Hailey Bennett she does not let herself be seen via Zoom, yet the energy in her voice is so contagious that it almost seems to be in front of her, on a damask armchair in the living room. He imagines her at home with her three-year-old daughter Virginia, and her partner Joe Wright, who directs her in the musical masterpiece Cyranofrom 3 March to the cinema after the preview at Rome party.
Perhaps the image of yesteryear that immediately forms in the mind is influenced by the sophisticated and impalpable allure of his Roxanne, in this new adaptation on Mr. De Bergerac, here in the likeness of Peter Dinklage (Game of thrones) and without the proverbial nose.
Music remains a constant in the life of this 34-year-old American, first a singer and then an actress, but still making her cinema debut – 15 years ago – in a musical comedy, Write me a song. At the time, she was shaking her pelvis to the tune of “Shanti Shanti” swaying on the stage next to Hugh Grant. Her pop star has left her mark on the romantic imagination, albeit in a different way from what this more mature, intense and poetic role will do.
Cyrano, shot in Noto in Sicily and candidate for Oscar Prize for the costumes of the Italian Massimo Parrini Cantini (already nominated for Pinocchio), mixes the French imprinting, the Italian atmosphere and the English director’s gaze. And Haley Bennett couldn’t be more proud of it.
What do you miss most about our country?
«The Sicilian artisan granita: Virginia and I became obsessed with it because we took almost one a day, what bad girls! Before the lockdown we ate the catch of the day by the sea and I still have in my nostrils the smell of the saltiness of the beach mixed with that of the food. For the end of the shoot we also organized a party with the troupe, how much fun we had to dance together! ».
Did you already know Sicily?
«I had already visited Italy, but Sicily never (I didn’t know what an incredible wine I had been missing in all these years). I would also like to visit the north and Milan, however, because I love fashion (in fact the Rome party I was wearing Dolce & Gabbana dresses). I have friends who live in a farmhouse in Tuscany, with a breathtaking view and incredible cuisine, which made me realize how much each city has its own flavors. Just think that one of the first appointments with Joe took place right in Puglia: for his birthday I took him to the Grotta della poesia in Salento ».
Are you happy with the nomination of Cyrano’s Italian costume designer?
“Even if the only costumes he hasn’t made are those for Roxanne, I admire how he managed to find a way to dialogue with the same language as the protagonist’s clothes. It was an exceptional collaboration: he put such care in every creation, even in the less worldly ones like the nuns. Seeing the wardrobe he created in the film is like looking at a painting ».
What did you keep of that wardrobe?
“Roxanne’s wedding ring, a very simple gold wedding band. And also the underwear: sure, you don’t see them, but you know that those corsets were really inspired by the commoners of the time in Sicily. I also like that the clothes bring out the shapes of the breasts, that they don’t flatten them, I have a wide waist and hips, so that silhouette suited me just fine “.
She said she had a thing for fashion. Because?
«Fashion transforms me into a chameleon, it offers me shades that adapt to the moods of the various occasions. Of course, if I garden or cook I don’t get dressed up because I like freedom of movement, in fact, in the open air even ending up in the mud and getting a little ruffled becomes fun. But I love colors and materials and I like to play with them to adapt them to the context ».
Does your daughter already share this passion?
«Absolutely yes: she loves ballet and everything pink, a color that was not part of my personality before but which I have now included in my wardrobe to make a good impression with her. It’s ridiculous, I know, but in my opinion you tend to become what you love and she is my whole world. “
What kind of girl was she?
“Mom used to read me so many fairy tales and I would throw myself headlong into them and if there was a wolf I wanted to dress up as a wolf or behave like him. And since I’ve always loved fairies, Mom once made me a costume with angel wings. From an early age I liked nature and therefore I was always bright in colors. I dreamed of being there The Wizard of Oz, like Dorothy. Even today I identify myself in films with wizards, princesses and fantastic characters ».
Doesn’t sharing the set with your partner risk becoming a little too much?
“Not for me. I love Joe as an artist, he has an incredible vision, I admire him to the point that I’ve always wanted to work with him and I consider it a privilege to share the set with a director of his caliber. Together we make sure that it works at work as well as in the private sector ».
How did it go, however, with Peter Dinklage?
“You will not believe it but I am part of the 2% of the world population that has not yet seen Game of thrones, but I knew his talent well. Since I was not a fan of the series it always seemed funny to me to see the reaction he elicits in the people who meet him. I’m lucky: he’s not afraid of anything ».
She used to say she was proud of the Oscar nomination for costumes. Did you touch the idea of ending up on the shortlist as best actress?
“The very thought of it happening took my breath away, as one of the songs in the film says. For me, being an actress is something personal and intimate, so obviously it also concerns the sphere of desires ».
Who is Roxanne to her?
“A girl trapped by her own beauty, like a fascinating, almost exotic animal. As a woman, I understand, I know what it means to be encapsulated in social pressures and to experiment with that fragility. She is judged by looks and it’s hard to get rid of this label, especially since she doesn’t match what she has inside of her. All the opposite of Cyrano, all his life mistreated for the exterior. Roxanne ends up in the same trap, she falls in love with Christian based on her aesthetic, convinced that he is her soul mate, but it is a deception of which we are all accomplices ».
Source: Vanity Fair
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