WILLOW SHIELDS STAR OF NEW NETFLIX SERIES SPINNING OUT

Dress and Coat by Versace

Photographers: Fionayeduardo @fionayeduardo
Art Direction: Louis Liu @herecomeslouis
Styling: Marc Sifuentes @marc.sifuentes
Hair: Austin Burns @austinkburns
Make-up: Agus Suga @Agus Suga
Production Assistant: Benjamin Price @benprice4real
Location: Colony Studios @colonystudios

Interview by Regina Moretto

Top by Marc Jacobs

Hunger Games alum Willow Shields deftly navigates her acting career with the confident beauty and grace of an ice skater. 

The beguiling illusion of easy jumps and spins requires many hours of handwork and tenacity; quite similar to the dedication, preparation and training expected of an actor, which makes watching this young star transcend new roles all the more intriguing.  Starting out with a box office smash at the early age of 12, surrounded by the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the precedent was set for Shield’s strong work ethic which helps drive her blossoming career. 

We sat down with Shields amidst her busy schedule to talk about her latest project; Netflix series Spinning Out.  Spinning Out, created by Samantha Stratton, is a series based on a figure skating Olympic hopeful struggling to balance her dreams of competition and the state of her family’s battle with mental health all while her dream of winning takes a dizzying hold.  Never one to remain idle for too long, Shields shared with us a few additional projects her fans can look forward to seeing her in soon. 

Sweater by Proenza Schouler White Label, Hat by Dara Senders

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I started acting when I was about seven but working on my first big film and experiencing the creativity and tight knit community involved in the acting world was when I knew I would love this job.

What was your first big break into entertainment?

I did an episode of a show called In Plain Site when I was about eight and that was my first experience on set. But I guess my big break into entertainment was two years later when I did the first Hunger Games film.

Fans know you from your role as Primrose Everdeen in The Hunger Games, can you tell us the best part of working on these films?

I truly feel like I learned so much from working on these films. I grew up on set for five years learning from the most brilliant actors from Jennifer Lawrence, to Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and so many more but aside from being able to watch and learn from them everyday I was also able to witness other brilliance from the technical side of filmmaking watching our director Francis Lawrence working. I feel like after those films I had more of an understanding about filmmaking and every detail that goes into making a great film.

Being cast in Hunger Games at age 12 and being surrounded by a cast of seasoned actors, what are the most important lesson you learned on set with this crew?

To work hard, show up on time but to also give yourself room to be creative and have fun at the same time.

Do you have any funny or memorable Hunger Games stories you could share?

We had so many cast members as a part of our whole series that there was always so many fun stories being told everyday on set. When you’re in a room with Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson, you know you’re gonna be laughing all day with those two.

Jacket by Zadig & Voltaire

 

Tell us about your new Netflix series Spinning Out and how did you land the central role as Serena Baker?

Spinning Out was a very exciting project for me after reading the script. The story elements are something I’d never seen in a show before and it deals with a lot of pivotal emotional and physical stories that I feel need to be seen.
I fell in love with the character of Serena because she feels like a real teenage girl who’s very complicated. She has a very unusual home life and deals with a lot of emotional ups and downs between her family life and her time in competitive figure skating. It felt like a bit of a dream come true to play a figure skater as well.

Your character is training for ice-skating  competitions, did you have any formal training in your past?

I did not. I came into this show with zero ice skating abilities but I trained for about two months everyday prior to filming the show. My goal was not only to be able to do as much of my own skating as possible but also experience what it was like to train that hard everyday. I came home black and blue all over my body from falling everyday but it helped me understand my character Serena and how figure skaters train.

The show brought on Sarah Kawahara, a former figure skater and Emmy winning choreographer who has worked on “Blades of Glory” and “I, Tonya”…what was it like to work with Sarah on this series?

Sarah is phenomenal. We were all so excited to work with someone so brilliant in this specific field. She helped us train in Toronto and choreographed all of our routines. The coolest thing about Sarah is she was right there with us on set when we filmed these scenes so any detail that was off she was able to help us fix in order to pull off all of the intense skating involved in our story.

Coat by Kenzo, Top by Zadig & Voltaire

 

Did you have any difficulties learning to ice skate or learning the choreography for the series and how did you work through these challenges?

It’s definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. I trained for hours everyday and was so determined to learn as much as I could. But one of the most challenging things I did was for the final episode of the show I did a portion of my routine in front of an actual crowd of about five hundred extras so it really felt like a performance for me. Which is both stressful and exciting.

In what way is the character you play in this project different from the roles you’ve played in the past?

Her athleticism is unlike any character I’ve played in the past so that’s very different for me. But just like any young woman she’s full of so much life, emotion, drive, and confusion in her teenage life so those were similarities that I’ve seen in characters I’ve played in the past.

The series seems to focus on mental health.  What steps did you take to ensure your role was true to her character when handling her mother and sisters disorders?

My first step was to allow room for Kaya and January (my sister and mom in the show) to dive into those emotions and have room to experience that. I tried everyday to approach playing Serena in a very honest way, I thought through a lot of what she would go through on a daily basis living with her mom and sister who are both bi polar and how hard that truly is for a young woman who is struggling herself with things. But at the end of the day they love each other more than anyone and that was most important to portray.

Top and Skirt by Marc Jacobs

How have your fans reacted to your role in Spinning Out?

They are so excited! It feels great to have fans that follow and appreciate any project I’m a part of.

Can you tell us anything about your upcoming projects When Time Got Louder and A Fall From Grace?

I am currently filming When Time Got Louder in Vancouver and it’s been an incredible experience. Our story is complex and raw following my character Abbie and her family including her brother Kayden who has non verbal autism. Abbie leaves home to go to school and falls in love with a girl named Karly while at college but struggles with being away from Kayden after being there for him his whole life.

Do you have any other projects coming down the pipeline that you can tell us about?

Nothing I can talk about yet haha

Do you have a daily mantra?

Just to be open minded and open to learning from your accomplishments and mistakes throughout everyday.

Coat by Kenzo, Top by Zadig & Voltaire, Turtleneck by Victoria Hayes

 

The Atelier with Alina Cho: PROENZA SCHOULER

The next Atelier with Alina Cho will feature designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, on Thursday, October 12, at 7:00 p.m. at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. American design talent standouts, Jack and Lazaro rocked the fashion boat in July with their journey across the Atlantic to show their Spring/Summer 2018 ready-to-wear collection during the Fall/Winter 2017 haute couture shows in Paris. Pioneers of style and craft since they launched their brand 15 years ago, the fathers of the 10-year-old perennial “It Bag” known as PS1, will chat with journalist Alina Cho about why they showed in Paris, how they manage their personal and professional relationship, and what inspires their collections.

Now in its fourth season, The Atelier with Alina Cho has featured fashion visionaries such as Alber Elbaz, Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, Olivier Rousteing, Donatella Versace, Alexander Wang, and Anna Wintour in conversations that explore the intersection of fashion and art along with a range of personal topics.

This series is made possible by the Doris & Stanley Tananbaum Foundation in memory of Doris Tananbaum. Proenza Schouler is a New York-based womenswear and accessories brand founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez while they were students at Parsons School of Design. Known for drawing inspiration from contemporary art and youth culture, Proenza Schouler has played an important role in reinvigorating American fashion. Named after the designers’ mothers, using their maiden names, Proenza Schouler won the inaugural CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Award and has won five CFDA awards including Womenswear Designer of the Year and Accessory Designer of the Year. The brand has six freestanding stores, the first of which opened in New York City in 2012, and is sold in more than 350 stores worldwide.

Alina Cho is currently Editor-at-Large at Ballantine Bantam Dell, responsible for acquiring and co-editing books in the fashion and lifestyle categories. She was previously National Correspondent at CNN and host of Fashion: Backstage Pass.

Tickets start at $40. Premium seating is available.
For tickets and information, visit www.metmuseum.org/tickets or call 212-570-3949. 
Tickets are also available at the Great Hall Box Office, which is open Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m. –3:30 p.m.
Tickets include Museum admission on the day of the event.
Prices are subject to change.  

EVE HEWSON

Dress by Calvin Klein Collection

Interview by Dustin Mansyur | Photography by Kerry Hallihan @ Angela de Bona | Styling by Marc Sifuentes | Art Direction by Louis Liu

With her alabaster skin, raven hair, soulful eyes, and a face which is reminiscent of old Hollywood royalty, Eve Hewson, is every bit the part of a blossoming actress. Born from fashion and music stardom, Hewson was destined to become a talented woman to watch.

Eve is in LA when I phone in with her for the interview. I can hear the soft overlays of her Irish accent, though it’s almost a whisper since she transplanted to Brooklyn, after studying acting at NYU—advice she did not take from her parents (U2 front-man, Bono & fashion designer, Ali Hewson). Eve’s drive was stronger, and she pushed forward in pursuit of her dream. Poised to play Maid Marian in the upcoming 2017 Otto Bathurst-directed production of Robin Hood: Origins, Eve currently co- stars alongside Clive Owen in the Steven Soderbergh-directed drama series, The Knick and her last film project, Bridge of Spies was directed by Steven Speilberg. Prior to
that she co-starred with Sean Penn in Paolo Sorrentino’s film, This Must Be the Place. Skepticism aside, Eve Hewson, has inarguably amassed an impressively selective resume of evocative, blue chip film projects and directors with whom she’s already worked.

She reminisces some advice she’s followed to land these roles and work with some of Hollywood’s greatest, “You have to find a way of making this a career, not just a moment.” In an exclusive interview, I caught up with the ingénue actress to discuss her creative process and the trajectory she has set for herself.

Dress by Céline, Earrings by Proenza Schouler

When did you know you first wanted to become an actor?

The first time I realized I wanted to be an actor was when I went away to shoot my first film when I was fifteen years old. It was my tutor who had wrote this part for me, and I knew that I liked acting a lot but I didn’t know if I was going to do that or if I was going to do music instead. So I went away and shot the film and kind of fell in love with the whole idea of making movies and the process of it. That was when I got hooked.

So is music something you still dabble in as a hobby?

When I was younger I played the piano, drums, bass, guitar etc, but I don’t play like I used to anymore. When I moved to New York it was harder to get access to a piano or a drum set and I kind of replaced that hobby with acting.

You’re currently starring in The Knick, as Nurse Lucy Elkins. In comparison to working in film, what is the process like when you’re doing a series? Do you find that you get closer to your character?

I really think it forces you to sort of think of your character with the understanding that you never really know what your character is going to do on TV. You have to just go with it. You learn more about that character as you go on. Whereas in film, you have your script. You have a set out storyline of where your character is going and what they would or wouldn’t do, but in TV you have to say okay, this is who she is. No matter what scene comes up or gets written into the storyline, I have to incorporate and work that into my idea of her. You can never say, “my character would never do that.”

When you’re filming The Knick, has there ever been a scene that you found challenging due to the gory nature of the content?

Sometimes things are pretty gross. I’m terrified of needles and I hate getting blood drawn and I usually end up fainting! On set, we did it for 20 episodes – you get really used to it, it’s quite like the way nurses and doctors treat actual bodies. You get really comfortable with looking at blood and intestines. We’re all pretty used to it now, but it took us a moment. I love the way movies are made, to see everything that goes on behind the scenes and to see how the makeup department, the special effects team and Steven (Soderbergh) all work together to make it look real. Then when my friends or my family see me on the screen, they say, “I can’t watch. I can’t watch it, I’m so sorry, it’s just too gory!” Well then great, we did our job. It’s not real. That’s what I say to everyone, “It’s not real!” How amazing is that?

In regards to your character on The Knick, what has been the biggest surprise or challenge in playing nurse Lucy Elkins? Was it difficult to relate to her?

The biggest challenge playing Lucy was probably the corset. Doing any accent is challenging, but not being able to breathe at the same time made it harder. I’m really nothing like Lucy at all, but that’s what I enjoyed the most about playing her. Learning about someone that you wouldn’t normally relate to in real life is what acting is all about. I’m not interested in playing someone like me, I know who I am. Acting is like being someone’s therapist. And Lucy is full of surprises. She is so quiet in what she says, but incredibly bold in what she does, and that interested me.

Though in the early stages of your career, you’ve already worked with some amazing directors. Are there any directors you would like to work with in the future?

Yeah there’s like a lot actually. I have a hit list of my favorite directors that I would jump at the chance to work with. I love Joe Swanberg, he did Drinking Buddies. Have you seen that movie?

It’s on my list of movies to watch!

You gotta see that movie! It’s amazing! His whole process and how there is this element of improv – it’s a really cool way of making films. Who else do I love? I love, Khalif Brown, he’s a fairly new director. He did parts of Beyonce’s Lemonade. He’s pretty sick. The part where she’s drowning and her bed is underwater, I love how he did that. Of course, I am obsessed with Tim Burton. I really want to play a ghost and haunt someone in a movie and I feel like Tim Burton could help me do that. Another director would be Ang Lee. Oh, and I love Katherine Bigelow.

Are there any genres that you would like to explore on future projects?

All of them! I don’t really limit myself in terms of characters and genres. I would love to do a creepy scary movie, like Orphan. I love that movie. I also would love to do a romantic comedy, you know. Being a voice actor in an animated children’s film would be so fun because I really love to do accents.

Do you work with a vocal coach on accents?

Yeah I have an amazing vocal coach, her name is Coley Calhoun, she actually lives in Brooklyn as well. She lives in Park Slope. She’s kinda THE woman and she helps me with everything that I do.

Jacket by Giorgio Armani

You are also an experienced traveler, do you have any place in the world you like to retreat to when you need to recharge?

If I’m going to somewhere to recharge, I’m going to go home to Dublin. It’s lovely to escape New York and just be at home in Dublin with my family and read a book or watch movies. It is always green so there are a lot of scenic walks and beautiful trails and sites around the city.

When you’re away from Brooklyn is there any place that you miss now that it’s also home?

Definitely my home! I live in Williamsburg, and I walk along the water every day and I have my little coffee shop that I love, Toby’s Estate.

Have your parents ever given you advice that you didn’t follow and were you glad you listened to your own intuition?

Sometimes, but occasionally parents know best. They’ve always been really encouraging of anything that I wanted to do, they were skeptical of me going into the film industry just because it is so difficult. Now they’re very supportive and have always encouraged me to not just be an actor, but to write, direct, and produce. You really have to find a way of making this a career, not just a moment.

And you’re really embracing the process?

Yes! I had to fight to get my parents to let me go to NYU and study acting. Going to New York to learn more about acting and film was not something they thought was a good idea, which I felt was strange. I really just wanted to learn my craft and hone my skills.

Have you experienced any personal challenges that you’ve had to overcome and that have made you stronger in your career and craft?

I think experiencing rejection has changed me as an actor, because every time you get rejected you have to fight harder and you have to work harder. Any challenge I have come up against has only helped me to be a better actor. Whenever I go in for an audition, I think “Oh my God, this is so hard, I don’t think I can do this.” I work really hard to believe that I can do it. However, I think being in a career that pushes you to continuously be better is amazing. I love that Hollywood is so cutthroat and when you get that job, you have really earned it because you’re competing with the best! It’s so difficult but also very rewarding.

Are you working with any charities or involved in community activism? Your father (U2 front-man, Bono) is known for his work with the underprivileged, did you get that gene from him?

I’m a member of the ONE campaign (Bono’s campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, by raising awareness), and I support the RED products (a licensed brand that seeks to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa). I definitely want to get more involved with women’s issues in particular. For example, abortion is illegal in Ireland, and a lot of people are not aware of that. It has to change. I want to help. I grew up in a house where we were told, “If you have a voice, you better use it.” So I’ve never been embarrassed to say what’s on my mind. I think I could use that trait for something bigger than my own ego.

How do you feel about your new role as Maid Marian? What are you most eager about for this new project?

All I can say about the Robin Hood part is that we are going to shoot next year. I’m excited because I’m so obsessed with the director Otto Bathurst. He’s one of the most interesting directors out there right now. I’ve been told I have to learn how to ride a horse which might be worse than my bike riding on The Knick, but I’m staying optimistic. I read with Taron (Egerton) for my screen test and it was just synchronistic. I’ve ALWAYS said I wanted to work with Jamie Foxx. It is such a good crew of talent, and I’m so fortunate to be a part of it.

Jacket by Giorgio Armani

Hair by Rolando Beauchamp @ The Wall Group | Makeup by Junko @ Joe Management | Manicure by Yukie Miyakawa @ Kate Ryan | Custom Headpiece by Elizabeth Ryan Floral | Production by Sacha di Bona @ Angela de Bona | Photographer’s 1st Assistant James Clark |  2nd Assistant Krystallynne | Digital Tech Andrea Bartley | Stylist Assistant Yu Tsao | Production Assistant Kirk Corbin

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