When Elle Fanning thinks of the antithesis of her character on Hulu’s The Terrific—Catherine the Fantastic, the uptight, calculated Russian empress on a mission to kill her spouse—she thinks of entertaining and joyful. That happier spirit is exactly the function she normally takes on in Paco Rabanne’s marketing campaign for its new fragrance, FAME.
“Perfume advertisements can occasionally be very critical, but we preferred to do the reverse,” Fanning describes of her initial campaign as the brand’s muse. “It’s incredibly, like, playful when even now becoming pretty and sensual. You can see identity glow by way of.”
The campaign has tons of glow, from Fanning in the late designer’s legendary metallic chain-mail dress to the FAME bottle itself, which matches the actress in a very similar chain-mail motif and cat-eye sunglasses.
We sit down with Fanning forward of the campaign launch to discuss about the fragrance that faucets into her nostalgia, the electric power of a trench coat, and her beloved (also metallic) style moments from The Fantastic.
Do you have a most loved seem from the campaign movie?
I love the military coat. The model gave that to me later on. The pink silk dress was seriously really far too. They have these types of awesome clothes. I imagine you only see it for a break up 2nd, but I experienced a bucket hat from the ’60s.
Smelling the fragrance, and seeing you in the campaign, you cannot enable but want to costume up and go out.
Thankfully, the fragrance smells great. It is truly buildable and refreshing—I assume due to the fact it’s mild. You can just spritz a little, and add extra afterwards. It is extremely considerably a fragrance I would gravitate in direction of. And the bottle is so lovable. I enjoy how the bottle has so numerous details: the boots, the earrings, the Paco gown.
It feels like the marketing campaign pulled inspiration from Brigitte Bardot or Audrey Hepburn. Is there somebody who inspires you?
I have experienced so several purpose types to glance up to. I’ve always been a Marilyn Monroe female considering that I was young. I saw a photograph of her as soon as when I was seven and was like, “Who is that?” I commenced watching her movies, most likely, when I was, like, also youthful to view them and was enamored by her presence. I also love Grace Kelly and Katharine Hepburn far too. I undoubtedly gravitate in the direction of the older film stars.
Additional at present, I glimpse up to Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Jessica Chastain—they’re all astounding. There are so quite a few individuals I’ve seemed up to. I’ve been fortunate adequate to do the job with Nicole and so lots of proficient actors that I genuinely come to feel like I could arrive at out to any them and they would be there, which is not often the circumstance.
What an legendary team of role designs. Leaping back to the fragrance, what event would you don FAME for?
I wear it each individual day. I’m a fragrance woman. I have to have perfume on often. It makes me come to feel fresh new and full. FAME is a fantastic scent for going out at night time however. The bottle is metallic and slick, and that’s what you want to embody on a night time out and completely ready to consider on the world with self-confidence. But at the identical time, I’ll have on it in sweatpants. It is a fragrance refreshing sufficient for daytime or nighttime.
What will make you feel instantaneously assured?
A good jacket. I’m a coat woman, so if I have a extensive leather-based coat, like this black one with huge shoulders I just bought, I feel genuinely great. I’m tall, so I carry them nicely. I get them oversized, and it often entire my search.
When I’m in London, I’ll have on coats nonstop, because L.A. dressing is so diverse. It is significantly a lot more peaceful, which is not me. I have to remind myself to have on the outfit I like—not what I consider will make perception for L.A. dressing. I’m that woman who goes to issues overdressed a good deal of the time, but that is just me. I really like manner.
Is there a time when you truly feel the most glamorous?
When I get ready for a purple carpet. It is the greatest glamour. It can be stressful, but I locate it fascinating. I have often loved putting collectively a look that expresses myself, and it is an extension of my creative imagination. I have often had enjoyable with purple-carpet appears to be like as a substitute of placing tension on myself.
At Cannes was in all probability the most glamorous minute I have experienced. I signify, there is nothing at all like becoming on that crimson carpet it’s huge, exciting, and pure glamour.
Fragrance can genuinely transport you. Is there a scent that can make you feel nostalgic?
When I acquired to New York, there was a particular chocolate in my place that introduced me again to when I 4 decades previous and visited New York with my family members. It was my to start with time going to, and we went to Serendipity and Dylan’s sweet retail store.
Smelling the chocolate brought me back to visiting New York in my childhood, and then I started to miss out on FAO Schwarz. Even the scent of that retail outlet brings back again reminiscences, like, the Ferris wheel and the piano.
It’s insane how quite a few smells we keep in mind from childhood. Immediately after enjoying Catherine in The Fantastic, what kind of scent do you feel she would use?
A little something vodka infused. I really don’t assume she would wear a super-sweet fragrance. I feel it would be additional floral vodka. Strong, but with a feminine undertone. Absolutely some thing crisp, like early morning air. It is an fascinating problem. I know some actors produce fragrances for figures and have on them although they are filming. I have never completed that. I would be intrigued to operate with somebody to come up with Catherine’s fragrance.
Who’s the very best-smelling human being you have encountered?
Patricia Clarkson has a really unique smell. Angelina Jolie has a really specific smell. They’re all pretty good scents—when you film scenes with somebody, you get pretty near, physically, so you seriously smell the other person.
Do you have a favored glance from The Fantastic?
They are all handmade, so every a person is definitely outstanding. The 3rd season hasn’t arrive out nonetheless, but there are some definitely good appears to be like in there. In the second year, Catherine was pregnant most of the time, so the dresses have been built to fit the growing bump. I did love the coronation dress, the big gold costume. It was extremely Russian with the long braid and the bow. It reminded me of a Gucci look or one thing quite couture, [like] if Christian Lacroix intended a thing again then.
