditions, and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to audition. It was a couple months, and I was waiting, hoping, and then I got a call, and they were like, "You got it off of the one tape." I don't even know how many countries they searched. It was such a widespread audition. I'm very lucky to have had them say yes.

When you were watching the show, did you envision yourself as Nami specifically or any of the other characters?

I think it was Nami. It was our season 1, or the East Blue Saga in the anime and manga. Her moment where she asks for help was the moment that really locked me into the series. I remember seeing it for the first time and just crying. That moment, for me, was like, "Man, if I could have one shot, I would just like one shot at playing Nami."

Nami is a character that came quite naturally to you. In what ways could you connect with her early on?

Having the experience with the anime and manga and understanding the story as a whole. Usually, you get handed a script, and it's original, so you have to break it down. … What is the story? What is the character? Who are they? What's their background? Whereas, because of Oda's work, that's already given to us as actors, so you have all of this info already provided for you. Already knowing that, it was like, "Okay, I understand her. All I have to do is just show up and be that." And of course, you leave a little bit of room for play. That's the nature of translating something from animated manga to live-action. It's not going to be a one-to-one, and I'm my own person. With a lot of actors, there's always a little bit of them within the characters that they play. Our writers are so talented, and they really paid attention to the source material, and it just felt like on the page she was there, and I just had to say the words.

What do you remember about putting on her wig for the first time?

Season 1, we had a whole camera-test day, and it was our first time all being together in full costume. We were taking solo photos, and they're having us walk through some of the sets that they built to show the Netflix executives and Oda-Sensei this is how it's looking and this is the vibe that we're creating. I just remember putting the costume on and having the wig on and the makeup, and I [was] like, "I can't believe this is real." When I'm walking up to my trailer for the first time and it says "Nami" on the nameplate, I'm just like, "What is going on?!" It was such a "pinch me" moment, and I still have those. We're on season 3 now, and I don't think I'll ever stop pinching myself as long as I do this job.

Getting to play a character over multiple seasons means you get to grow and evolve with them. What has been your favorite aspect of that with Nami going from season 1 to season 2? And season 2 to 3 even?

There's a couple elements that I'm really excited about as far as growing with this character. With the live-action adaptation, I was able to play the hardships that she experienced in season 1 a little bit more forwardly than something that is animated does. She's very light and playful, and she doesn't really allude too much to what's going on in her personal life, whereas we wanted to have her be a little more standoffish and a little more reserved [in the show].

With season 2, it was really exciting to be able to be like, "Okay, she's with these people that she knows and loves and trusts, so she gets to relax. She gets to finally be herself." To have that growth was really fun, but also, as an actor and working with a lot of the same people (we work with basically the same crew, same production, everything like that), you have these people that you as an actor really trust and can really rely upon. And they feel the same way about you, so they're asking your opinion on things like, How do you feel about this costume, and are you okay with saying this, or do you want to say something a little bit different? I would start changing words around a little bit if it felt more comfortable or if it felt more Nami. There was just a lot more room for play across the board and just a mutual trust—not just within the characters and who they are on-screen but also between the cast and the crew and everyone who makes this show.

What character and/or actor were you most excited to see join the crew in season 2?

Obviously, Chopper is a huge fave, but I was absolutely bowled over when I was told that we got my now dear friend David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3. I was like, "What do you mean? We got him? How did we get David Dastmalchian?" He's an absolutely incredible actor. He's so good. He's so singular in everything that he does. Both of his kids are huge fans, and because they were fans, he became a fan too. We have so many people joining or that have joined for season 2 where it's like, "How do we get these people?" But that's the power of One Piece. It's beloved by so many people, and it's not always the people who are loud about it. A lot of people that have joined in season 2 and now season 3 are people who have always loved this story.

Visually, the show is so fun. Each of the characters has their own distinct style and look. What excited you about Nami's look in particular and working with the costume team to bring that to life?

Nami's looks are so iconic. She's the only girl in the crew, at least in season 1. In my day-to-day life, I don't dress very feminine. I often joke that I dress like a 12-year-old boy, which I love. But it was so fun to really lean into the feminine and to wear the miniskirts. She has so many iconic looks in the anime and manga, but also, our costume designer, Kerry-Anne [Barnard], pulled looks in from Color Walks or other drawings that Oda has made that are separate from the original source material. We get to not only have the looks that people are extremely familiar with but also these sleeper hits where people are pulling screen grabs or shots of the chapter drawings, and they're like, "Look, it's this look from here and from this chapter," and then they're piecing it all together. Nami is the fashion girl. She's serving the looks. All of the fashion for her is getting better and better.

It's so cool to have those Easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans. Are there any pieces you know fans were really excited about?

Kerry-Anne, our costume designer, did an interview and talked about me wearing the miniskirt in episode 2, where we had a lot of night shoots, and it was freezing cold. We already changed the tank top into a long-sleeve so I could wear a thermal underneath to try and keep my core temp up. But she was like, "What do you think about maybe changing into pants or something like that?" And I was like, "My queen. We cannot change this miniskirt. We have to keep this miniskirt." The fans love that. They want to see things that are manga and anime accurate.

Oh! The outfit that I wear in our final episode, it's the white T-shirt with the floral blue skirt. That's not in the anime or manga. That's a Color Walk look. I think I saw yesterday or the day before somebody on Twitter made the connection. It's really cool.

For season 2 press, you worked with Enrique Melendez for styling, who also works with Jenna Ortega. How did that partnership come about?

Oh man, Enrique is my king. I'm so happy to be working with him. I think he's one of the best at what he does. We had a meeting back in October maybe because there were some things that were happening the following month, and we were exploring working together. But we were doing stuff down here in Cape Town, so the logistics of it were a little wonky. I remember talking to my PR gals, Stephanie and Lauren, being like, "I really hope he is still keen to work with me because I just want to work with him so bad." And they're like, "He genuinely wants to work with you." When this press run came around, I was like, "We got to get Enrique. Is he available, please?" I think he's got an incredible eye. The work that he has done with all of his clients… You brought up Jenna as the best example. She has such a specific aesthetic, and you can really tell that he understands not just how she wants to look on the outside but also who she is on the inside. I think every look that she has is a window into a part of her. That was something that really drew me to him because… Maybe it's the actor in me. I'm desperate for people to just understand me.

Luckily, at our first fitting together, he pulled so many amazing pieces, and there was a pretty wide range. Honestly, the first look that we put on was the look that I ended up wearing to the Los Angeles premiere, and I was like, "Enrique, this is remarkable. This is the coolest look I've ever worn." By the third or fourth outfit that we tried on, he was like, "Okay, I get you." From there, it's just smooth sailing. He just gets it, and we vibed immediately, and I just feel so seen from him. If you're being seen by other people, you want to be dressed by somebody who sees you, and I really feel like he does that.

The response to the show is incredible. Did you feel a weight lifted off your shoulders going into season 2?

Yes and no. I think we were all really proud of the work that we did [with season 1], and we loved it. We knew that we did the best that we could do, and we honored the source material as best we could. There's still the pressure of like, Are fans gonna respond to it? Are they gonna absolutely wreck us? And they were so warm and welcoming. With season 2, it was like, "We've got the support of the fans, and we've had the support of Oda-Sensei from day one before any of us were signed on." It's really just like, Can we do it at least as good as season 1? Ideally, we do better, but once I read through all the scripts, I was like, "Oh, we're good." And it's the same with season 3. I think it's exponential at this point, which is really insane because this is not an easy project to do, and we have the best people working on it.

What can we expect from season 3?

Like I said, it's exponential. I think season 2 was better than season 1. I think season 3 is going to be better than season 2. It's going to be different. The vibe might be a little more grounded. We're not exploring as many islands as we did in season 2, but I think there's still a lot of that fun and that play and that wackiness that is so true to what One Piece is, but there's a lot of things that I think will resonate with people as far as what human beings are experiencing today in the world, in politics, in human experiences. It's going to be a fun way for people to explore their lives through this show in a way that they haven't in the last two seasons.

One Piece is this generation's beloved pirate action-adventure series. What were the pirate films that resonated with you growing up?

Everybody has to love Pirates of the Caribbean. You have to sit down and have a little marathon with them. I loved Muppet Treasure Island. I think it was so good. Treasure Planet? I know it's not your traditional pirate movie. I think that's one people sleep on. I've always been drawn to the adventurous spirit that pirates have, so I think it's cool that we get to play into that in a more unique way than we've seen in live-action.

Outside of One Piece, you have the film Whalefall later this year. What can you tell us about that project and what it meant to you to be a part of it?

I was lucky enough to be a part of Whalefall, which is written and directed by my friend Brian Duffield. We filmed a pilot together … around 2017, and we hadn't worked together since but obviously stayed in touch. He reached out to me in May of last year and said, "Hey, I've got this project I'm working on, and I think there's a role that you would be really good for." He sent me the script, and it's this story that is ultimately dealing with grief and the loss of a father. I had only a couple months prior lost my father, so it felt like the universe was handing me something to help me move forward through my grief. As I imagine most people do when you lose someone that you love so dearly, you're almost floundering, and it's like, How do I move on? How can I start to be okay?

To be given a role that allowed me to explore that in a way that my character in that film wasn't dealing with the loss in the same way that I was with my own loss, to step outside of it, and to see it in a new way and to work through it with these other incredible actors… I mean, Jane [Levy], Elisabeth [Shue], the girls were wonderful to work with. Austin [Abrams] and Josh [Brolin] were incredible too. I felt like I was just happy to be in the same room as them. It was a very special project, and I'm just so excited to see it. I'm excited for other people to see it. It's gonna be really cool and really unique. It's a very unique way to explore grief.

One Piece season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Photographer: Christian Högstedt
Stylist: Enrique Melendez
Hairstylist: Xavier Velasquez
Makeup Artist: Lisa Aharon
Manicurist: Natalie Minerva

English actress and comedian Charly Clive nearly took a break from acting, when she landed the gig of a lifetime: a starring role opposite her comedy hero Steve Carell in the new HBO series Rooster. "It was good timing," she laughs. Understatement of the year. In its first few days of streaming, Rooster became HBO's most-watched comedy series debut in over a decade.

Creators Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso and Shrinking) and Matt Tarses’s Rooster centers on the complicated relationship between a best-selling novelist and his art history professor daughter. When Greg Russo (Carell) arrives on the Ludlow College campus to visit his daughter Katie (Clive), he finds her life has been upended after her husband, Archie (Phil Dunster), leaves her for a younger woman. With Greg still recovering from his own marriage fallout, an opportunity presents itself to stay in town and help each other regain their footing. This charming Sunday-night comedy is high on laughs, coupled with a lot of heart and truly stellar performances, especially from breakout Clive.

Clive grew up in the UK before moving to New York City to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. When she was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 23, she, along with her comedy writing partner, Ellen Robertson, turned her experience into a sold-out comedy stage show called Britney. That said, Rooster marks Clive's biggest U.S. screen project to date. With Carell's stamp of approval, she beat out a half-dozen actresses for the coveted role of Katie. And not a moment too soon either.

We caught up with Clive, a self-proclaimed vintage enthusiast, to talk about meeting her acting heroes, going toe to toe with Carell, and choosing to go exclusively secondhand for her press tour looks.

Tell me the story about how you got this part.

To me, it feels like a crazy one. I hadn't worked for a couple of years. It had been a bit of a dry spell. We had the pandemic and the slowness of the industry after that. I said to my agent in January of 2024, "I love acting. It's the thing I want to do most in my life. But I'm also a writer. I also do comedy. I have other things I can do. I'm not sure how many more nos I can take. I might need a bit of a break from auditioning." And she was like, "Why don't we give it a year?" And in December 2024, I booked Rooster. It was good timing.

Basically, I got a tape request sent to my inbox, and at the time, it was called "Untitled Steve Carell Project." I was like, Well, Steve is my hero, so anything he does, I would like to be part of. I don't anticipate anyone will ever watch the tape, but I'll give it a go. A month after sending in my tape, I got a call from Bill Lawrence, and he said, "We'd love to see you on a Zoom with Steve. Would you like to do that?" And I said, "Yeah," and he goes, "Great, can you be ready in a couple of hours?" After that, I think we did like four more Zooms until finally we did our last chemistry read, which was actually at my friend's rehearsal dinner. I was supposed to be giving a speech, but I said, "I'm really sorry. I've got this quite important job interview." She made everybody at her rehearsal dinner speak in a low whisper so nobody would interrupt my call.

How do you even prepare for a call with Steve Carell with only a few hours' notice?

My initial reaction was “I got to tidy my room because the Zoom will reveal the background.” I was unprepared at the idea of meeting Steve Carell. When somebody offers you something like that (and this isn't even the role itself, but just the opportunity to get to act with Steve), I said yes before he finished the sentence. Because I just thought, If there's any world in which he could take this away at any opportunity, I don't want to give the option for that. It was about five minutes before the Zoom that my heart really started to race, and I thought, What will this be like? After it ended, I closed my laptop, I took a really deep breath, and I was like, If nothing else, I have just done a scene with Steve Carell. And that might be enough. The process kept going, and I was daring to dream. Then, finally, a couple of months later, I got the call to say that I was gonna be coming to L.A. and doing the show, and it was probably the best call of my life.

Where were you when you got that call?

I was at a Vampire Weekend concert in London. My phone rang, and I saw that it was a California number. I ran outside to take the call, and it was Matt Tarses, and Matt said, "Hey, Charly. I just want to say I'm really, really sorry." I immediately started to cry 'cause I thought I hadn't got the job. And he said, "I'm so sorry that this has taken such a long time, but we'd love to have you on the show if you would like to be part of it." I was like, "Matt, you're so bad at this." It felt like I was on a reality show, and they were trying to get a good TV response of just me alone at a Vampire Weekend concert. I went back inside, and my friends were like, thumbs up, thumbs down, and I gave them the thumbs up, and we had a very good night.

You have two absolute legends, Steve Carell and Connie Britton, playing your on-screen parents. What did getting to work with them mean to you and young Charly?

I love this question so much because you've included Connie, not just Steve, and obviously, Steve is the GOAT. I think Michael Scott was all of our uncles, right? We grew up, and we were like, “We know that guy. We love that guy.” For me, comedy is the love of my life, and, therefore, to work with somebody like Steve, a real legend in the game, was something beyond comprehension. I always thought, I hope I get to meet Steve Carell, but I didn't think one day I would know and love Steve Carell, or that one day, I will have Steve Carell's number if I ever need advice about something.

Connie Britton is a huge icon for me. Interestingly, my dad is a real comedy guy. I got introduced to comedy through my dad. It's nice because my dad and I used to watch The Office together, and my dad is obviously a huge fan of Steve's, and my mum is not super into comedy, but my mum is obsessed with Friday Night Lights. So I worked with my parents' heroes, and they were my parents, which was very exciting. Connie I was excited to meet for a variety of reasons. One, she has the most amazing hair in Hollywood. I've really followed her career. I was first introduced to her in Friday Night Lights, which was my favorite show for years. It was my rewatch show. And then when you look past that, and you see other things that she's done, the full gambit of American Horror Story, Nashville, she's been in the game for such a long time. I was very intimidated to meet her, but as soon as she comes on set, everybody relaxes because she's just a gorgeous, hilarious, Southern woman full of gossip.

The father-daughter relationship between Greg and Katie is the real anchor of the show. What really struck you about their dynamic, and were there any aspects of that particular relationship that felt close to home?

When I got the script, I read it, and I thought, God, I can't wait to watch this show. I couldn't believe I would be in it, but I couldn't wait to watch it because it really reminded me of the rapport I have with my dad in real life. What's lovely about it is that it's very nice and very refreshing to have the male lead be so encouraging of people talking about their feelings. And not just the women in his life. He makes himself the glue of the school. For Katie, she is trying desperately to not feel anything. She just wants the situation to be over, to be dealt with. She wants to go back to being a teacher. She wants to be somebody that people can admire. She wants to be taken seriously. I think that's almost her fatal flaw. She's so desperate to take herself seriously that she can't really appreciate any ridiculousness. That is, until Greg opens that window for her and encourages her to live life fully rather than live life for the approval of others. He's a character capable of immense vulnerability, and she is a character capable of immense grace and revenge. All of those traits combined is a recipe for a very, very interesting relationship. Bill, Matt, and Steve are all dads of adult daughters, and in the writing, you can really see the struggle of how to communicate hard stuff with your kid. How do you tell your daughter, as a father, that you will do anything for her and you want to be the person that she needs most, without being pushy, without trying to force her hands in any way, and without making her feel like a kid? The beauty of the script for me as a daughter was to read it and give my dad a bit of a break and be like, God, it must be really difficult. There's a brilliant Canadian comedian, Katherine Ryan, who said that having a daughter is like giving birth to your high school bully. She can recognize all your weaknesses, and she'll call them out. There's something really true about that. They both want to love each other as much as they possibly can, and they are each other's North Star. And sometimes you have to have really hard conversations with the people that you love. This show is a testament to how much trial and error goes into that, and you can't get it right the first time. And if you did get it right the first time, it wouldn't be a very funny show.

How was it going toe to toe with Steve as a scene partner? Did you get to improvise at all?

The script is absolutely fantastic in its own right. The writers on this show are phenomenal, and if you google any of their names, you'll see that everything that's made you laugh in the past 20 years is a result of their brilliance. I was expecting it to be militantly scripted, but that wasn't the case at all. Every scene that we did, at some point, Bill Lawrence or Matt Tarses or one of our brilliant directors would come in and say, "Okay, let's play around. Now let's try this. I got a few alternative lines for here. Maybe we can change the ending." It felt a little bit like devising a play. It was incredibly collaborative in a way I wasn't expecting and in a way I had to warm up to.

With regard to going toe to toe with Steve, I would say a real privilege I have is that I'm one of the few people who can tell the world that Steve is exactly the man that you want him to be. And as a scene partner, that is exactly the same. He is extremely generous. He's so funny, obviously, that goes without saying, but he really is a lover of comedy. He's never trying to be the one with the funniest line. He wants the scene to be as funny as it can be. So he'll set you up for great stuff, and he will try and make everybody have a moment, or at least an opportunity to try something. In the first couple of weeks of filming, I was coming out of my shell. I was very intimidated. I was really living my dream, but it was quite intense. I was just having imposter syndrome. I was quite worried I was not delivering, and Steve, very gently, and very well timed, was like, "I know you already know this, but I just want you to know, everybody considers this your show as much as anyone else's. If there's anything you want to try, if there's any joke you want to run by me first, if there is anything you want to rehearse, if there is anything you want to surprise us with, that's really exciting. That's really exactly what we're all here to do." And he said, "I know it's really frightening. I know it's daunting. But you're here for a reason." And he was like, "Above all else, we've just got to have fun." Then he changed the subject completely to something else so that neither of us would feel embarrassed about the fact that we'd had quite a vulnerable moment. It really meant a lot.

Katie is such a relatable character. She's going through a complicated divorce. She's not quite over her ex and is being messy about it. I heard that Bill invited all of the actors in to make the characters their own. What did that look like for you and Katie?

Something I was very conscious of is that Katie is going through a huge upheaval. We meet Katie when the rug has been pulled out from under her, and she is scrambling to reclaim dignity in a life that Archie has completely turned upside down. Because of that, I knew that the temptation would be to just make a very angry person rather than a nuanced person. I didn't want her to just be an eye-rolling, naggy person. I wanted her to be somebody capable of more humor, certainly, and also moments that are quieter and conversations that don't come out like arguments. Because sometimes confrontation is really quiet, and the show does that really well. Often in TV shows, it's really tempting to have these really big confrontations, and Rooster has quiet confrontations, loud confrontations, confrontations that feel real. I didn't want Katie to be a stereotype of a jilted woman. I wanted her to be a lot more than that. I wanted her to be a capable teacher, a good friend, a funny person, a complicated ex, and a daughter to an extroverted father when she's quite introverted. I communicated that a lot to Bill and Matt. I said I really don't want Katie to be exclusively the straight man in this. I want to find humor where possible. And they were extremely amenable to that. I've never been on a set before where you say, “I've got a couple of ideas,” and people immediately take out a pen and paper, and they're like, “Okay, great, this is amazing. Let's play.”

That sounds like a dream scenario for an actor.

If we don't go for a second series, I'll be very sad, but I kept quite a good diary while doing the first series because I was like, There's a very good chance I never have an opportunity like this again. I really want to remember all of it. And I'm very glad I did that because it really was like going to a summer camp.

Is there a particular moment that stands out to you from filming, a day that was really fun, or that stands out from the whole shoot?

One thing that really stands out to me is that Annie Mumolo is a huge hero of mine. I admire her so much as a writer, actor, and comedian. She's extraordinary in Bridesmaids. When I saw that she was in the show, I kind of lost my mind. And actually, funnily enough, so did Steve. We were in the makeup chair, and I was like, "Have you seen who's been cast in this?" And he was like, "Oh my God, I can't believe it." We were both fan-girling about Annie. I kept saying to Bill, “Please, please, please give me a scene with Annie.” And finally, he wrote a scene for us to do, and I don't know if they can use it because I couldn't keep a straight face. She's the funniest person in the world. I couldn't stop laughing. She subsequently has become a lovely friend, and I would say a mentor to me. We both love baking, specifically baking pies. So whenever one of us bakes a pie, we take a picture and send it to the other one for notes.

What's your best pie?

Thank you for asking. I actually made a pie for Steve, very generously, through a party for the cast and crew when we were nearly finished with filming. I had told him that I loved baking, and he said, "Please bring something." So I made a pie I called the Ludlow Pie, named after the fictional school the show is set in. The colours of Ludlow are blue and white, so I made a blueberry-and-brie pie. It was absolutely delicious.

Can you talk to me about figuring out Katie's style in the show and working with the wardrobe department?

Heidi [Higginbotham] was a dream costume designer. The brief, essentially, was that we want Katie to wear lots of cool suits, and for it to be a dark academia vibe, but not a detective. And that is where my comfort zone is naturally. We had a lot of costume fittings where we would talk about the fact that we didn't want her to wear too much brown, even though brown's quite in and it's fall, but we would like her color palette to be nuanced, but also very basic. And the idea was that maybe as the season progresses, we'd introduce a bit more color to represent Katie's world getting a bit larger and a bit happier again. So it starts with quite a minimal palette, and then as we go through the episodes, it gets a little bit more colorful, a little bit more varied to represent an outlook on life that Katie's opening herself up to.

I was very lucky, because I got very comfortable costumes. Also, it feels like Katie maybe wouldn't want to shop at the same place as her students, but we didn't want it to be exclusively Banana Republic. So we went for a lot of vintage, which I love. Throughout this press tour, I've styled myself with exclusively vintage or secondhand pieces. I told Heidi that I love secondhand stuff and that I'd love to have this be a nod to vintage, and she found some amazing pieces with some classic Celine, but also some Belgium designers; we had some Dries van Noten. And it was very exciting for me because I can see the labels, but the audience can't. It was a real privilege to be dressed by people who really listened when I said, “I think this is what I would like to do.”

Before we part, can you leave us with your go-to vintage spots?

In London, we're really spoiled. I think a lot of people think of Notting Hill when they think of vintage fashion, and I think that's true to a degree. But I'm a real Brick Lane girl. Brick Lane is a slightly more cheap and cheerful way of vintage shopping. My favorite vintage shop in London is a place called Magpie Vintage. But if you want to get good designer vintage, you've got to go to Antwerp in Belgium. The whole city is the most fashionable place you could ever go.

Catch new episodes of Rooster Sundays on HBO at 10pm EST.

Photographer: Emily Soto

Styling: Self-styled by Charly Clive (wearing vintage Comme des Garçons and shoes are John Lewis)

Hairstylist: Seiji 

Makeup artist: Genevieve Herr

Say it ain't so! The 2025/2026 award season has officially come to a close. But not without delivering one—well, technically two if you count the Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party—final red carpet, thanks to the 98th annual Academy Awards. Sartorially speaking, it was a night of incredible highs and exciting whoas, from Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley's elegant nod to Grace Kelly and Teyana Taylor's unexpected feather-adorned Chanel by Matthieu Blazy moment to Elle Fanning's antique Cartier necklace and Chase Infiniti's lilac ruffled gown. After months and months of buildup, Hollywood's biggest night never disappoints with celebs and their stylists pulling out all of the stops.

Another case in point? Bruna Marquezine. The Brazilian actress debuted a fresh bob and looked radiant in custom Gucci. The sparkling, hand-crafted silver strapless gown worn with Wempe jewelry (including a 43-carat diamond necklace) fit Marquezine like a glove, with the crystal-encrusted silhouette catching the light beautifully at every angle. The look, styled by Dani Michelle, evoked timeless glamour with a modern twist.

For Marquezine's glowy glam look, makeup artist Diane Buzzetta turned to her arsenal of CHANEL Beauty products, including the brand's Sublimage L’Essence de Teint Ultimate Radiance-Generating Serum Foundation ($180) in BO73, the Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow ($74) in Tissé Essentiel, and the Rouge Coco Gloss Moisturizing Glossimer ($42) in Caramel.

The actress invited Who What Wear inside her getting-ready suite to capture all the stunning details.

What does your Oscar morning look like?

My Oscar morning is usually very calm. I like to wake up slowly, have a light breakfast, listen to music, and take a moment for myself before everything starts. It's a long and exciting day, so I try to begin it with a peaceful mindset.

What was the direction for your glam look? Did you and your team look at any specific references?

We wanted something classic yet modern and elegant. The idea was to complement the dress and keep the focus on a timeless beauty look.

You recently chopped your hair. What inspired the major hair change, and what do you love about the new style?

I was ready for a change. Cutting my hair felt very freeing, and I love how fresh and modern it feels. It's also been really fun (and easy) to style!

Tell us about the look you chose for the evening? What made it a standout amongst other options?

The look was a custom stretch crystal knit handmade in Italy by the Gucci atelier. When my stylist, Dani, showed me a photo, I was so excited, but it was even better than I could've imagined when I actually got to try it on in person. It just had this incredible Oscars glow. It felt so timeless as a silhouette, but modern and fresh for fashion right now.

How did it make you feel when you first put it on?

I mean, look at it! It's so special. Who doesn't love a little sparkle?! It really felt perfect for the occasion.

Any favorite details to note?

The look as a whole was so special, but the necklace was quite striking: 43 carats of oval diamonds!

What's your personal red carpet dressing philosophy?

For me, it's always about feeling authentic and loyal to myself. That's such a priority for me.

Who were you most excited to see/run into?

I'm particularly excited that Brazil is represented tonight by Wagner Moura. He was truly incredible in The Secret Agent.

What did the end of your night look like?

I went back to my hotel to change. Had to get into something I could dance in! Jet lag is no excuse on Oscars night.

Photographer: Dennis Leupold
Stylist: Dani Michelle
Hairstylist: Danielle Priano
Makeup Artist: Diane Buzzetta

Step into the universe of the coolest creatives in the fashion industry with our series My World, where readers will discover how the top stylists, designers, and tastemakers built their careers and get a peek into their favorite restaurants, beloved albums, fashion finds, etiquette rules they stand by, and so much more.

It's 2 p.m. ET on a Wednesday when I log on to my computer to meet and chat with Elaine Welteroth. She immediately apologizes for keeping her camera off, explaining she's been awake since 5 a.m., having landed early in Minnesota to talk with college students about feminism and journalism. It doesn't come across as a complaint so much as a glimpse of her demanding schedule—early alarms, numerous flights, and a calendar that spans multiple time zones.

This is what life looks like for Welteroth: a constant movement between stages, red carpets, meetings, and motherhood. It's why people often say she wears many hats. But talk to her for just 45 minutes, and it becomes clear that those "hats" don't feel like a juggling act to her. To Welteroth, they're simply different passions that shape how she spends her time.

Many first came to know Welteroth through her tenure at Teen Vogue, where she made headlines as the publication's editor in chief. At the time, she became the youngest person and the second African American ever to hold the role. Under her leadership, the magazine evolved into something more than a fashion title, publishing political and social justice content that resonated with a new generation of readers. But that chapter was only one layer.

Since then, Welteroth published her memoir, More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are, which encourages readers to recognize their value and challenge existing norms. Shortly after, she began serving as a judge on Project Runway. In 2024, she launched her nonprofit organization, BirthFund, to improve access to maternal healthcare while making appearances as a host on The Talk, cohosting the SAG Awards preshow and Hulu's The Conversations Project, and contributing to major publications like The Washington Post and British Vogue.

The grind doesn't stop there. The most recent gig for Welteroth was an Allbirds campaign, which, as a sneaker lover, Welteroth mentions, was a very organic partnership for her. While there's a lot on her plate, she retains a confident, can-do-it-all attitude and tells me that her secret to balancing it all is "allowing myself to be present fully in whatever role I'm embodying in that moment." Plus, knowing her work has impacted others makes all the effort worthwhile.

"It's easy to get caught up and forget that my work—the TV shows I've been on or the book I've written—actually resonates with people," Welteroth says. "I had the sweetest reminder of this when I was in San Francisco shooting the Allbirds campaign. Two separate groups, mothers and daughters, approached me and said, 'Can we take a picture? We love watching Project Runway with you.' And I'm like, oh my God. The fact that the moment meant something to someone, a special bonding moment, is truly so sweet."

Ahead, she shares her humbling first job and how it made a lasting impact, how she balances being a mom of two with numerous professional roles, the importance of choosing versatile pieces that support the life she's actually leading, and so much more.

Your résumé is incredibly extensive, but let's start at the beginning—what was your very first job? What did it teach you that you still carry with you today?

Funny enough, my first job was actually dancing in a life-size bee costume at HomeTown Buffet. What it taught me is never to take myself too seriously. It reminded me of the importance of just having fun. I've led a very serious career, helped grow organizations, and built my own organization—it's hard work, and it's serious. However, I feel like I've carried that spirit of the dancing bee with me into every chapter of my career. It's served me really well.

You became the youngest editor in chief in Teen Vogue history. What hard truth about leadership did you learn that no one prepared you for?

As an editor in chief and a founder of anything, it's hard work and isolating. You truly devote your life to building something you believe in. Sometimes it can feel a little lonely. Then there are moments when you step out into the world and see how your work has impacted others. There's nothing quite like that. It refuels your tank, reminds you of your why, and encourages you to keep pushing. It reminds you that your work matters because sometimes, when you're working in a silo, you wonder, Is anyone gonna read this? Does anyone care? When you get to connect with someone who has encountered your work, and it's meant something to them, there's no greater feeling.

In your New York Times best-selling book, More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are, you write about ambition and belonging. In honor of International Women's Month, what advice would you give to young women who want to lead without shrinking themselves?

Do you. I mean that in every way because there are no rules. It used to be that there was a ladder you climbed to the top of whatever industry you wanted to be in. That ladder no longer exists, which can be scary for some people. However, for entrepreneurs or those with an entrepreneurial mindset, it's exciting because you have full permission to let your enthusiasm guide you, to become self-directed, and to build that muscle of self-trust. And it informs the career you'll create. Understand who you are, what you want to say, how you want to spend your days, and do that. There's no formula you need to follow, and no mold you need to fit into. This world is changing so rapidly, and it's making space for people with unique perspectives and pursuits. So go after it.

In April 2024, you started your nonprofit organization, BirthFund. What about that initiative are you most proud of, and why do you think this work matters right now?

All of the safety nets and social safety provisions in this country are disintegrating before our eyes. Things that we never thought would disappear have been rolled back, leaving many people vulnerable. In times like these, we desperately need mutual aid initiatives like ours that lean into the power of community support more than ever. This is the way forward. This is the way now. It’s the way to support people in meaningful ways without waiting for lawmakers to act or relying on broken systems that were never meant to serve everyone. Why don't we come together as a community to address the problems we see and build solutions? Essentially, BirthFund is a response to a major issue I encountered when I was pregnant, and nothing in my career has been more rewarding than creating something I saw a need for. It truly blew my mind because women's health has long been underfunded, undervalued, and under-researched. However, that is changing thanks to women rallying together, raising these issues, and elevating the conversation. One thing I'm very proud of is that in our first year, we raised over $3 million. To anyone who thinks maternal health is an unrelated issue not worthy of mainstream focus, think again. People have rallied around this mission and the families who need support so desperately. The world is changing, but babies will never stop being born, and despite robots taking over, care in human hands is irreplaceable. We will always need midwives. Now more than ever, with maternal health deserts, hospital closures, and increasing maternal mortality, communities are relying more on dedicated birth workers like midwives. We're here to support them, to grow that pipeline, and to keep doing this work. We're excited about all the possibilities.

Tell me what work/life balance looks like to you. How do you juggle parenting and having a successful career?

I don't just say yes to things. I say, "Hell, yes." I bring my best energy and full self to everything. I won't feel guilty about being where my feet are. I allow myself to be fully present there. When I move to the next moment, my attention follows. This mindset has helped me a lot. Support and comfort in your own skin are crucial, and having a community and a wardrobe that adapts to my mood helps. I think about what I'll wear each day and step into that character. I enjoy switching roles and dressing the part, allowing myself to be fully present in whatever role I'm in.

Do you have a dream next step that you would like to take in your career?

I'm in creation mode right now. I haven't been able to do this in a long time. I've been out in the world, out front for a while, and I've pulled back. It feels really good as a storyteller to focus on being creative, to spend my days heads down, building something I'm excited about. While I can't exactly say what I'm doing or what my next step is, I will say that I'm such a glasses girlie, and I've always wanted a line of eyewear. I may or may not be working on something in that area.

What are three words that you feel define your personal style right now?

Moody, comfortable, and thoughtful. I don't necessarily mean comfortable just in clothing, like wearing sweats. I mean dressing in a way that feels right to me each day. Sometimes that's a short skirt, baggy jeans, or a sweatsuit. Thoughtful in the sense that I'm intentional about who I'm wearing, how it's made, and where I show up in the world wearing it.

Do you have style icons who really inform your style?

I'm in my Diane Keaton era right now. And RIP to her because she's one of the greats. I refuse to accept that she's gone, but her style lives on. My forever style icon, though, is Grace Jones. She is so fierce and fabulous. Her spirit makes everything she wears just so iconic. My third pick is Angela Davis. She's not usually discussed in terms of style, but she changed how we see women: Black women, smart women, feminist women. She made glasses cool again—a staple for activists—and her afro is just iconic.

You recently did a campaign with Allbirds. What inspired that collaboration?

This Allbirds campaign feels very authentic to me because I don't have the energy to prioritize style over comfort. I prefer waking up in the morning ready to tackle everything I want and need to do, but I want to do it comfortably. I want to feel good in my skin, and that's what this Allbirds campaign captures. We're showing these busy women on the go, achieving in various aspects of life, wearing shoes that are not only super comfortable and cute but also versatile enough to match everything. They eliminate the need to overthink outfits. I'm a big sneaker fan—I wear sneakers every day and wouldn't bother with heels unless paid. That's why this campaign resonates with me. I love a brand that prioritizes sustainability alongside style. In the campaign, I showcase two looks: one with baggy cargo pants, a long trench coat, and a button-up shirt; the other with a miniskirt and cute frilly socks. I felt comfortable in both. Women are multifaceted and dynamic, reflected in how we style ourselves daily.

What is the most sentimental item in your closet?

I just bought my most sentimental item: my first Rolex watch. I love it. It means a lot to me, and I’ve been wearing it every day since December.

What's one fashion rule you love breaking?

I really break all the rules. I don't even know what the fashion rules are anymore. I don't follow trends, but I try to keep up with Gen Z girls. Subliminally, I'm inspired or influenced by them. They give zero Fs when they get dressed, and it makes me feel like, Oh, maybe I can try that. You know, when you're getting ready and trying to put together your outfit, there's always that split second where you wonder, Should I go for this, or should I not? Usually, there’s a sense of fear there, but I think that feeling has gotten smaller as I've gotten older.

Is there a specific item in your closet that you're looking forward to wearing again this spring?

I live in L.A., so I don't dress seasonally because it feels like summer year-round. However, when I go to the East Coast, I look forward to pulling out my vintage trench coat.

Finish the following sentence: My home wouldn't be complete without ______.

My babies. Also, Gayle King sent me the RW Guild throw blanket, which is so soft and has become everyone in my home's favorite thing. It matches my house perfectly, which has a neutral, tonal color scheme with pops of color—especially from this mixed media artwork by Corey Pemberton, which my house also wouldn't be complete without. It's the centerpiece of our living space—what we look at while eating and talking. For technology, the Samsung Frame TV. It's a fun conversation starter because everyone thinks it's art at first. Lastly, our black Yamaha grand piano. I have a very musical family. My husband is a musician, and he does this thing called Piano and Prayer every Monday.

Where is your safe space? Where do you go when you need some time to yourself?

Airplanes are my sanctuary and my "me" time—where I can think clearly. I have some of my best thoughts and do some of my best work on them.

What's your favorite restaurant in your home city?

One of my favorite restaurants in L.A. is Jamaican Fiyah for authentic Jamaican food. However, the last standout dining experience I had was at International Smoke on the Embarcadero in San Francisco (Ayesha Curry’s restaurant). The cornbread served with red Thai curry butter is a must-order.

If you could get a vacation home anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I've thought a lot about this, and right now, it's a tie between the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany. I went to Tuscany last summer, and I've never felt more peaceful, happier, or more joyful. It was truly the best experience. I would love to build a compound there—that would be my dream. The only thing holding me back from moving to Italy and making this dream come true is that I don't have a community there. I'd have to convince my whole group of friends to come with me, and then it would be really fun. In the U.S., my answer would be Martha's Vineyard. That's our happy place. We go every August.

What's one travel item you'll always pack with you?

My Allbirds sneakers. Ever since I shot the campaign, I've been wearing the Varsity Sneakers. They're airy, so you feel light on your feet, easy to pack, easy to bop around in, and go with everything. I'm in that era where I don't want to sacrifice comfort, and these shoes fit my lifestyle so well.

Is there an artist you are listening to on repeat right now?

This might sound like a shameless plug for my husband, but he's currently recording an album. All our friends jokingly call me Joe Jackson because I'm the type who, if you want to do something, I'll push you so hard—you’ll feel it. I'll be your biggest fan but also your biggest nuisance. I ask to hear every song, and I give notes, acting as the editor in chief of his projects. The songs are so good, and I'm so proud of him.

What's your comfort TV show?

The Morning Show—that's my jam. I will binge that show from start to finish. It reminds me of my newsroom days, even though I was a magazine journalist and not a news broadcaster, but there are similarities in the political dynamics.

For anyone who hasn't read your memoir yet, why should they pick up More Than Enough?

Pick it up if you're at an inflection point in your career and need inspiration or a nudge to pursue the next chapter of your dreams. The world tells you to focus on one big dream, and you'd better not fail at it. But the message of this book is that life is made up of a series of dreams realized, and you're allowed to dream as many different dreams as you want and go after them. It's really about the sequence of dreaming and taking those chances on yourself that helps you become who you're meant to be. When you hold yourself back by sticking to a single dream or identity, you stop growing. Also, read it because I'm writing another one, so you should have the backstory and be able to dive right into the next one.

Were there any other written works that inspired you while you were writing yours?

Becoming was a real inspiration. Michelle Obama is my icon, and I appreciate how candid she was and how personal and deep she went in her quest to convey these broader, universal lessons that are inspiring, motivating, and make us feel more connected and less alone. It gave me permission to do the same.

Any podcasts we should be listening to?

I'm now a full-blown boy mom, so my podcast choices are very diverse. For any moms out there in the car with their kids who need something to keep them entertained, I've been listening to a podcast called Smarty Pants. It takes questions from little kids and then goes into 15-minute, entertaining deep dives into random topics and the questions kids have. I end up learning a lot. I'm also into Adventures of Cairo for my kids. That's like a little narrative podcast for children. I recently binge-listened to Confessions of a Female Founder by Meghan Markle, who is a really good interviewer. Meghan Markle isn't a journalist, but she has excellent reporting instincts; she asks the right questions and pulls out great stories. Another podcast I enjoy is House Guest. You know how people ask, "Who are the five people you'd want to sit with for dinner—dead or alive?" It's that kind of idea in a podcast. You get to be at the dinner table or have drinks with someone you've always wanted to but probably never will. And it feels like you're laughing with them. It's really well-produced.

What's something that's underrated?

Being comfortable. I didn't appreciate it in my 20s, but now, in my 30s, I understand the power of prioritizing your comfort. And from there, all the great things follow—like confidence and a sense of ease in how you move through the world.

What's the best piece of parenting advice you have received?

Sleep train your kids. You'll enjoy parenting much more when you're well-rested and have a clear mind. You have to go through sleep training to get to the other side, and you might think your kids will hate you for it or that it will cause issues like attachment problems. But they won’t remember it, and ultimately, they will thank you because their development benefits from it. They grow while they sleep, and they need to learn how to stay asleep, just as you need to continue functioning in the world. I had to learn this a second time. The first time, I was a drill sergeant about sleep training, preaching it loudly. But then, with my second baby, I totally caved. I let the baby sleep in my bed and got totally attached. Going more than a year without sleep is a very bad idea—for everyone involved. Recently, we've found that the more we let him learn how to cry and find ways to cope and self-soothe, the longer he can stay asleep, and the quicker he can put himself back to sleep next time. As a result, we're all much happier as a family.

What's a luxury you refuse to give up?

Virgin margaritas. Sometimes you want a cute drink when you're out with the girlies, but you don't want to wake up feeling terrible the next day. I bet other moms can agree that a hangover isn't worth it.

What's one piece of advice you have for women in 2026?

Maintain a playful spirit in everything you do. It brings a lightness, and people prefer to work with those who are having fun and doing what they love.

"Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her, we all die."

The first time a woman was blamed for everything, it was biblical.

Long before tabloids crowned their weekly villains and comment sections sharpened their knives, there was Eve—framed as the origin of ruin. It's been more than 2000 years since that line, referencing the fall in the book of Genesis, was etched into scripture and exactly zero days since women stopped being told they are each other's downfall. The narrative might evolve, but the accusation that women are each other's undoing sticks. You see tabloid headlines, Reddit snark posts, and whispers about who did what to get to the top.

Evil doesn't die. It simply reinvents itself. Misogyny has a remarkable talent for sticking around.

Enter Forbidden Fruits, the upcoming indie horror-dramedy from director Meredith Alloway that takes that ancient blame game and twists it into something deliciously deranged. The film, premiering March 27, trades the Garden of Eden for a suburban Texas mall and swaps Eve for a cult of witchy retail employees on the verge of a quiet mental breakdown. Among the creative forces behind it is producer Diablo Cody, who is best known for the teen horror-comedy Jennifer's Body. Starring Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, and Alexandra Shipp, Forbidden Fruits is a dark take that sinks its teeth into the complicated nature of female dynamics.

The film—adapted from Lily Houghton's 2023 stage play inspired by the same opening biblical verse—has all the hallmarks of a deeply rotted cult classic in the making: campy outfits, a questionable wig budget, gallons of syrupy fake blood that rivals that of a Final Destination film, and a star-studded cast that makes you question how they got all of these actors in the same room.

"From the beginning, cowriter Lily Houghton and I knew the key was finding actors who could balance the satire and the emotional honesty of the film," explains Alloway. Over the course of several weeks, Alloway and Houghton met with each of the actors on Zoom before they were officially cast, tapping into their inner psyche. "Watching all of them together in rehearsal for the first time was magnificent—it was musical. They were playing off each other in real time, understanding how to balance their different energies as characters," Alloway continues. It certainly helps that the film was shot exclusively from the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., adding to the delirious state of the actors playing delirious characters. It's peak trauma bonding at its finest.

The chemistry is crucial. Frankly, it's what sucks you in as a viewer when watching Forbidden Fruits for the first time. Beneath the glittery dresses, food court pretzels, and fluorescent store lighting, Forbidden Fruits isn't really about witchcraft or the occult. It's about the tension that exists in hierarchy. The women's underground cult promises empowerment, but its currency is proximity. To be anointed (or, in the case of the film, bullied) is to be adored. To be adored is to be envied, and in this world, envy puts you in a dangerous position—fast.

Take, for example, Apple (played by Reinhart) the fierce lesbian ringleader who drives the narrative forward. She commands the basement cult with a mix of icy-cold stares and intimidation. Her presence is a gravitational force that pulls the other women into orbit. Reinhart's Apple isn't a stereotypical larger-than-life cartoon villain. She's magnetic and manipulative, but by the finale, she feels deeply broken and human.

That duality has become something of a signature for Reinhart as an actor. First catapulted into the cultural zeitgeist as Betty Cooper on The CW's Riverdale, Reinhart proved early on that she could elevate archetype into complexity. Betty could have easily remained the wholesome girl next door, but in Reinhart's hands, she unraveled—darkness creeping in around the edges, trauma and obsession bubbling beneath her perfect ponytail.

Even then, Reinhart demonstrated a fascination with fractured femininity: women who are both soft and sharp, controlled and chaotic. Apple feels like a natural, if more feral, evolution of that interest.

"I looked at her like a really troubled, lost woman who's desperate for sisterhood and control. She's definitely a bitch, but she's a bitch that you want to love you," Reinhart explains. She's sitting across from me on-screen deeply snuggled in an oversize hoodie that is likely a post–New York Fashion Week uniform for the actor, who's been zipping around Manhattan attending shows and beginning the press tour for Forbidden Fruits. "It's sort of the Regina George of it all. It's like, 'Wow, she's so mean. Can she be mean to me?'" she adds.

There's deep-rooted empathy for Apple, though, that practically radiates off Reinhart's end of the screen when we meet over Zoom to discuss the film. Reinhart read the script in 2023—two years before production began—and became attached to the project, namely Apple. "I got on Zoom with Meredith and Lily, and we just vibed for an hour," Reinhart recalls. "I just went in with a really strong vision and was like, 'Oh, I'm Apple, by the way.'"

It's a vision that took shape long before cameras rolled in Toronto, and Reinhart dove headfirst into Apple's world. There were marathon Preacher's Daughter listening sessions ("Apple feels very Ethel Cain to me," she confesses) and a strict rule about nails. She wore just two short ones because Apple needed to look lesbian without overtly announcing it. There were also hours of movement lessons with a dedicated coach who experiments in animal mannerisms. Reinhart settled on a lion, a nod to her character's sensual yet destructive nature.

The most blatant character study, though, comes in the form of a simple, cheeky baby tee Apple wears in the climax of the film post–mental breakdown. Costume designer Sarah Millman inserted the infamous verse "Of the woman came the beginning of sin…"—a clear nod to Apple's character arc in the film and the original title of the play Forbidden Fruits is based on. Throughout the story, she's often blaming misfortune on men and the patriarchy, but is it just projection? Does she actually believe that women are to blame for all that's wrong in the world? Reinhart doesn't skip a beat when I inquire further: "If women are the origin of sin, then they must be pretty fucking powerful, yeah?"

Apple, and Reinhart by extension, has a fascination with powerful, notorious women throughout history. You know, the ones often beheaded or burned at the stake. Just casual, girly things. "Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, Joan of Arc—Apple thinks those women were clearly the most intelligent women and doing something right. I think she idolizes that," Reinhart admits. It's not hard to see why. For the majority of the film, Apple has her other fruits (aptly named Fig, Cherry, and Pumpkin) squarely under her manicured fingers. "Being a woman is so powerful, and throughout the movie, you see all of the women come into their own power at some point or another," she says.

How do the women of Forbidden Fruits define their own path, though? For Tung, it's all about context. It's not lost on the actress that the film is set in the present day, where oppression against women—the real horror, not just jump scares and bloody gore—is the undercurrent that runs throughout some of the scenes.

"Even if it wasn't at the forefront of the movie, the conversations we're having on set play into Forbidden Fruits. Even though the exact way in which we're telling this story is new, there's also so many films that have paved the way," Tung tells me, nodding to the greats in the film's cinematic universe: Heathers, Jennifer's Body, The Craft, and, of course, Mean Girls. Notably, the cast filmed in the same Toronto mall that Lindsay Lohan and the Mean Girls cast filmed iconic scenes from the 2004 comedy. "We're haunted by the friendly ghosts of our past, in the best way," Tung jokes.

The through line of teen girls behaving badly and female friendships spiraling into something feral hangs over Forbidden Fruits, but for Tung, stepping into that canon marks a distinct tonal pivot from the role that made her a household name.

The 23-year-old is fresh off a generational run. If you're living under a rock or simply haven't opened TikTok in the past six months, let me catch you up to speed. Tung recently concluded her work on the television series that gave her her first big break—Amazon Prime's The Summer I Turned Pretty. (A movie is now in the works.) For three seasons, tweens and TikTok-savvy mothers alike watched a coastal New England love triangle form on-screen between Isabella "Belly" Conklin and brothers Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher.

While Belly cried in debutante gowns, Tung's character in Forbidden Fruits, Pumpkin, plots in basements. In the film, Pumpkin takes on the role of a quiet, calculated observer who begins to slowly drive a wedge between the other women of the cult.

The tonal whiplash isn't lost on Tung, and it's precisely why she does what she does. "From the get-go, I wanted to do completely different things. That's the fun in being an actor," Tung says. "Forbidden Fruits was such a great thing to do after The Summer I Turned Pretty because it's a totally different world. It is so nice to be able to play roles that push you in a way you haven't been pushed before. That feeling is kind of addicting."

Tung was, by far, the youngest of the main ensemble on set and often had deep, introspective conversations with Reinhart about growing up in front of a global audience who feels entitled to every aspect of your life. It's a challenge she's had to navigate post–The Summer I Turned Pretty knowing that, at the end of the day, she's trying to be her own person while being a part of a generation that deeply craves connection with each other in the midst of a loneliness epidemic.

"Human beings crave a sense of being a part of a pack or belonging, and now with technology and with social media, there's a false sense of thinking everyone is part of your family and that you know them, but you don't," Tung explains. Forbidden Fruits is, at its core, a story about young women desperate to be chosen and initiated into something bigger than themselves. The inverse is true in her personal life. Fans don't just watch anymore. They theorize, they ship, they comment, and they demand. The hunger for access mirrors the film's cult-like intimacy in ways that feel almost on the nose.

If Tung's Pumpkin represents the outsider who slowly finds her way into the deranged world of the fruits, Pedretti's character is the one who's most deeply devoted to keeping up the fantasy that these women are the best of friends. Pedretti plays Cherry, a bubbly, sensual, risk-taking blonde who holds on to trauma that deeply unravels her. In any other universe, the cowboy hats, Bayonetta glasses, and pink paillette Daisy Dukes Pedretti wears throughout the film might make you think Cherry is another ditzy, hypersexualized female archetype. In reality, she's a layered, complex example of what it means to be a woman today.

"The beautiful thing that Cherry has to offer in her decoration of herself has so much merit, yet it's totally diminished by the fact that she doesn't have much confidence. She wants the validation of her sisters and her community," Pedretti, dialing in from a production in New Zealand, explains.

The actor speaks deliberately and slowly. Pedretti tells me she turned 30 while on set of Forbidden Fruits, which could be another layer to the deep emotional connection she feels toward a younger, perhaps more emotionally insecure Cherry. You can feel her deep reverence for her character despite being nothing like her in real life. She sees Cherry almost as a cautionary tale. "There's a moment in which Alexandra Shipp, who plays Fig, says that Cherry becomes a lipstick shell of herself. She's put so much attention into the way she presents herself and this loyalty to Apple that she's lost sense of who she is," she says.

Pedretti, who garnered critical acclaim for her roles as Love Quinn in Netflix's thriller You and Nell Crain in The Haunting of Hill House, knows a thing or two about playing an emotionally bruised character. Unlike her past performances, though, Cherry felt different—almost too elusive to parse through at times. The actor spent hours dissecting biographies and documentaries chronicling the lives of tragic women, people like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Anna Nicole Smith.

Just like Cherry, Pedretti suggests, these women did what was expected of them in order to protect their truest selves from the gaze of the outside world. "Cherry has this ideal of wanting to perform this perfect idea of her best self because it keeps her safe," Pedretti adds. "I'm really grateful to live in this time where our existence and safety is not solely dependent on the validation of men."

Rather than viewing Forbidden Fruits as a straightforward feminist psychoanalysis of female friendship, Pedretti sees it as something more uncomfortable—a story about the ways patriarchy infiltrates even our attempts at solidarity. "When we move throughout the world as women, we're often so categorized before we're even allowed to be people, and within that process, we're objectified," she notes. "It's incredible how, in our attempts to support one another, we can dehumanize ourselves. It feels like an impossible thing to make our way out of."

For Pedretti, the film interrogates a quieter pressure: the expectation that womanhood alone should guarantee intimacy, that shared lived experience should automatically translate into trust, loyalty, and devotion. Cherry clings to Apple and the other fruits not just out of desire but also out of obligation and a belief that this is what sisterhood is supposed to look like. The tragedy, Pedretti says, is that solidarity built on expectation rather than choice can curdle into something just as suffocating as the system it's meant to resist.

It's an idea that Shipp, who plays Fig, understands intimately. Over the past decade, Shipp has built a career on playing women navigating power structures much larger than themselves, from teenage mutants in X-Men to pop culture icons in Greta Gerwig's Barbie. She brings a grounded, emotional intelligence to characters that could easily tip into stereotype. She has a way of locating the humanity inside spectacle, which makes her portrayal of Fig a compelling presence in Forbidden Fruits.

Though the women on-screen are unraveling—gaslighting each other in mall basements and weaponizing sisterhood—the atmosphere behind the scenes was anything but chaotic. Shipp describes a set defined by mutual respect and creative rigor, where each actor arrived prepared to go toe-to-toe.

"It was really fun to play characters that are so far from who we all are as individual women," she gushes, looking back on the experience of working with Reinhart, Tung, and Pedretti. "I knew right away, being surrounded by this incredible ensemble, that I had to step my game up."

That competitive generosity, each woman pushing the other to dig deeper, bleeds into Forbidden Fruits itself. Despite being an original member of the mall coven, Fig feels like an outsider within the confines of the system. She's Black, a bit goth, and refreshingly self-aware in a group that thrives on delusion. Shipp plays her with a quiet sharpness, like someone constantly calculating the temperature of the room. But at the end of the day, she admits, Fig goes along with the hexes, the drama, and the chaos largely out of proximity. She's there, so she stays.

"I had conversations with Meredith [Alloway] because Fig is obviously a college-educated, strong, willpowered individual. She can't just be in this world because of the store discount she gets from working at the mall," Shipp says, dialing in from her home in Los Angeles. "She eventually snaps because, at the end of the day, we can only take so much shit from someone. Fig came to the store for the community. Someone who wants to make friends will do some really fucked-up shit.”

For Shipp, that contradiction is the point. Fig isn't naïve—she's lonely. And loneliness in Forbidden Fruits is just as dangerous as devotion. "It's like trauma bonding," she jokes, referencing the similarities between the dynamic between the women in Forbidden Fruits and her own experience of working at a retail store in her pre-acting days. "We don't get to choose who we're around when we're working retail, sure, but we can both hate the boss. We can both hate the long hours."

It's a flippant comparison, but it's a valid one. Shared dissatisfaction can feel like intimacy. Mutual resentment can masquerade as alignment. In the fluorescent purgatory of a retail job—or the dimly lit back room of a cultish girl gang operating in the basement—solidarity often begins with a common enemy. The problem, Fig eventually realizes, is that bonding over what you hate isn't the same thing as building something you love. "In particular for Fig, it was really important for me to showcase that she just wanted friends, low-key. There's something so sweet and innocent about that," Shipp admits. "She was accepted and appreciated by the fruits. It's a really intoxicating feeling, but it doesn't mean you have to be around all of these bad people, and she comes to find that out."

Although each of the women come to realize the toxic nature of their friend group, Fig is the first to snap. It's a deliberate choice, acting as the first domino in a set to fall over and cause the fracturing of the larger ensemble. In that way, Fig is the realest character. The result is a fight during a tornado lockdown that drives the women farther apart than ever. Everyone is in it to save their own lives. The illusion of girlhood—a glossy means of salvation—collapses in on itself at the end.

From Eve to the mall basement, the temptation's always been the same: Pit the women against each other. You call it jealousy, call it hysteria, or call it sin, but ultimately, it isn't that simple. The danger that Forbidden Fruits puts on full display isn't about female power. It's what happens when that power gets warped, when belonging becomes transactional, and when sisterhood becomes performance. The film grants its women the freedom to be messy, manipulative, hedonistic, horny, wrathful, and, most importantly, fully in command of their own stories.

In their made-up Garden of Eden, no serpent is required. There's no forbidden apple. It's just a group of women trying—messily, imperfectly, and often destructively—to carve out space for themselves in a world that still insists on defining them first.

Two thousand years later, the accusation about whether women were the origin of sin lingers, but Forbidden Fruits dares to ask a different question. What if women were never the cause of it and are simply the most convenient scapegoats?

Photographer and Super 8 Director: Emman Montalvan
Stylist: Lauren Eggertsen
Hairstylist for Lili Reinhart: Ericka Verrett
Hairstylist for Lola Tung: Dana Boyer
Hairstylist for Victoria Pedretti: Chris Farmer
Hairstylist for Alexandra Shipp: Miles Jeffries
Makeup Artist for Lili Reinhart: Cedric Jolivet
Makeup Artist for Lola Tung: Misha Shahzada
Makeup Artist for Victoria Pedretti: Shelby Smith
Makeup Artist for Alexandra Shipp: Dana Delaney
Manicurist for Lili Reinhart: Erin Leigh Moffett
Manicurist for Lola Tung: Thuy Nguyen
Manicurist for Victoria Pedretti: Stephanie Stone
Manicurist for Alexandra Shipp: Queenie Nguyen
Creative Director: Alexa Wiley

Set Designer: Isaac Aaron
Entertainment Director: Jessica Baker
Producer: Lindsay Ferro
DP: Sam Miron
Producer: Kellie Scott

The best interviews are often the most personal. In Loves of My Life, we get to know the person behind their craft, asking them the important questions we're desperate to know the answers to, like their favourite restaurants and date-night spots, what's in their Saved folder on Instagram, the piece of jewellery they're most attached to and what's lurking at the bottom of their handbag. In short, the little loves of their life.

Actress Michelle Keegan may be best known for her roles as often tough and resilient heroines, but we wanted to know the woman behind the character. Fresh off the back of her latest collection with Very, we asked the mother and mogul all about what makes her tick, her fashion inspiration, and who (and what) she holds the closest to her heart.

What’s your #1 restaurant to visit in the whole world? And what do you order?

It would be a place called Kloof Street House in Cape Town. When I worked in South Africa, it was my favourite go-to place. They do the best salted caramel cheesecake that I've ever, ever had, and I've tried lots of cheesecake since, but nothing compares. It's unreal. Plus, it's a really cosy setting. It's just really different. But there's a great atmosphere and the setting is beautiful.

What items do you always have in your handbag?

I'm awful for this, but there's always about ten lip products floating around in there! But the real essentials are my purse, phone, and headphones.

Your favourite place to explore?

I love getting out in the countryside, especially when the weather's nice. And there's just something about the crisp spring air that I love, and it sets me up for the day.

It’s a sunny Sunday and you haven’t got any plans. How do you fill your day?

I try and get up a bit earlier so I can have some proper time to myself, then a nice relaxed breakfast with the family. Then maybe a walk to a cosy pub for dinner, or cooking up a proper roast at home.

Do you have a secret girls-night spot?

Me and the girls are obsessed with a good spicy margarita, so we'll always go somewhere that does them properly. That's the main criteria really!

Do you have a favourite cinema?

I love the smaller, independent cinemas in my hometown, so I always try to support them when I can. I love the old-school feel of it.

What are your trailer essentials? Anything that’s a must-have on set?

Snacks are always top of the list, I'm constantly grazing between takes. A good speaker for music is essential to help me unwind, along with plenty of water and a decent coffee to keep me going throughout the day. Comfy clothes are a must, too. You'll find me in a matching loungewear set the second I'm done.

What is your favourite destination for inspiration?

Paris, hands down. There's just something about the fact it has such incredible history, but still feels so current and vibrant. I always come away with ideas for my fashion collections when I'm there, which is actually why I decided to shoot my Very collection in Paris last autumn/winter. .

What do you love to do in your spare time?

I'm a bit of a homebody to be honest. I love cooking when I get the chance, trying out new recipes. Watching films is another favourite, and I'm always catching up on shows I've missed.

Is there anything in your home that you’re particularly sentimental about?

I've got a few bits and pieces from travels over the years that always make me smile when I see them. Also photos, I love having memories around the house. They just make a space feel more like home.

What’s the most treasured item in your wardrobe?

My wedding dress—there is no contest there!

You can pick one fashion brand to wear for the rest of your life, which do you choose?

I know I'm probably biased here, but it would have to be my collection with Very! Over the years, I've been able to design exactly what I want, right down to the buttons, the fabrics I love, my favourite colours, all of it. So I've genuinely got pieces for absolutely everything now, going out dresses, relaxed loungewear, the lot. It all just fits into my everyday life so easily.

Do you have an item of jewellery that holds a lot of meaning?

My necklace with my three ‘P’s’ on it. I got it for Mother's Day, and each P is for Palma, and my dogs Phoebe and Pip. I wear it every day for my three girls.

If we were to look in your saved folder on Instagram now, what would we find?

Lots of outfit inspo and design ideas for what I'm working on next! I'm constantly saving things when I'm thinking about upcoming collections, and always looking for new ways to elevate pieces and get the details just right.

If you could only holiday in one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?

Mallorca—we've been going for years. It's our special place.

Must-have item to pack when you go on holiday?

A good pair of shorts, that's always the first thing I pack. I love a tailored style, especially. I'm already eyeing up the ones from my new collection for my next trip! Second on the list is co-ords, easy for airport looks plus mix and matching when on the beach, perfect for a day to night holiday look.

What’s the beauty product you can’t live without?

It would have to be a really good facial cleanser.

What are your three favourite movies of all time?

Father of the Bride, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Notebook.

What’s your most-played on Spotify?

Anything by Celine Dion, Tina Turner and anything from the 80s!

Share a piece of advice that someone you love gave you that always stuck

The best piece of advice that I've been given is probably from my mum and dad. They instilled good manners into me and said that manners go a long way. So it's something that I've taken with me all my life. .

What’s your favourite scent or perfume?

My favourite scent is either Le Labo LaVande or an old school perfume called Cerruti 1881.

Do you collect anything?

I tend to collect are sunglasses. I mean, I don't know how many pairs I've got, but it's so many its silly. Lip liners too, I'm known to collect lip liners... and serving bowls, which is a bit random, but the amount of serving bowls I have in my kitchen is unbelievable.

What’s your latest obsession?

My new Very collection, honestly! I've been dying to get into all the pieces, and I'm so excited for everyone to finally see it.

Coffee, tea, wine, cocktail—what’s your ultimate poison?

Out of coffee, tea, a cocktail and wine, I'd say all four are my poison! It depends on what mood I'm in, but I do like all four.

Who are the people who fill your cup?

Mark, Palma, my family and friends.

Who is your professional hero?

It's tough, but I'd have to say Joanna Lumley.

Who is/ who are the loves of your life?

Palma, Mark, Phoebe and Pip. .

What is the love of your life?

My teddy bear that I've had since birth, and I've still got him now. So, yeah, I guess the love of my life is a little red Teddy called Hector.

Shop Michelle's Edit

Cara Delevingne's life has been closely chronicled since 2012 when the model, actress, and singer shot to fame after walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Since her breakout banner year, the star has snagged coveted roles in films such as Paper Towns and Suicide Squad, released music, and established herself as a staunch advocate for gender equality and the LGBTQIA+ community.

However, the star consciously began to peel back from the spotlight around 10 years ago to reprioritize and now makes herself visible only when she wants to. For the fabulous multi-hyphenate, this means popping by the Los Angeles premiere of Wuthering Heights to support her friend and former co-star Margot Robbie and, most recently, sitting down with Who What Wear to discuss her ambassadorship with L'Oréal and the brand's Women of Worth community.

"It's a very 'pinch me' moment," Delevingne tells us about her bucket-list role. The star knows the power of fragrance more than anyone, and the first thing that connects her to the brand is a particularly nostalgic scent. "My grandmother always used Elnett [hair spray], and it's one of the scents that will always remind me of her," she confides. "Being able to say 'Oh, I'm an ambassador' is really crazy." To no one's surprise, this team-up has also improved her beauty game—something she admits to not being so fluent in before.

The star describes her self-care routine as something that changes on a day-by-day basis, but when it comes to wellness, she knows that simplicity is key. "Sometimes, I'm just terrible at washing my face twice a day," she says with a laugh. "But usually, I will always use Revitalift plumping serum because it just wakes up my skin." The rest of her minimal wellness routine includes a daily SPF and a foam roller. No, it's not for the face. It's for her back and shoulders. "I take it everywhere I go," she exclaims. "Maybe that's just me in my 30s, but it's so necessary for me."

Though Delevingne emphasizes the importance of ease when it comes to her skincare routine, she's been taking more risks with her makeup and hair these days, something she never would have thought she'd thoroughly enjoy. "I've been so spoiled that I've just had my makeup done, [so] I was never good at makeup until I started playing with it," she explains. With the resurgence of 2010s makeup—the era of her early social media stardom—Delevingne reveals that the one dated trend she wished she'd mastered then was a sharp wing.

"A little flick, because I love doing that now. … It's my favorite thing," she says. "There's something so satisfying about getting the perfect one." Her trick for perfecting that sharp black swipe? "It's about the little Q-tip you use to correct," she laughs. "Screw the actual cat eye. It's all about correcting."

As for other beauty challenges, Delevingne recently debuted a stunning set of bangs chopped by celebrity-loved hairstylist Mara Roszak, founder of WWW-beloved haircare brand Rōz. Don't act like we didn't tell you this is the biggest beauty movement of 2026. "They're a different beast," she tells us with a grin. "I haven't had bangs since I was a child, and I definitely didn't do anything with my hair when I was younger, and I'm still kind of refusing to. I just look like I have a big mop on my head—in a good way." However, the en-vogue star likens her laissez-faire hair to effortlessly cool, '70s-inspired waves.

"It's giving a very 'Stevie Nicks in the '70s' vibe right now," she states. "The '70s are such an incredible era, especially for that kind of natural beauty. I love letting your natural features shine through. … I always draw back to [that]."

Though Delevingne's beauty literacy has improved throughout the years, it's what she's discovered on the inside through this ambassadorship experience that's given her a new sense of confidence. The star can now look back on many hard years of rigorous work with appreciation thanks to the people she surrounds herself with today.

"One of the things I always found very important—and something I didn't realize until I was older—is the people you align yourself with [and] really being able to share the values that they have," she explains. She cites L'Oréal's Le Défilé, an annual event during Paris Fashion Week, as a turning point. "Doing Le Défilé with so many women that I've looked up to my entire life and having really incredible conversations about [everything from what] scares us to things that lift us up, it really is that picture-perfect feeling of 'Oh, this can be what it's like to work with people you're aligned with,'" she continues. (Nominations for the L'Oréal Women of Worth class of 2026 close on March 8, by the way.)

Though the multi-hyphenate is thankful for the community of strong people she's found herself in, she says she owes a lot more credit to the person in the mirror. Present-day Delevingne wishes she could go back and tell her 20-year-old self—the age when her life became supercharged by stardom—that she was never alone. "I think I was trying so [hard] to run away from myself because I felt so much imposter syndrome, like I just didn't deserve any of it," she confides.

Her advice? To hit pause, take stock, and enjoy every moment. "That all happened so fast," she recalls. "When you're going through any type of big change or something really drastic, it all suddenly happens." When it rains, it pours. "Be able to slow down and enjoy every moment," she adds.

Shop More WWW-Approved L'Oréal Must-Haves

Word to the wise: Don't challenge Isabel May to a Scream trivia contest. She knows her facts. As someone who often overprepares for any situation, May consumed all six Scream films in the span of two days ahead of her meeting with Scream 7 director Kevin Williamson. What was first acting homework became a full-on obsession for the actress. Despite not even being born before the first three films came out and generally avoiding horror films ("I'm a bit of a baby," she says), May has always been hyperaware of the cultural impact of the iconic slasher franchise, which turns 30 later this year. So when Williamson asked to meet with her after watching her breakout performance in the Paramount+ series 1883, she was excited and, more importantly, prepared.

It turns out Williamson did not quiz May, but she left a lasting impression on the director anyway and landed the role of Tatum Prescott, the teen daughter of Sidney Prescott, in the highly anticipated seventh installment, which welcomes back Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Matthew Lillard to the franchise.

Scream 7 is just the beginning for May, who is primed for a banner year with no less than six projects on deck, including a Robert Zemeckis film with Jennifer Lopez. Her critically acclaimed role as 1883's strong-willed Elsa Dutton changed everything for the 25-year-old, paving the way for what is sure to be a noteworthy and long-lasting Hollywood career. Much more than an actor, May is a storyteller through and through with a love for fashion and thrill-seeking activities. We're calling it now: May is going to be a star.

What does it mean to you to be joining the iconic Scream franchise?

I've never been a part of anything of this size. I've been hyperaware of Scream for my entire life because it's been out for longer than I've been alive. And of course, I've seen little Ghostfaces running around every year. Neve's face is ingrained in my mind growing up. I was super aware of Kevin Williamson because every day after school I would race back home so I could watch The Vampire Diaries when cable was a thing and we would all sit around the television together at the same hour. So that's how I knew Kevin—[through] his gentler projects.

I'm a bit of a baby, and I had somewhat of a difficult time consuming horror. I didn't really seek it out so much only because I'm fearful, and I didn't want to take the chance of not being able to fall asleep that night. Kevin wanted to talk with me about this new iteration of Scream because he had seen me in a previous series that I did called 1883, and before that, I consumed every single film. I was so prepared to meet with Kevin. He didn't ask me one thing about any sort of trivia. I'm so proud to be a part of this franchise, especially when it's something that people have grown up with in this way. It's incredibly rare. My only hope is that I am one of the reasons why people are happy to stick around and not the reason why they're wanting to give it up anytime soon.

Since you are now officially a Scream superfan, is there a film or performance that stands out to you?

Oh, goodness. When Amber Freeman is set on fire, that's pretty gruesome and incredibly memorable. I loved everything that Mikey Madison did in that one. She was one of my favorite characters. But then, of course… I'm not even saying it because my character's named after her, but Tatum Riley. Rose McGowan, she is what helped define that film as a meta horror film. She fit so perfectly in the Scream world because there's two versions of a character. There are the ones that feel heightened and are the humor. It's not relief because there's no relief in a Scream film, but [they're] the people that you can laugh at and laugh with and connect to in that way. And then there's the grounding nature of Sidney and some characters like Sidney, where they really help make it feel real despite the elevated performances around her. I kind of fit in that boat. Sometimes, I'm envious of the people that got to float up into the air a bit. At the same time, to be somewhat of a mirror of Sidney and of Neve… We are not the same people by any means. She's much more intelligent than I am and sophisticated, but I do think we have a lot of similarities.

Scream is Campbell's baby. What did you learn from her in the process of working together?

This isn't just an "Oh, I have to say this" kind of thing. She really is one of the best people I've ever worked with, and I've been so lucky. I have worked with some great folks. I think what I really learned is that she's so rooted in reality. Nothing has gone to her head despite the fact that she's been a part of such success for so long, and she takes the work, no matter what it is, very seriously. Some people could come into this and go, "Well, it's meta. It's horror. You just have some fun." No, not at all. This is very difficult work. It's not easy to do well, and there's a reason why Neve playing Sidney has had such an impact. People care about her, and they believe her, and not everyone is able to sell that.

She took me in, she sat me down, and we had a nice little dinner together. I suddenly grew a real respect for the horror community because there's so much I didn't realize. I've always felt like a loner, and I'm notoriously a hermit. I like socializing, but I've been mostly awkward in my time socializing. What she introduced me to was an entire group of people who felt the same way for different reasons that have congregated together over their shared love of a thing and who feel like misfits. When she opened my eyes to that, I realized, "Oh man, this is really important. It's not just entertainment. It means more to people than that." That's a long-winded way of saying she has been a great mentor and a great leader for everyone involved. There's no one you're going to meet that doesn't have respect for Neve Campbell.

Was there a scene that you loved working with her on?

I think it was anything that slowed down. There's so much pace to the project, to any of these films. You're literally running for your life. There's one moment, in particular, at the end of the film where it's just mother and daughter having a really raw, grounded moment together. Amid all of this mayhem, it's really nice that we can center it around that, that we can have those moments—just a momentary breath. I would say that last scene, which I refuse to be a spoiler. I won't do it.

Was there an aspect of filming this movie that required a different acting muscle that surprised you?

Absolutely. Endurance. A film generally is never an easy thing to make. I've never been on a film and went, "Oh, that was a piece of cake." Never. You're always tired. You're always this. You're always that, whatever. There are harder jobs in the world. It's not a complaint, but it still takes a lot out of you. I would say amplify that times 10 with a horror film. You're working almost exclusively overnight every single night. There's always something going wrong just in the logistics of things. … If you're constantly having to be in a state of extreme fear and fatigue and horror, it's bound to… I will admit I was crippled by illness in this production. I got sick a lot, and thank God for Neve. I remember I called someone on production, the first AD, and I went, "I literally can't get out of bed. I cannot roll myself off this bed. I am so sick." And Neve called two seconds later and said, "Baby, I got you." She was so gracious. Didn't make me feel bad about it because, you know, films don't just pause for you. She took the brunt of a couple of days of work off my plate, and they moved things around. That's what I mean by leadership. She's number one on the call sheet for a reason. Wow, I sound like a sycophant. She'd probably roll her eyes, but it's true.

Tell me a little bit about Tatum. Does she take after her mother?

The thing that allowed me access to this story and what made me really interested in it was this new approach that Sidney has a legacy of trauma. I felt a lot of people could relate to inherited trauma. That is what Tatum is grappling with. She's trying to connect with a mother that's been through a lot of stuff, terrible things, and is having a difficult time opening up to her child. So there's really no way to reflect on the good moments and to connect. But then separately, what Sidney also symbolizes is resilience and perseverance despite these terrible things, so for me, my route in was having this history overshadow my relationship with my mother, who I want to be like.

I think Tatum really admires her. She's a cool kid, and she's got a life, and she's got a boyfriend, and she's got interests, and she likes music and these things. She wants to be like her mom, but she's not sure if she is. It's like, Have I inherited that strength? It's a big question. Someone told me she's like [a] "Gen Z final girl." … To a point, yes, she's sort of that, but it would do a disservice to Gen Z to just do a stereotype of what I think that is. Honestly, I don't know what generation I am, but I don't think we're defined by social media and our phones. I think there's more to us, and I wanted Tatum to feel like more than that, like that wasn't what made her of this generation. There's just a lot to unpack and play with.

For a role like Elsa in 1883, there was a lot of prep in terms of learning how to ride a horse and learning the accent. What were the things you did in preparation for Tatum?

I like to always overanalyze so I don't have to analyze at all when I get there. What's always allowed me access to a character is being very opinionated about what they wear and how they look. This is a film that is leaning into nostalgia. I think we're seeing a lot of young people that are suddenly really intrigued by fashion in the '90s, so I wanted to play with that. I thought that'd be really fun. She's someone who feels like an old soul to a degree and, again, really admires her mom, although she'll never say that out loud. She's still a teen, but in certain ways, she wears things to be a reflection of what her mother wore, which is stuff I do today with my own mom.

You had some amazing looks in 1883 too.

Costume design is a huge thing for me. In fact, I'm good friends with Colleen Atwood. She's an iconic costume designer. I was introduced to her through this series Masters of the Air. I adore the woman. What she's been able to do with actors to elevate their performance is unseen. The way that people view it is, "Oh, it's just putting an actor in a costume." No, it's so much more than that. It's helping them transform. It's allowing them to access that character. I love fashion. I love costumes. I love every aspect of it. I want to do more of it.

Who were some of the artists on the Tatum playlist?

Let me bring it up real quick. I listened to Mother Mother's "Hayloft," Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer," Ladytron's "Seventeen," Depeche Mode, and She Wants Revenge. There are a couple of new ones, like Mindless Self Indulgence. It's very moody. Hayley Williams is the queen for Tatum. I think she's a Hayley Williams obsessive-compulsive freak. I got to geek out musically.

Switching gears to 1883, how did that experience shape you as an actor and impact the roles that you want to take on going forward?

It changed everything for me. It was a very odd experience, in that I'm this very unknown, unimportant actor who just wants to do good work and have the opportunity to do good work. I read for Taylor Sheridan, and then he calls two weeks later and says, "I'm gonna write a role for you. You're not doing that one." It was just such a whirlwind and an explosion. You don't know if that's going to be any good, but it's Taylor Sheridan, so you're expecting it will be, and then it's really good, and it's everything you would have hoped for. I was completely lost in it. It changed my perspective on how I work and what I want to do. But it is then difficult to digest anything after that. I suddenly had this bar that was too high, and I was trying to figure out, How do I navigate that? How do I bring it back down? What do I need to do? Because I got there really quickly. You're in this weird situation where you're doing something that I think a lot of actors would have really wanted that role, but it wasn't for anyone but you. You also haven't done enough work prior to that to build up to that point, so you kind of need to backtrack, and there's a lot of navigating.

Now, I have seven films coming out this year. I feel very lucky for that. But it made me reevaluate. You just gotta go and keep working and work your ass off and be really grateful for every opportunity you get and build up to the point where you can have control. That's what I'm really seeking. I wanna be in a situation much like some of the other actors who I really admire that are in the industry doing so well right now, where I can make decisions of my own volition. You gotta earn that place, so that's what I'm doing, but there's so much I want to explore. I don't think acting is enough in my opinion—just for myself personally. There's no stone I don't want to turn over. It took me a while to think of myself as an actor. I just think of myself as a storyteller, and I think whatever medium I can play with and explore to become more of that, I'm happy to do.

I know you love reading. What's currently on your nightstand?

I'm reading a gratuitous book called Maeve Fly (CJ Leede)—gratuitous in the best way, by the way. I'm reading Playing to the Gods (Peter Rader), which is about Sarah Bernhardt, who is one of the first actors and fake celebrities of her time. It's fascinating. That's a nonfiction novel. Gosh, I'm reading a book that Andrei Tarkovsky wrote, who was a very famous Russian filmmaker. I'm the sort of person that has too many books in circulation at the same time, and because of that, I can't ever get anything done. I feel like I read seven books at the same time for a year, which is incredibly ineffective. I need to figure out how to do this better. I read quite a bit also just looking for development material. I did that with one book. I became obsessive-compulsive about a book when I was 16, and I got the rights to it when I was 23. Once I get an itch, I have to scratch it. All I do is read and watch movies and then go out and try to do some crazy activities that are probably verging on extremely dangerous, but I find that really fun.

So you're a thrill seeker?

Well, there's the two extremes. It's root yourself and then unroot yourself. But nothing in between. I look at reading and watching films as part of my job. When I'm thinking of things that have nothing to do with my job and nothing to do with the entertainment industry or art in general, I love rally racing. I've been trying to get a pilot's license for almost five years, which is really ridiculous. But every time I'm on a project, I'm forbidden from flying. So my goal is to try to find a patch of time, like a month, to just completely commit to it, and I can get it done. It's been a huge goal of mine. I love flying. I find it really nerve-racking and stimulating. I guess I'm a bit of a thrill seeker.

Scream 7 is now in theaters.

Photographer: Elias Tahan
Stylist: Kevin Michael Ericson
Hairstylist: Kiki Heitkotter
Makeup Artist: Kelsey Deenihan

The humming of a Piero Piccioni score, the aroma of a freshly plucked orange, or the sun dancing across the water: a few examples of the enchanting scenes evoked by Montce x Elsa Hosk. Whether vacation to you means somewhere on the Amalfi Coast, sailing the Greek Islands, traipsing along the French Riviera, or simply sunbathing on a NYC rooftop, I believe it's not so much the locale as it is the swimsuit's responsibility to charm and transport. Before you pack your spring break carry-on with last year's bikini, we spoke with the It girl Elsa Hosk and got the inside scoop on the most elegant swimwear of 2026.

Designed in collaboration with the model and founder of Helsa (a Revolve and FWRD exclusive), Montce has combined its vintage-inspired detailing with Elsa's cool-girl fashion intuition to create a vacation wardrobe ripe with timeless, chic swimwear. "There are many reasons why this partnership feels so genuine for us, but among them is that Montce x Elsa feels less like a collaboration, and more like a shared world," said Montce's founder, Alexandra Grief, in the press release.

We spoke with Elsa about the behind-the-scenes of the collection, and when asked about her creative process, it became clear that Grief's characterization was spot on: "I'm very visual. I always start with references and build a world before I design anything. It can be an old photograph, a color in nature, a fabric texture, or even architecture. Once I know the feeling, the details become very specific. It’s instinctive, but also very intentional," said the Helsa founder. Elsa's attentive work ethic and conscious pursuit of nostalgia are precisely what make Montce x Elsa Hosk feel so transportive.

Slip into any item from the beautiful sixty-six-piece collection, and you'll be transported to a sun-soaked vacation you'll never wish to end. Exclusively available at Montce's website, the romantic swimwear line launches today, March 2. It features flirty bikinis, high-cut one-pieces, coordinating coverups, and gorgeous accessories. Not to mention, the pastel color palette of seafoam blues and pretty pinks is absolutely dreamlike.

Scroll on to read more for our conversation with Elsa, her creative inspiration, vacation must-haves, favorite sunscreen brand, book of choice (spoiler: it's a recent movie adaptation has viewers everywhere in a trance), then, shop the best swimwear of 2026: the Montce x Elsa Hosk capsule collection.

Elsa Hosk on the Collection

What was your hands-on involvement in the design process for this collection?

I love Montce’s silhouettes. They’re feminine but still feel strong and confident. So this collaboration was really about refining what was already there. Softening a curve, lowering a strap slightly on the shoulder, adjusting where the waist sits so it feels effortless on the body. Then it became about building the mood around those shapes. Sun-washed creams, airy blues, florals that feel natural, like they’ve always belonged in a garden.

It's clear across all your projects how intentional you are, from chic vintage references to niche retro callbacks. It is on full display here in the Montce x Elsa Hosk capsule collection. What were the creative inspirations behind this Collaboration?

We shot the collection in Malibu, which is a place I really love. It has that quiet, effortless beauty that I’m always drawn to. I’m constantly inspired by vintage European summers, but I like it when it feels subtle. I wanted it to feel like a late summer afternoon that just unfolds naturally. Sculpted swim against soft greenery. Pale blue that mirrors the sky. Cream that almost disappears into the light. It’s romantic and a little nostalgic. Slightly dreamlike, but still very real.

How would you describe the colors and patterns we see in this romantic collection?

The palette feels really fresh to me. Creams, pale blues, soft yellow, little hits of cherry. Romantic, but still strong. Nothing feels loud, but it’s not shy either. The florals have personality. Nostalgic and not overly sweet.

What's your favorite look from the collection?

Ah, it’s so hard to choose. I really love the whole collection. But right now I’m especially drawn to the silky creams and blues.

Elsa Hosk on Her Vacation Must-Haves

Where does the Montce x Elsa Hosk wearer vacation? Côte d'Azur, the Amalfi Coast, Montenegro?

All of the above! Côte d’Azur, Amalfi Coast, archipelagos of Sweden. Or just her backyard in Los Angeles. Wherever she goes feels like summer.

What's their poolside order, beachside read, and sunscreen of choice?

My poolside order right now would probably be pistachio gelato and an iced Coke. Book of choice right now, maybe Wuthering Heights. And sunscreen is nonnegotiable. I always have my SunsolveMD on me!

What are your nonnegotiables when it comes to packing a carry-on?

Good skincare. Always. Oversize sunnies, maybe a few pairs. And somehow always one of Tuuli’s little toys tucked in my bag - which I love!

What are the three items you're pairing with your swim/vacation look? Shoes, bag, sunglasses, etc.

Simple leather sandals. Sunglasses always. And a vintage hat I found somewhere along the way.

Shop the Montce x Elsa Hosk Capsule Collection

Welcome to The Glowdown, the series where we dive into the beauty secrets of our favourite celebrities as they get real about their routines and non-negotiables exclusively with us. Join them as they sit in our beauty hot seat, and we fire off a round of quick questions, giving you never-before-shared insight into the products they can't live without, their secrets to getting red carpet–ready, beauty pet peeves and the genius tips they've picked up along the way. This is no-holds-barred beauty at its finest.

This month, we sat down with Sienna Miller. The 44-year-old actress has just been announced as the new global brand ambassador for Schwarzkopf Creme Supreme, and we had lots of beauty questions for her. Below, we ask Sienna all about her celebrity hair muses, her go-to fragrance, the makeup products she can't live without and even the candles she loves to burn at home…

1. Which beauty product gives you the biggest mood boost?
I think hair colour really does change your mood, and having vibrant, fresh colour definitely gives me a boost, so I would say Schwarzkopf Creme Supreme.

2. If you could steal someone else’s makeup bag, whose would it be?
Probably Charlotte Tilbury's!

3. You’ve got a spot. Are you team pop it or team leave it alone?
Oh, I would love to be team leave it alone, but sadly, I never quite made it to that side of the fence! I would pop it.

4. You only have one product to use for the rest of your life—what is it? It’s going to have to be lip balm, because could you imagine needing it and not having it? I think the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream is iconic and just always works.

5. What’s the best piece of beauty advice that you have ever received?
Genuinely, sleep and water. It’s so boring and annoying, but I now have to drink so much more water than I ever thought I needed, and as you get older, that’s increasingly more important. Hydration is the key.

6. What's your signature fragrance?
I swap between a few. There’s a Chloé fragrance that I love, Le Labo Thé Noir 29 and then there’s a little aromatherapy oil called E11even, which I got sent a while ago. It’s an aromatherapy stick that you roll on, and it’s gorgeous.

7. You’re having your nails done. What’s your go-to colour?
A natural, beige nude [colour]. I’ve tried to experiment with other colours. I think it just suits me better to be a natural, nude girl.

8. What’s your biggest beauty no-no?
I think filler is not a good idea for anyone.

9. Name one beauty product that is always in your handbag
A freckle pen. I love adding [faux] freckles in winter. There's the Charlotte Tilbury Foxy Brown Lip Cheat, a lip liner that I use for freckles, and that’s great.

10. The greatest drugstore product for under £10?
The Dr. PawPaw lip balm is a great one.

11. Describe your brows in one word.
Sad! Extinct! No, I used to have quite big brows, and they’ve just slightly withered away. They are also very unruly; they are fine here and curling on in themselves here, and it’s a battle.

12. Which era of beauty inspires you most?
I love the '60s. I think that everybody looked great. And the '30s were dreamy and romantic. If I had to, I’d say those two.

13. Confession time: how often do you clean your makeup brushes?
I can’t even remember ever doing it! That’s terrible, isn't it? I’ve got one that gets so covered in foundation that it goes really orange, but I’ll just use the soap by the sink. I don’t have a brush cleaner.

14. What beauty rule do you always break?
I would love to be more consistent with SPF. I know you’re supposed to do it in winter, but if it’s grey and cold, I just can't. It doesn’t connect that I would still need an SPF even though 800,000 people have told me to wear it.

15. Which celebrity’s hair would you love to steal?
I'm kind of obsessed with Pamela Anderson in the '90s. That kind of really brassy blonde. That was good hair.

16. Candles, reed diffusers or nothing at all?
Candles. I love the Diptyque Baies candle, and Buly, the French brand. [They are] the most beautiful candles.

17. Best beauty hack?
My entire approach to beauty has been shaped by the fact that I’ve worked with amazing people, and I kind of know where to put things on my face that change it in the right way. Although I feel like this generation knows everything, I don’t think I can teach. My 13-year-old is like, "Mum, please." She knows more than I do; you guys are way ahead of me.

Shop Sienna Miller's Favourite Beauty Products:

Step into the universe of the coolest creatives in the fashion industry with our series My World, where readers will discover how the top stylists, designers, and tastemakers built their careers and get a peek into their favorite restaurants, beloved albums, fashion finds, etiquette rules they stand by, and so much more.

The cover star of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, W, and countless other magazines worldwide. The face of campaigns for Chloé, Ferragamo, Gucci, Miu Miu, Tory Burch, and Valentino. A graduate of the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London with a degree in classical theater and an acting debut as the leading lady in Sean Baker's 2012 Starlet, followed by roles in Alex Ross Perry's Listen Up Philip and Noah Baumbach's While We're Young. These are just a few of the highlights from Dree Hemingway's career thus far.

Adding to her impressive résumé, the Sun Valley, Idaho-raised, Los Angeles– and Rome-based actress is currently playing Daryl Hannah in Ryan Murphy's long-awaited series Love Story alongside Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, which recently premiered on February 12. Her next performance will be in The Girl, a film that examines Roman Polanski's abuse scandal through the perspective of the victim, Samantha Geimer. It is the feature writing and directing debut of French filmmaker Marina Ziolkowski.

If her well-known last name looks familiar, it's because she's the great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway himself (and the daughter of actress Mariel Hemingway and businessman Stephen Crisman)—the subject of The Hemingway Files, an upcoming film she's executive-producing. The project is a candid portrayal of the final years of his life, including his struggles with mental health, his complicated relationship with his daughter Gloria, and his paranoia-induced belief that J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI were watching him.

Over our video call, Dree's easygoing, fun-loving energy is quickly apparent. She has that "lit from within" quality, and the same warmth comes through in a scroll of her Instagram. She comes across as glamorous yet grounded, confident yet approachable, well-traveled, stylish, and uninhibited.

Below, take a look into the world of the actress, model, and soon-to-be producer.

You started your career in modeling. When do you feel like acting became serious for you, or was that always the goal?

I always wanted to be an actress. I felt like I actually started modeling because, in my mind, it was an exploration of character. It was kind of like an intro into the acting world when I felt like I wasn't ready to be an actress quite yet. I feel like you have to draw on life experiences to better a character on-screen. I had been a ballet dancer, so it felt like a natural path toward the acting world. But I mean, acting has been my dream forever. As long as I can remember, I was like, "I'm gonna be an actress."

Between going to school for acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and landing your first role in a Sean Baker film, was there an experience from either that shaped you early on?

I feel like working with Sean was a really magical and unique introduction to the acting world. It was very improv-heavy but also so character-driven. It was such a guerrilla-style project, and to this day, it's one of my favorite things I've ever done because it really made me fall in love with this industry beyond anything else, and it solidified that this is exactly what I want to do and need to be doing in my life. I also grew up watching Turner Classic Movies, and I feel like women like Katharine Hepburn and the leading ladies in Hitchcock films were really why I wanted to be an actress. There's elegance but also such power in these women. I really fell in love with Old Hollywood. I think we're in a different era today, but I still think that essence exists in some way.

With Love Story, how did you get into the role? Do you have a standout memory from being on set?

In terms of getting into the role, it was mostly interviews. There were a couple of different interviews I would quickly watch to ground myself in it. But my favorite thing on set was just being with everybody. I think every set is special, but this one, in particular, was incredible because I really loved everyone. It's a beautiful machine unlike anything I've ever experienced, and I really enjoyed working with everyone. Jesse Peretz specifically was so magical. And then Jason McCormick, the DP, was really fun to work with. It's like a dance, and you can just feel that he's creating something amazing.

You're also producing The Hemingway Files. Is there any part of your great-grandfather's legacy or stories you've heard about his personality that you feel like you relate to or see in yourself?

One-hundred percent. I feel like he was a people person and really enjoyed being around strangers and hearing their stories, and I'm very much that person too. I like talking to the people I'm working with and knowing what's going on with them. I'm very curious about that. He also loved to travel and loved nature. I remember the first time I went to Africa and thinking, "Oh, I get it. This runs through our blood."

I would love to know three words that you feel define your personal style right now.

I think my personal style right now is very '90s and minimal. I don't like to overthink things. I want to just throw things on. If I'm wearing a pattern, I pair it with something simple. If I'm wearing something colorful, everything else needs to be undone. There has to be a juxtaposition. I never like to be over-the-top. At the same time, I like making bold statements that surprise people. But overall, I think I've consistently, my whole life, been a little more grounded in the way I dress.

Do you have style icons who really inform your style?

I feel like Gwyneth Paltrow in the '90s is kind of a style icon of mine and Julia Roberts too. I also feel like Katharine Hepburn is a huge style icon for me. She wore pantsuits in such an elegant way, but there was also an androgynous side that I really enjoy. Who else? I think my style is very intuitive. There can be someone or something I've seen that inspires me, but there's always my own take. Lauren Hutton is a huge style icon for me as well. I like when it's playful, undone, but with a splash of something unexpected. For hair and makeup, I can't really do over-the-top. I've tried, and it looks cool, but it really becomes a character thing.

What would you say is the most sentimental item in your closet?

I have a Tiffany's watch that was either my Aunt Margot's or my mother's, and it's falling apart. It has a black strap, and I keep trying to push it down. I keep taking it in to get it fixed. It's very sentimental to me. It's funny because I love things, and I have a lot of things, but I feel like memories and the people around me are more important than the objects themselves. I do have a sweater that I wear every time I travel, which was my father's. It's falling apart, and I kind of look like a ratty sack bag, but it's become a habit, and I could never give it away even though I'll probably stop wearing it at some point. The sleeves are ripping, and I keep getting them sewn, so now, it's starting to look a little wild.

What would you say is your most repurchased beauty product?

There's this brand called Mimoh by Dr. Ellie, who's a Korean acupuncturist. It's a PDRN spray and cream, and I've seen the most change in my skin with that. Then there's another brand called Osmosis. I take two vitamins from them that help with hormonal and environmental changes. It's all-natural and called Skin Defense, and it's kept me from breaking out completely.

Are there any other products that you're loyal to?

Have you seen Bonjout? It's a cream that I really love. I also use Kosas concealer, and my go-to is the Super Tinted Hydrator from U Beauty. If I need more coverage, I'll layer it, but normally, that's just what I put on for daytime. For cheek tint, I use the Merit one in Rouge.

Do you have a go-to lip liner?

I really like the Saie Beauty in Twist.

What about a nail polish color you're always getting or coming back to?

I feel like it's Mademoiselle. I've been craving going red for months now, but when I was on set, I could never do red. Then, I keep doing shoots, and they want natural colors, so I can't do red. But I really love a cherry cherry.

Do you have a favorite one? I feel like a lot of people have their one red polish.

It's called Big Apple Red. Then there's another one—Ferrari red… Or is it Lamborghini? It's a really aggressive poppy, but I really like it because it has orange undertones.

You grew up in Idaho. I've never been—how do you usually describe it when people ask, "What's it like growing up in Idaho"?

It's beautiful. I grew up in a ski town. I call it a less-bougie Aspen situation. It's nice, but people are still wearing their Patagonias and hiking boots. It's not a fashion thing at all. A lot of Old Hollywood would vacation there in the 1950s, and they even had a train from Los Angeles up to Sun Valley. It's where the first chairlift ever was. It's very green. It's a valley, so it sits between mountains, and it's stunning. My whole heart and soul is there, and I don't think I fully appreciated it as much growing up. Now, I just cherish everything that it is, and I'm so grateful that I was able to grow up there. Winter is really beautiful, but in the summers, there are lakes, rivers, and hiking, and it's so lush.

What's your number one Idaho recommendation?

There's Craters of the Moon, which is really funny. It's all this volcanic rock. Then you go down into it, which is very entertaining. Redfish Lake is gorgeous. I'd also recommend hiking there. That's a great spot. And my favorite, favorite, favorite restaurant for Thai food is a place called Rickshaw.

You split your time between L.A. and Rome. Do you have a favorite restaurant in each place?

Maybe Damian for Mexican food downtown. It's like heaven. Oh, and there's a restaurant in Rome called Pierluigi, which is my favorite—expensive but so good. In L.A., Speranza. It's a cheap Italian spot, but it's so yummy. I like a character-filled restaurant that feels homey and cozy.

If you could bring one thing from L.A. to Rome and vice versa, what would it be?

There's this desk sewing table that I found. It was in a secondhand store. It's by Ponti, who's like the creator of mid-century modern, and I got it for next to nothing. I would love to bring it here, but it really needs to stay there. I also have really good rugs and really good art out there.

Do you have a favorite family ritual that you do?

My dad passed away, and his birthday was on Christmas Eve, so every year on Christmas Eve, we eat his favorite meal. I don't really eat meat, but I have steak every year with mashed potatoes on his birthday. It's really fun and really celebratory [with] a really good glass of red wine. I think that's my favorite tradition.

What music do you have on repeat right now?

Rosalía.

Letterboxd top four?

The Fifth Element, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, The Philadelphia Story, and Spirited Away.

Is there a film or book that you feel like really changed you?

Yes, you know what? I don't know if it changed me, but watching Pride and Prejudice, I was like, "Why am I not British and living in the countryside during this time period?" All of the Jane Austen books and films had that effect on me. … I remember watching Sophie's Choice. Again, it didn't change me, but it devastated me to the point where I was like, "Wow." At the same time, it's exquisite acting. It's a hard movie, but just… wow.

Favorite book?

The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorites. There's Autobiography of a Yogi that I really love.

One etiquette rule that you follow?

Please and thank you. Kindness.

Is there a trend right now that you will not participate in that you feel strongly like is not for you?

Um, yeah. Some of the 2000s trends, like low-rise jeans. I attempted to get back into that again, but I don't know if it's for me. I'm not sure I can pull it off.

What is the best parenting advice that you've gotten?

I think the best parenting advice is to be present—be present with your child. Also, try not to overreact because kids have no control over their emotions.

Is there one piece of advice from either of your parents that you feel like you think about a lot or that you feel is a defining thing for you.

My mom always used to say, "Pretty is as pretty does," meaning that it's not just about outer beauty. It's really about internal kindness. That's something I hope to instill in my daughter.

Say hello to Unfiltered, a fresh beauty series where you'll get an exclusive glimpse into the dressed-down beauty routines of our favorite celebrities and content creators. They'll reveal their guilty-pleasure beauty practices, the five-minute-routine product lineup they can't live without, the one good-skin tip they'll be forever thankful for, and so much more. To bring every conversation full circle, we ask each celebrity to send us a selection of self-shot, filter-free photos of their choosing to capture the essence of their Unfiltered beauty philosophy.

Up next, we're getting to know comedian and podcast host Hannah Berner, who has partnered with Kiehl's on the launch of the new Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Medicated Cream. Below, she's answering all of our rapid-fire questions, sharing her go-to beauty products, shedding insight on her writing process, and more. Enjoy!

Let's start with some context. What is your skin type, and what are your skin concerns?

Not to brag, but I have combination skin, so I'm oily and dry, which apparently makes you age gracefully but also makes you super shiny. I'm glad that the glowy look is in because I've been glowy since day one. When my skin is dehydrated, I get more oil production, and it just isn't good. So hydration is my number one.

You've partnered with Kiehl's, and it's timed with the new Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Medicated Cream. I'm a huge fan of the original Ultra Facial Cream. It's actually the first non-drugstore skincare purchase I ever made when I was 15 with my babysitting money. What felt aligned about this partnership? Do you have any personal favorites from the brand?

I'm also obsessed with Kiehl's. I think it was the first brand that my husband and I would fight over because he's obsessed with unscented [products]. A lot of stuff I get is scented, or it feels super chemically, or it's sparkly or whatever, and he just wants an unscented moisturizer. I literally have to fight him off.

I want serums that I can trust. Their vitamin C serum. Their dark-spot serum. I love it. Also, because I travel a lot and I'm super dehydrated, I think their overnight mask is just amazing. It's not too thick. It's just enough to make you feel like you're not going to get clogged pores, but you're also going to wake up feeling refreshed. And then their lip balm! I'm dehydrated everywhere, so I love the lip balm.

I grew up in New York City, and I'd always see the Kiehl's store. It's not a chemical, mass-produced thing. It's honest and real. What I love about the Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Medicated Cream is that it's not too thick. I can wear it under makeup. I love putting it on as a primer for shows, and it helps [my makeup] last longer. I'm less greasy because of it, and the cooling is really great for me because I'm just always a little bit red.

Would you consider yourself more of a beauty maximalist or a minimalist?

I'm such a minimalist because I'm always on tour, and you can only pack so much when you're touring. I like to add vitamin C. Apparently, I should do some more hyaluronic acid. But yeah, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and moisturizer are the three things I'm focusing on right now.

People say double cleanse. Okay, whatever you want, but [I'm] just making sure I clean my face before I go to sleep. I find that if I don't shower at night, the oils from my hair affect my skin, so I shower every single night. That's where I get all my thinking done. When there's an emergency, I do love a mask. I love eye patches just because life is about the little things that make you happy.

Oh yeah, little luxuries. We love them. I'm obsessed with The Berner Line, the hotline for skin emergencies you set up with Kiehl's. Do you have any stories to share about your own skin emergency that has happened perhaps on tour or before you went onstage?

Great question. I once did not put enough sunscreen on. It was that first day of summer when your skin's not ready for a beach day, but you're like, "We're doing it," and you're there for like seven hours. Obviously, I didn't reapply, and I woke up the next morning with a sun blister on my lip. I don't know if you've ever had this happen to you. It's never happened to me before. The next day, I was supposed to fly to meet my boyfriend's family with a full blister—like huge. I couldn't hide it with concealer, so I'm walking around with it. People think it's herpes, but it was not herpes. It was pussing and bleeding, and I was just like, "Nice to meet you, parents!" That was my skin nightmare.

If it makes you feel better, last year, I was going to my sister-in-law's baby shower, and I got a full allergic reaction because I'm a beauty editor, and I'm constantly testing things. I think everyone in attendance was like, "Who is this?"

You're like, "Sorry that I'm sacrificing myself for people before they buy things."

Yeah, exactly. I'm a guinea pig. It just comes with the territory. Let's talk about your makeup routine. Are there any daily essentials that you rely on for your off-duty look?

Not to brag, but I, for some reason, have very pale natural lips. When I put a lip liner on, she's like a new woman, so I'm obsessed with lip liners and not necessarily expensive ones. I use Maybelline. I use Make Up For Ever. I'm liking brown shades right now—very '90s. And I like a lip oil over it. I'll do a Kosas lip oil or a Tower 28 lip gloss or a Fenty lip gloss. Then I love a little brow gel, like Rare Beauty's brow gel. If I'm feeling really frisky, I'll use a Charlotte Tilbury contour to just snatch me up a little bit, and I like the L'Oréal Telescopic Mascara.

I also love the L'Oréal Telescopic Mascara. For the Make Up For Ever lip pencil, do you use the shade Anywhere Caffeine?

Yes! And for Maybelline, I use the shade On It. It's amazing. It's really smooth, but yeah, everyone loves Anywhere Caffeine. Every makeup artist puts it on me. I'm obsessed with it also. I love It Cosmetics' CC cream.

Classic. So good.

Right? When you say you like something, I feel like I'm getting approval from a knowledgeable person. But that's really it. I don't need a highlighter because I'm already greasy. Throw on a little eye shadow, maybe. I do use a black Maybelline liquid eyeliner sometimes. I also want to throw in the Revision Skincare Youthfull Lip Replenisher. It's really, really good for hydration.

Ooh, okay. I have so many recommendations to work with. You make comedy and podcasting look so easy. Is it something that you always knew you wanted to do, or did you happen upon it?

Since I was little, I was always goofy and creative, and I loved playing pretend, acting, and getting attention. I happened to be athletic and born into a very sports-oriented family. At like 7 years old, I decided I wanted to be a professional tennis player. Comedy didn't cross my mind.

After college, I played for the University of Wisconsin, and I felt kind of burnt out. I felt like I had a creative side that I had been suppressing. I mean, I was always a little too goofy and chatty on the court. I was always showing a lot of emotions and joking more than I should, so slowly, I figured out that you could make money just joking with your friends. Once I realized that, I was like, "It's game time. This is what I want to do."

I think that my tennis career helped prepare me so much for the discipline that comes with things like traveling alone and performing onstage. It all came together, but I was a late-in-life dreamer of being a stand-up comedian.

I want to talk about your upcoming Netflix special. What is it like to work on such a big project? How do you begin to gather the material, edit it down, and get it into a certain time frame?

In a month, I'm going to film my second special for Hulu. After I shot my first special, I basically burned my material. It's not like being a singer, where you have a hit song and can sing it for the rest of your career. After a hit joke, people are like, "Funny, but where's the next one?" After the special, I had to start from zero, which is the weirdest feeling because you feel so accomplished, but then you also feel like you have nothing to work with.

I booked a bunch of comedy clubs. Throughout my life, whenever something makes me laugh or makes my friend laugh, I will take notes. I always say, "If it makes my best friend laugh, it'll work onstage." If Paige [DeSorbo] doesn't think it's funny, it's not going to work. So I have all these notes, and I would go onstage with a paper and try to make the audience laugh. It's called writing onstage, where you just tell a story and see if you can add more punches.

After about five or six weekends, I had a loose hour of new premises, and I was working on adding more punch lines. My comedy has to be relatable. For some reason, I'm not embarrassed to say something. That's my superpower. If I can make anyone feel less alone by talking about the stuff that I'm going through—whether it's silly or embarrassing or something I'm proud of—I will. I think that's why people can connect with my comedy.

Oh, 100%. And the girls love it. That can be a very brave thing to do. Do you ever get nervous, especially when writing onstage? I can't even imagine. I literally write the opposite of onstage. I'm at my desk by myself.

Stand-up comedians, we are writers, but we go about it in different ways. My hour is completely written out, but you don't know if it's funny unless you try it in front of people. I do have to say it is scary, but it just depends on your personality. I was scared to get a driver's license until I was 34, but I'm fine talking in front of 1000 people. I'm very scared of things I shouldn't be scared of and then not scared of things I should be.

When I played tennis, it was either you're a loser or you're a winner. With this, I find it's art, so it's less pressure in a way. I always say, "People don't remember what you said; they remember how you made them feel." I try to go out with the right energy and hope for the best, but I never walk off being like, "You're a loser," which I sometimes did with tennis.

That's the nice part about writing in any form. It's very much contextual. I assume you watch a lot of other comedians or find inspiration through them. I do the same with other writers. I read my colleagues' work and other books and articles. I think it can be easy to fall victim to comparison. I could be reading John Steinbeck, and I'll be like, "You could never write that!" Do you ever struggle with comparison?

That is such a good question, especially in the social media age because you are comparing yourself to the idea of someone. I think I realized that gratitude is important. The second you find yourself comparing yourself to someone's life that you made up in your head, it's important to think, "Wow, I'm so lucky to be where I am now compared to where I was." There's no competition when you're being authentic with yourself.

So yeah, John Steinbeck? Iconic, but he's not you. When I'm onstage, I don't try to be like anyone else. I don't try to contort my comedy to be like someone else who's successful. I stick with my voice. If I do feel a bit of jealousy, I try to use that. It's telling me what I want and what I want to do. I use it as motivation. "Oh, that's the direction I want to take my career." Let that inspire you.

I absolutely love that. In my case, I guess it's important to remember that I've never seen John Steinbeck write about skincare.

He'd probably be so bad about writing about skincare.

That's so funny. Using jealousy as a guide is a very cool concept. I love that. Okay, last but not least, what's your unfiltered beauty philosophy in seven words or less?

A sense of humor is everything. When you don't take yourself too seriously, it's so attractive. It's so beautiful. To be able to laugh at things makes everything lighter.

Shop Hannah Berner's Unfiltered Beauty Edit

Jump scares are ubiquitous these days. While technically a horror trope used to jolt an audience (a loud knock, a sudden figure in the mirror), the term has been snatched by the chronically online and now refers to any incident that might set your heart aflutter, from opening your email on a Monday morning to an impromptu check-in from your ex. A random text stating "Do you want to read something weird?" should, in theory, classify as a jump scare. For Jeremy Pope, it's just another day in the Ryan Murphy universe.

"I was looking at the iPhone, watching the bubbles like, 'Surely, he's going to say something else,'" the Emmy-, Golden Globe-, Grammy-, and two-time Tony-nominated performer tells me on an icy January morning. Following a quick clapback ("Ryan, everything you do is weird"), he received—again, with zero context—a script for The Beauty, a body-horror sci-fi series based on the comic book of the same name. The premise: A biotech drug turned sexually transmitted virus called The Beauty transforms people into their hottest selves, only for them to spontaneously combust roughly two years in. Beauty is pain, as they say.

"There was a character named Jeremy, so initially, I was like, 'I guess that's me,'" he says. Pope didn't know much about his arc (at the time, he and Evan Peters were the only actors on board, though stars such as Rebecca Hall, Isabella Rossellini, and Bella Hadid would eventually join the project), but he immediately got the sense it'd be his most sinister role to date. It's certainly a departure from the confident, openly gay screenwriter he portrayed in Murphy's Hollywood and the charming love interest, Christopher, in the director's final season of Pose.

This go-around, Pope would assume the dangerous outsider, an incel (involuntary celibate) desperate for the physical transformation he believes will finally kick-start his love life. "It's a color that I haven't really messed with in my color box as an artist," he says. "When you do something really well, people like to see it continue because it's comforting. 'We want to see you in the rom-com' or 'We want to see you play the queer characters.' Sometimes, in the unsafe spaces you learn a lot."

For Pope, it was important to highlight what made his character, the "bad guy," agonizingly, utterly human: his desire to be seen. "Jeremy has been denied that for so many years of his life. It's like the wires never got to touch," he says. "The feeling of longing for that or needing that, that's something I felt very connected to." Pope made sure to imbue that nuance into every scene so it didn't just feel like his story was a trope for murder. (Spoiler, there's quite a lot of that.)

You can clearly see this longing in episode 3 when Jeremy kills the woman who infected him on behalf of The Assassin (portrayed by Anthony Ramos). He drops the cast-iron pan, a shy half-smile ghosting his lips. Did I make you proud? his eyes seem to say, as if he were a child begging for a parent's approval. It's no coincidence that The Assassin compares Jeremy to his own son before officially bringing him on as his protégé.

A commentary on Ozempic culture and the obsession with cosmetic tweakments, The Beauty holds up a magnifying mirror to the audience and asks them the following: How far would you go in the pursuit of perfection? "One shot that makes you hot" is the extreme scenario, but one could argue we've already started down the slippery slope. Nonsurgical nose jobs, electromagnetic stimulation from high-tech devices meant to simulate 20,000 crunches, injections of your own platelet-rich plasma to encourage collagen production—all these treatments, innovative as they are, might also belong in a campy sci-fi project if they weren't so widely accepted in the skincare sphere. As Pope shared on his recent press tour, even braces are technically a cosmetic enhancement—a pricey one at that—to improve your public image.

So I have to ask, where are Pope's own limits for looking and feeling good?

Ultimately, he has a "do what you need to do" mentality, but he recognizes that internalized aesthetic trauma often muddies the decision and reminds himself that perfection is a moving target. "Beauty trends will always change, so what are you actually chasing? What is the 'one shot?'" he poses. After all, it's not like you can yo-yo your cosmetic procedures like you might overhaul your wardrobe each season—at least not without some hefty complications. "That's when it can get a bit dangerous. You can lose yourself in evolving for others," he adds.

Growing up as a self-described "string bean" who made his way into arguably the most forward-facing career on the planet, Pope is not immune to the pressure of looking perfect. "Man, these cameras now are all up in your nose hairs," he laughs, adding that he's surely felt inclined to follow a rigorous workout schedule and subscribe to a certain diet before an important shoot or red carpet. "My dad's a bodybuilder, so I know a diet plan very well."

Of course, portraying a character meant to represent the perfect version of someone comes with its own level of pressure to live up to the part. Pope tells me he zeroed in on skincare while on set ("We in there eye-patching it. … We're doing the things"), making sure his complexion felt awake and healthy despite the camera's pore-emphasizing lens. "I can definitely tell the difference when I have done my skincare regimen and when I haven't," he adds.

Since filming, however, Pope's overall definition of beauty has aligned with the show's central message: What makes you unique is actually the most interesting. "I walked away with this profound appreciation for the nuance of beauty and how unconventional—weird, as Ryan would say—it is," he says. "[What] makes you think, makes you ponder, makes you uncomfortable… All of those things, to me, would be classified in my definition of beauty."

It's a lesson he doesn't just ascribe to the physical self; a beautiful, full career is also not without its discomforts. "Being a Black, queer artist is unconventional," he shares. "When I walked into this industry, so many people wanted me to not share my truth. They thought that you need to perform a version of yourself tethered to success and security. 'You want to work, don't you? Present yourself in this way.'" The same could be said for beauty standards. You want to earn social capital? Alter your appearance like this. Then… Oh, wait! Quickly pivot because the tides have shifted.

It's hard to believe there was ever a time when Pope didn't have the Midas touch. His Broadway debut in the coming-of-age drama Choir Boy earned him a Tony nomination, and that same season, he starred in the musical Ain't Too Proud, which landed him a Grammy nod for Best Musical Theater Album. His first leading role in a feature-length film, The Inspection, made him a Golden Globe contender, and he was up for an Emmy in 2020 as Hollywood's aforementioned Archie Coleman, his first TV role.

But Pope tells me that it was only when he decided to shed other people's projections of him that he started to really thrive. "The moment that I showed up in spaces as myself, that's when all of the things that were meant for me presented themselves," he recounts. "It's a testament to when you lean into all that you are and that you've been equipped with, that's what makes you singular. That's what makes you beautiful."

What makes his character in The Beauty so singular is his radical vulnerability, which he still clings to post-transformation—an intentional through line for Pope and Jaquel Spivey, who plays a pre-infected Jeremy. "Because he came in so open, it allowed me to just meet him with that," Pope says of Spivey's performance. "Hopefully, that energy of being honest and vulnerable will be tethered throughout the whole first season with this character, even if you don't agree with what he's doing."

It's even easier to remain open in the presence of a friend who feels like family, which is likely why Pope's favorite scenes (mine too) are his interactions with Ramos, who he's known since college. "A lot of the stuff we're doing on-screen we improv-ed in the moment," he reveals, eyes sparkling with the memory of those initial shoots. "Having someone that you know and are comfortable improv-ing and being funny with just felt safe."

Their chemistry, of course, is palpable. "I wouldn't have been comfortable enough to say ButterflyBootyMeat92 to a stranger. That wouldn't have been the first thing that came out of my mouth," he deadpans regarding his monologue in episode 3. (At a dim Applebee's bar, Jeremy recounts the time he drove to meet up with an online hookup—Ms. ButterflyBootyMeat—who ultimately turned him away. You can't help but giggle, even though that same restaurant scene ends with one of the most chilling smiles I've witnessed on television.) "He would throw it right back to me, and we just got to play. Who can do the craziest thing in this scene? Who can say the craziest thing?''

On the flip side, it's quite easy to open up to Pope. With a voice like butter and a smile that melts your insides, he is pretty much warmth personified. The day of our video call, just 18 hours after his Who What Wear shoot, is so mind-numbingly arctic that I find myself huddling into my computer, as if his energy can somehow thaw my limbs through Zoom. "I was loading the weather, and it said four. Just four," he tells me. Total jump scare.

During my own moment of transparency, I admit that while I often say beauty isn't superficial (it's a powerful tool with ties to mental health, social connection, and gender identity, something The Beauty explores by showcasing what such a drug could mean for the trans community), the show did make me ponder my stance on appreciation versus obsession. It's a fine line for someone whose literal job description involves making the Wild West of beauty treatments easier to navigate. "To me, beauty isn't superficial," he reassures me. "It can be, depending on how you define it. But I think it can be about the imperfections. It can be about the nuances."

My time with Pope, both on set and on our call, served as a scale model for his many shades. He greets me with a soft "How are you feeling?" then proceeds to fill the studio with quick-witted banter and uninhibited, full-bodied laughs. I catch him interrupting his smoldering camera gaze with a quick cha-cha to Disco Lines and Tinashe's "No Broke Boys." He oozes cool, rolling up in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton, and he's remarkably humble. Over breakfast, he mentions how his brother, Jordan Chatman, created a film diary for The Beauty press tour, saying "It's always the younger siblings who are so talented, right?" The woman was too stunned to speak.

As he wraps up the first look (a piercing slash of black eyeliner) and does a celebratory skip to the makeup chair wielding a bag of Doritos, it occurs to me that Jeremy Pope must be a little bit weird. I also happen to think that's the most beautiful thing about him.

Photographer: Jason Kim
Stylist: Michael Darlington
Hairstylist: Cristian Suarez
Makeup Artist: Ernest Robinson
Manicurist: Pika
Creative Director: Natalia Sztyk
Entertainment Director: Jessica Baker

Shop the Looks

Welcome to The Glowdown, the series where we dive into the beauty secrets of our favourite celebrities as they get real about their routines and non-negotiables exclusively with us. Join them as they sit in our beauty hot seat, and we fire off a round of quick questions, giving you never-before-shared insight into the products they can't live without, their secrets to getting red carpet–ready, beauty pet peeves and the genius tips they've picked up along the way. This is no-holds-barred beauty at its finest.

This month, we sat down with Daisy Edgar-Jones. The 27-year-old actress has just been announced as Estée Lauder's newest global brand ambassador, and we were lucky enough to catch up with her about the new venture. "It’s truly like a dream come true," she tells us. "I’ve loved Estée Lauder as a brand for a very long time. [It] really [feels] like such a symbol of timeless beauty, so to be a part of that legacy feels very, very special and actually incredibly surreal. It was the makeup and skincare I grew up loving and watched my mum put on, so it feels amazing to be part of the brand."

Below, we ask Daisy all about her go-to makeup products, her best beauty advice and even her signature scent...

1. Which beauty product gives you the biggest mood boost?
I would probably reach for the Estée Lauder Pure Color Melt-On Glosstick, because they [give] a real pop of colour and add a lot of vibrancy to the day. They are instant fun.

2. Could you talk us through your skincare routine?
I’m very religious with my skincare routine; it’s very important to me. [In the morning], I usually wash my face with just water, and then I always use Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum, because it’s really hydrating and moisturising. It [also] smells incredible.

3. You’ve got a spot. Are you team pop it or team leave it alone?
I wish I were team leave it alone! I know [I] should be! But I find it very challenging not to pop. As I’m entering my late 20s, I’m getting a little better at [being] team leave it alone.

4. Which of the characters you’ve played do you think would have the best beauty routine, and why?
I just played a character called Cate in a movie called A Place in Hell, which will be coming out this year, and she [is] a very high-powered lawyer who always has a blowdry and her nails done. She 100% has a very meticulous ritual to her mornings, and I think she would probably have the most impressive beauty routine. She always wears beautiful eye shadow and lashes, and everything is perfectly put together.

5. What are your top tips for keeping your fringe looking so good?
Oh my gosh, it’s a challenge! I would say get really, really good at learning how to blow-dry it. That’s something I’ve trained myself to do. And you need to find the person who’s going to give you the best fringe trim, because it all starts with the cut.

6. What’s the best piece of beauty advice that you have ever received?
If you have oily skin, you should moisturise. I think I always thought that if you have oily skin, you should wash it and strip your skin of oils, but actually, the more moisture you apply, the less [oil] your skin produces to deal with the dryness.

7. You only have one product to use for the rest of your life—what is it?
I think it would probably be Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation. I think it’s such a great, reliable product that you know isn't going to budge throughout the day. It has that kind of mattifying effect, but it is very lightweight and easy to apply.

8. Do you have a signature fragrance?
I don’t. I like to mix it up. But I love fragrances that have a real zesty-ness to them, and something that wakes me up and feels very vibrant.

9. You’re having your nails done. What’s your go-to colour?
I quite like a sheer nude. It feels like it goes with everything. Sometimes, if I’m feeling experimental, I’ll go for a nice rich brown or a burgundy, but most of the time it’s a sheer nude.

10. What's your favourite lipstick colour?
I gravitate towards lighter, sheer pinks; there’s an Estée Lauder Pure Color Melt-On Glosstick in Melted Melon. It’s one of my favourites. It’s like a really sheer pink; it can look like your natural lips, but it’s got a little bit of something.

11. What’s your biggest beauty no-no?
Filling in my eyebrows just doesn't suit me. My eyebrows are where most of my acting work comes from. I’ve got very expressive eyebrows!

12. Candles, reed diffusers or nothing at all?
Everything! I love candles, I love diffusers… I was recently given these little ceramic balls that you put in a bowl, and you spray them. That’s amazing, and it really lasts. All things candles and smells! There’s a hotel in Los Angeles called The Edition, and it has a collaboration with Le Labo. They have a signature scent just for this hotel. I stayed there once and fell in love with it. I bought every candle they had.

13. Are you team dewy or matte?
I’m team matte, just because I often leave the house for a very long time and don’t have time to come back and apply [my makeup], and I love that a matte [finish] is something that you know is going to stay. I often find that if I go too dewy, my skin drinks up all the makeup. But I like a matte that feels lightweight and wearable, and still looks like your skin, but a little more elevated.

14. What's the greatest drugstore product for under £10?
I would say cotton buds. Just because I'm often quite messy [with makeup], and I feel like whenever I forget my cotton buds, it's such a key part of my makeup routine.

15. Describe your brows in one word
Expressive!

16. Makeup primer: love it or hate it?
I feel like if you have a good enough skincare routine in the morning, you don’t need it. I don’t use it; I feel like I concentrate more on my skincare routine.

17. Confession time: how often do you clean your makeup brushes?
I’m ashamed to say that for a while, it would be, like, once every six months, but now I’m getting a lot better.

18. Which era of beauty inspires you most?
I’ve always very much gravitated towards '60s makeup and hair. I love how bold they were with colour, but also, for me, one of the products I can’t live without is mascara, and I love the kind of chunky mascara of that time; it was so distinctive.

19. Eyelash curlers: love them or hate them?
Love them.

20. Best beauty hack?
I would say the thing that I’ve found so useful is over-lining my lips. It’s something a lot of makeup artists do, but with very nude colours or "shadow" tones, so it’s more about contouring to give the effect of a slightly fuller lip, but it kind of disappears into your skin.

21. What do you do in your downtime to relax and reset?
I’m a massive fan of journaling. I journal all the time. My favourite thing to do at the start of every year is set up my [new] journal, decide on a theme for the year and set myself little goals and challenges.

Shop Daisy Edgar-Jones' Favourite Beauty Products: