THIS MONTH
Actresses-to-watch Mia Wasikowska and Mia Goth in conversation. Plus, meet Sarah Wood, the woman who is reshaping the online video industry, and the Frieze artists you need to know about.
MIA WASIKOWSKA
(LEFT) WEARS: COTTON-MIX CORSET,
WOOL-MIX COAT (WORN UNDERNEATH), LEATHER-MIX BOOTS AND EMBELLISHED LEATHER BELT, ALL
PRADA. MIA GOTH (RIGHT) WEARS: SILK BROCADE COAT, SILKMIX SKIRT, COTTON TROUSERS (JUST SEEN), LEATHER SANDALS AND LEATHER BELT,
ALL PRADA
THESE ELECTRIFYING ACTRESSES SHARE MORE THAN A FIRST NAME. THEY’RE THE FACES OF PRADA’S NEW FRAGRANCE. WE EAVESDROP ON THEIR CONVERSATION IN PARIS
I have pumpkins, lettuce, tomatoes…’
Goth and Mia Wasikowska, two of this generation’s most boundarypushing young actors, are swapping gardening tips. A world away from the frantic glamour of life in the spotlight, Goth is proudly describing the vegetable patch at her home in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Wasikowska explains she’s building up her citrus tree collection some 7,500 miles away in Sydney. ‘I have a mandarin tree and lemon tree so far,’ she boasts.
Green fingers aside, these women have some of the best-curated IMDB pages in the industry. London-born Goth, 23, has been on Storm Models’ roster since the age of 13. She has sidestepped into acting, making her film debut in Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, following in the footsteps of fellow model slashers Cara Delevingne and Agyness Deyn. She’s since starred in Sky Atlantic’s The Tunnel, the film Everest alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, and this year’s indie thriller The Survivalist, for which she’s been nominated Most Promising Newcomer at The British Independent Film Awards.
Wasikowska, three years her elder at 26, became the highest-grossing female actress in the world after Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland franchise raked in more than $1bn globally at the box office in 2010. Rather than continue chasing the ‘big bucks’ she has since chosen to work with some of the most in-demand directors of the moment:
Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right), Richard Ayoade (The Double), David Cronenberg (Maps To The Stars) and Guillermo del Toro (Crimson Peak).
The friends are also the new stars of Prada’s fragrance campaign (former faces of the iconic adverts include Léa Seydoux, Lara Stone and Daria Werbowy) and it’s a happy partnership. ‘I love how Prada’s designs subvert the norm of fashion; they always go against what is typically feminine or masculine. It’s awesome to be representing them,’ says Wasikowska.
Today, in a photo studio near Paris’ Canal Saint-Martin, they’re grabbing a quiet moment together to chat and eat takeaway pad thai before switching back into fashion mode and heading to a starstudded party at the Palais d’Iéna. Mia Goth: It was so good to meet you at the Met Ball [in May]. It felt like it was just the pair of us hanging out in that incredible environment. And it’s always nice to dress up, isn’t it?
Mia Wasikowska: It felt both empowering and humbling to be there. Though the red carpet is probably not my natural comfort zone, for a brief moment it can be fun. But to be honest, I’m most comfortable in those sweatpants you get on aeroplanes. I collect them – they’re useful for the amount of long-haul flights I’m on.
MG: Living in Australia must equal a lot of flying…
MW: Yes, but I love being in
Sydney. My house is in the eastern suburbs, not far from the beach and 20 minutes’ drive from the city. It’s where I grew up, and all my friends and family are there now. My mum was born in Poland, though. I love eastern European culture because I associate it with her and my grandma. I see it in all their quirks – they’re both very superstitious and suspicious.
MG: I know what you mean.
I was raised in London but my mum is Brazilian. We lived in London until I was 12 and it definitely rubbed off on me.
I think I have that Brazilian spirit; I’m quite an animated person.
I’m very expressive with my face and my hands, and I don’t think that’s considered typically English. I live in LA and think of it as home now, but London will always have a place in my heart.
MW: I lived in LA for a bit when we were filming Alice In Wonderland, but I like that you get a bit of separation from the industry in Australia. I don’t feel too affected by things like the paparazzi…
MG: I try and take that side of the industry with a pinch of salt. It’s not real. It’s so important to maintain a personal life and make sure the business side isn’t your whole world. You’re not on social media are you?
MW: No, I used Facebook when I was younger but I shut it down because I was being homeschooled at the time and was spending too much time on it!
MG: Same. Skype is probably the closest thing I have to a social media account.
MW: It’s quite hard to keep things private anyway, and I don’t actually think I’ve got anything to say on Twitter or Instagram. Maybe if I wasn’t an actor I would. I’ll go on my friends’ accounts sometimes and have a look at what people are up to, have a bit of a stalk. What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not working?
MG: At the moment I’m reading a book of poetry by Ted Hughes. I didn’t know anything about him so had no idea what to expect. The way he writes is stunning. In many ways it’s quite melancholy, but it’s also gorgeous. I’m also really into
I LIKE THAT YOU GET A BIT OF SEPARATION FROM THE INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA. I DON’T GET TOO AFFECTED BY THINGS LIKE THE PAPARAZZI - MIA W
music. I’m listening to a lot of hip-hop and rap, and I’m into
Vic Mensa at the moment – he’s a Chicago rapper that Kanye West discovered. What about you?
MW: I got into Amy Winehouse. I watched the documentary on a plane and at the end I felt so distraught.
MG: The altitude makes you so emotional, doesn’t it? The last film I watched on a plane was 99 Homes with Michael Shannon. I’m obsessed with him at the moment. Do you have any people whose work you’re completely in awe of?
MW: I’ve worked with Julianne Moore on two films [The Kids Are All Right and Maps To The Stars], and I think she is awesome.
MG: Marion Cotillard is on my wishlist of women I’d love to work with next. And of course, you!
Mia Wasikowska and
Mia Goth are the new faces of Prada La Femme perfume, £69 for 50ml