My personal style signifier is dressing in warm layers. I tend to run cold, so I wear battery-powered quilted vests by Ororo (from £136), or jackets, coats and shawls – anything that gives off dark academia vibes. I still wear a Stella McCartney coat that I bought with my first acting paycheck, for a role in The Village. My other thing is bangs, but I’ve recently gone through the process of growing them out.
The last things I bought and loved were two lambswool blankets from Avoca (from £84.84), a brand based in County Wicklow, Ireland. I’m obsessed with the quality, and have them in bright, bold colours – rich pinks and dark greens – as well as more neutral hues. They’re the perfect size to be used as shawls too.
The place that means a lot to me is New Zealand. I first visited when I was four years old, when Dad [director Ron Howard] was shooting Willow. The landscape and light were so different from California, where we were living at the time, and I felt at peace in such a lush, natural place. As an adult, I filmed Pete’s Dragon there, and even became a New Zealand tourism ambassador. It’s one of the few places in the world where I feel completely at home.
The best souvenir I’ve brought home from set is a walking stick that Joaquin Phoenix carved and inscribed with my name when we were filming The Village. I still have it in my studio. Another fun thing I have is a series of Post-it note pictures of me that director and producer Dave Filoni drew during our meetings for The Mandalorian series.
The best book I’ve read in the past year is Julia Voss’s biography of Hilma af Klint, who was one of the greatest painters of all time. I learned so much about her from reading this: she was very spiritual, and belonged to a like-minded community of women called The Five. Her non-figurative works were rarely seen during her lifetime, and she wanted them housed in a temple after her death. That temple was ultimately the Guggenheim Museum, which showed her first major US show in 2018.
My style icons are my New York University friends [filmmaker] Janicza Bravo, [health coach] Daphne Javitch and [actress] Katherine Waterston, all of whom have a distinctive sense of style. They buy vintage and look classic with an artistic twist – kind of like photographer Bruce Weber. He looks great in his kerchief and scarf, but also confident and like himself.
And the character I’ve played with the best style is Elly Conway, my character in Argylle. Claudia Schiffer styled me, and went to great lengths to make sure everyone felt their best; it was very empowering. I looked like myself, but the best version. There’s a lot of great fashion in the film – Dua Lipa’s Versace dress, for example.
The best gift I’ve given recently was an 18in x 24in oil painting – a graphic, colourful work – that I made for a friend with a lot of blank wall space.
And the best gift I’ve received is a giant wooden easel that my husband built for me. It was just an “I love you” situation – not a special occasion. We don’t exchange gifts regularly, so this was the perfect gesture. I also love a framed embroidery that says “Mumsies & Whoopsie” – the names our kids gave us – that’s surrounded by bright-pink cherry blossoms. It was a gift from our interior designer, Claire Thomas.
The beauty staples I’m never without are EltaMD sun protection; Sonia Roselli’s moisturising skincare line; Weleda Skin Food rich cream; and the tinted Nectar Salve Lip Balm by AppleDoll, which is made by one of my son’s classmates. It’s long-wearing with just the right touch of colour. From $17, eltamd.com; from £22, soniaroselli.com; £14.95, weleda.co.uk; $20, appledoll.com
The last song I downloaded was Louis Armstrong’s “Black & Blue” after watching the recent documentary of the same name. I’m also listening to a three-hour “Starry Nights” fireplace playlist.
In my fridge you’ll always find Orgain chocolate protein drinks and Mountain Valley spring water from Arkansas. Anything in smoothie form works well for me. And I always have cheese – Drunken Goat Cheese, triple crème brie and manchego – for making a plate with berries, nuts and crackers. I’m a big fan of picking off a wooden board.
I’ve recently discovered tintype photography, where images are printed on metal in a completely one-off way. We had our family portraits done using this 19th-century technique. The result looks both historical and modern; we’ll have them forever.
The thing I couldn’t do without is Lashify, a do-it-yourself eyelash extension system. I’m very fair, so I feel better with thicker, darker lashes. Oh, and dark chocolate from Tony’s Chocolonely.
An indulgence I would never forgo is learning. I’m enrolled in a year-long oil-painting course at the Milan Art Institute. Before that I took an intensive class with “The Kitchen Healer” (aka Jules Blaine Davis), who taught me how to feel empowered in the kitchen. I’d love to do a writing programme at Harvard – it has to be really good or I won’t take time away from my family.
The last items of clothing I added to my wardrobe were a navy-blue Sézane workwear jacket – it fits in nicely with my layering theme – and a cream-and-navy striped sweater from Kule.
An object I would never part with is my pearl “magic necklace”. It was given to me by my grandmother and has two rings hanging from it – one was her high-school graduation ring; the other, the first ring my dad gave my mom when they were dating.
To get into character, I dance by myself, sway and tap my feet – anything that makes me feel connected to the earth. It’s a technique I learned from Joan Scheckel, a producer and directing teacher; this kind of movement is fundamental to her approach.
My favourite location is Angelino Heights at the edge of Echo Park in Los Angeles. It’s one of the city’s most historic neighbourhoods, with grand Victorian houses that have been beautifully preserved. Whenever I go through periods of stress or anxiety, I come here for a walk.
My beauty wellbeing gurus are Jason Low, who has cut and styled my hair for almost 20 years, and Terri Lawton for facials. She’s so good I haven’t needed to go in a year.
I have a collection of watercolours in various palettes and shades: rich colours like turmeric, copper, coral, malachite and mint. I love paints by San Francisco-based Case for Making, and also from the Stoneground Paint Co, which makes collections with names like Prairie Earth, Winter and Pearlescent.
My favourite websites and apps include WriterDuet, which is a great tool for collaborative screenwriting; Cup of Jo, a daily blog that touches on food, fashion and motherhood; and The Marginalian, an uplifting weekly newsletter by poet and philosopher Maria Popova. I also love Trulia – who doesn’t like to look at real estate?
In another life, I would have been a librarian. I love the order of the Dewey Decimal System. The quiet that comes with the job is appealing as well. Otherwise, I might’ve been a children’s book author.
The works of art that changed everything for me were two retrospectives – Mark Rothko at The Whitney in 1998, and Jackson Pollock at MoMA the same year. I knew at the time that I wanted to make a living as a creative, but I wasn’t sure if that would be writing, acting or directing. These shows traced how the artists found their voices. I also became interested in the idea of being an artist without self-destructing. As a result, I’ve never touched alcohol – I saw what it could do.
The podcast I’m listening to is SmartLess by actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, which is always fun. But I mostly listen to audio books, specifically ones by David Sedaris. I can listen to his books over and over. I’m currently listening to Happy-Go-Lucky for the third time – it’s all kinds of wonderful.
The artists whose work I would collect if I coulD are Mark Rothko, Hilma af Klint and Georgia O’Keeffe. I love the bold colour and the longevity of their oil paintings.
My favourite room in my house is my studio, where I light a candle and paint, with my crackling fireplace music in the background. This is where I have alone time.
When I need to feel inspired, I cuddle with my pets – I have two dogs and three cats – who are my muses. Or I talk through ideas with my kids, just like my dad did with me.
The best bit of advice I ever received was from my grandfather, who always said “you can’t separate the pain from the pleasure” – you wouldn’t know one without the other.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
