Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/557531
and made sure Austin was one of our destinations. I love it. There's something about the air, and the people, and the vibe; it's perfect. This is a question I get a lot, and I'll tell you what my answer is after you tell me yours: What role in what movie was the closest to your own character? When I was a girl and did Bring It On, I was that girl. Like a normal 15-year-old girl, I was a cheerleader; my best friend was a cheerleader. I wasn't in competitions, but I watched them on TV with my friend. It was like I was back in high school as myself—it wasn't a stretch at all. What's your answer? I always say, "No one and everyone." No one, because none of them are me, but then they all are because I have to find some- thing in every single one of them to have a relationship with. I agree with that. But being a child actor, it's hard not to play parts that are basically, "You're a cute kid, and, you know, be yourself!" That's what you're always trying to do as an adult with kids, because you want them to relax and just talk to you. I had to work with this little boy, Jaeden [Lieberher], on Midnight Special, and he was a very grown-up little boy. Not to the extent that he wasn't playing his video games, but he was so mature and just a little old spirit. He was just a very thoughtful, well-spoken child. You were tremendously alive and present and a realistic child, but you also were mature. I remember seeing you at an awards show, and I thought, Oh, look at that little girl; she's such a grown-up. I probably handled myself better there than I would now. Now I'm terrified to go to any of that stuff. How do you choose a script? It's the director every time. I'd rather play a tiny, who-cares role if the director's great. And I've taken chances on first-time directors as well. You can make a great script so bad with the wrong director—it can be terrible. One part you were great in was in the Walter Salles movie On the Road. The weariness, the exhaustion, that guy coming in and out of your life—it was just heartbreaking. But you did a lot with very little. It was really great. Thank you! I wish more people had seen that movie. Garrett [Hedlund] was so good, and it was such a fun ensemble. I was the first one hired for that movie, [right after making] Marie Antoinette—that's, like, six years later, five years to make the movie. That brings us to Marie Antoinette and all of those clothes. Did you have any input into the designs? They were spectacular. We had a genius, legendary costume designer, Milena Canonero, doing our costumes. She always brought in accessories, and I [would say], "Oh, maybe let's do a red ribbon around my waist with my blue dress, like I was cut in half to kind of foreshadow the beheading." She liked that collaboration, but those were her fabrics, her designs. They were fabulous—it wasn't very comfortable, but very impressive. Oh, corsets are the worst! Yeah, they are the worst. But they do actively change your shape; that's what's amazing about them. In Fargo, are the clothes something that helped you shape your character? I did want people, in the first few episodes, to look at Peggy and just giggle a little bit—just a pinch! Not at her, but with her, so that you're on this girl's side. Because some of the stuff that she manipulates her husband into doing… I was like, "Give me some cute bunny earmuffs to wear in this scene." Or, I wanted f lashes of red, [like] red gloves because I was caught red-handed. I was really into the wardrobe decisions on this one. And because she wants to get out of Minnesota, I wanted her to have a little beret to wear, or a little shirt that has the Eiffel Tower all over it. That's fantastic! Because I think clothes are signifiers. People are telling you who they want to be with their clothes, so it's always such fun. I love the bunnies and the beret—that's so cute. That was the most fun I've gotten to have with my wardrobe in a while. I got to make a real character. Even in Midnight Special, I was a real character, not an actress who looks pretty for role-playing. Both roles are character-acting roles, which I like a lot. It's challenging when you're doing a mainstream film and every- body just wants you to look attractive. It's difficult because it's subjective, and it's not telling you anything about the character. The great thing about clothes is that you get to tell a story. In real life, though, you were the first major celebrity to wear Rodarte. How did you meet the founders? I have worked with these stylists, Nina and Clare Hallworth, since I was very young. They introduced me to the clothes, so I started wearing them. Then I met [Rodarte founders Kate and Laura Mulleavy] after- ward, and we became fast friends. Now we're working together and making a movie [Woodshock] together. That's so great! What's the best fashion advice you've ever received? I don't think I've ever gotten advice; for me it's more what I've seen other girls wear, and I had really good inf luences. When I was 16, I was working with Sofia Coppola, who is one of the chicest women I've ever met, so from a young age I had a good barometer. What charities are you involved with? I've been involved in The Art of Elysium (theartofelysium.org) for a while. You can go any day to the hospital, talk to kids, do paint work… just do fun things with kids in the hospital. It's a charity that's close to my home, and I've known everyone there since maybe my early 20s. If you weren't an actress, you would be… Definitely something creative, like a painter, or photographer, or a fashion designer. Something creative and visual. Can you imagine yourself directing? Yeah, I might be doing that next year. That's impressive. Do you have a script? I am in rewrites with my friends, and we have an actress. Have you ever received any career advice? My mom always sent me to normal school, so I never missed out on prom or field trips or any of that. I feel like the inf luence of [my upbringing] was the best career advice, because being a child actress can be unhealthy for your psyche. I think that's why I've been able to still reinvent what I do, because there was a time when I was over it in a way. Then I started working with this woman [Greta Seacat]—and I still work with her now—who helped me on scripts and who brought the joy back into it. If people are having a miserable time acting, that's the worst because that's the secret about it—it should be fun. You shouldn't have to be in a dark cloud to do anything dark. I don't believe any of that, and [acting is] cathartic. AW 80 AUSTINWAY.com