What role does make-up play in your life?
Elle: Professionally it’s a huge one. When you’re on a film, the very first people you see in the morning are your hair and make-up team. Like you roll out of bed and they get you prepared for the day. So, hair and make-up is such an essential element in creating a character and just in the whole movie process.
In everyday life, it’s a real creative outlet for me, I get to kind of show how I’m feeling on the inside and putting it on my face and experiment and sometimes be a bit adventurous with you know color choices on the eyes. And especially on the red carpet! I like to have fun with them. I just love creating characters and dressing up. That was something that was really part of my whole childhood. Like with my sister, we would dress up and play characters around the house. So, it’s just an extension of that.
Is it’s necessary for you to transform fully, including appearance, to embody a new character?
Elle: Oh, for sure! Every little detail matters. I’m very specific. You know, I’m very specific at least. How would my character part her hair and how many times would she wash her hair? You know, in „20th Century Women“, Mike Mills, the director, was very specific about her having extremely dirty hair. So, I did not wash my hair for like weeks, and they would add oil and make it look greasy. But that was all part of the fun cause it’s her character. And you definitely get transported to a new place. Often you also get to explore new periods of time you know? The seventies or the twenties and the 18th century. So, you get to experience how they used to do their make-up back in the day and what products they used.
It’s not always pleasant, I guess…
Elle: Well, not if we go back to the 18th century. I’ve heard some horror stories about what they put on their face. In that cases, I don’t try it before. I’m not that hardcore! (laughs)
What kind of feeling does make-up give you?
Elle: It gives me confidence. It makes me also feel like myself. In the morning and at night time when you’re getting ready, but especially in the morning when you’re getting ready for the day, it’s also kind of an alone time for yourself. Like us as women, it is a very precious moment in the morning. To kind of look at your face and feel like it’s your canvas and you get to decide who you want to be that day and look like and what you want to enhance. So, it’s kind of all about confidence and showing the best version of yourself. And I love that time to get to decide! But I’m pretty natural like on my everyday life. I don’t wear as much as I would on the red carpet.
How does your personal style interfere with what others envision to be beautiful on you? I guess you had a moment where you thought „okay. I’m going to be beautified.“ and you looked at yourself and thought „is this still me“?
Elle: Yeah, I think every woman has had those moments, sometimes you look in the mirror and you’re like „Oh my god, I don’t look like myself.“
I think for a role, when it’s like you don’t look like yourself, that’s really exciting. Like that’s like „wow, I really don’t feel like myself.“ And I love that, when I don’t really feel like myself, when I’m doing a role.
