Scent and sisterhood
In conversation with Saoirse Ronan and Lupita Nyong’o, the faces behind Calvin Klein’s new fragrance
I’m in New York to chat with Saoirse Ronan and Lupita Nyong’o, the women of Women, the new fragrance from Calvin Klein. A woody floral, the scent bills itself as an exploration of modern, multi-faceted womanhood. That message is underscored by the fragrance campaign, which bucks perfume ad codes by displaying Ronan and Nyong’o bundled in cosy sweaters, looking strong and serene — no traditional “seductive repose” imagery here. I meet with Ronan in a fancy hotel room, while Nyong’o, who is off filming a secret project, joins us by phone to talk about fragrance, femininity and why failure can be great.
This fragrance is all about womanhood. When do you feel most womanly?
Ronan: “When I’m working, I feel very empowered. I love working with people and working things out, like a scene or a sequence. That’s something that makes me feel challenged, but also really confident.”
Nyong’o: “When I’m fresh out of the shower and listening to my favourite music!”
What’s your favourite music right now?
Nyong’o: “It depends on the day. Right now, I’ve been listening to Jacob Collier.”
Ronan: “You know who I’ve been listening to? Blood Orange.
“He’s a musician from the U.K. and he’s worked with Solange and stuff. He’s really great.” You’ve both played such strong women in films such as Black Panther and Lady Bird. How important is it for you to portray strong women onscreen?
Ronan: “For me, it’s most important to portray someone who is real. I think you can get caught up in the idea of strength as a surface-level thing. I think strength, or a strong role onscreen, usually comes from watching a character who is flawed and has their doubts, but can overcome them to bring out the goodness in themselves. They’re the characters I’ve always wanted to play. Whether they’re a little bit selfish, or full of themselves, or shy, there’s something within them as a character that you can latch on to. I always go back to Lena Dunham’s Girls. I think that all of those characters are deeply flawed, but we love them because we are as well. I think you get more from watching characters like that than you would from someone who is too heroic or flawless.”
Nyong ’o: “Playing wellrounded characters is the most important to me. They have to feel familiar, recognizable, even if they are peculiar. I need to feel that there’s a three-dimensionality to the character, because women are threedimensional. I want to play women who feel like they belong in the world, even when it’s in outer space!”
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as women?
Ronan: “I’ve learned that if you’ve got a problem, or if you’ve got something that you’re trying to overcome and you can’t see a way out of it, when you share it with someone, chances are they’ve probably gone through the same thing. We’re actually a lot more similar than we think. I think one of the biggest lessons is learning how to share and listen to other people. You’ll feel closer to the people around you and you’ll feel less alone, and I think then you’ll be able to figure out any issue you have.”
Nyong’o: “One of the lessons that I’ve learned quite profoundly recently is to trust my mistakes. I think it’s a lesson that I’ve learned more than once, and that I might have to learn every time I make a mistake that costs me something. The feeling of regret can really weigh you down, but the truth is that through your mistakes, you learn your greatest lessons, and from your mistakes you grow the most.
“So, they’re valuable, even when they hurt. It’s an opportunity to reflect and assess and choose what path you’re going to take from that point. It’s a real crossroads, and that’s where the most good happens.”