Katherine Waterston is no stranger to a red carpet. Still, attending her latest premiere at Venice Film Festival on Sunday night—the first major industry event in over six months—was an experience that would leave even the most seasoned filmgoer feeling a little philosophical. “After months of lockdown, to get to go Venice was such a privilege and a joy,” Waterston tells Vogue. “In an attempt to remember it all for as long as I can, I’m going to take advice from the great Italo Calvino and keep it to myself: Memory's images, once they are fixed in words, are erased. Perhaps I am afraid of losing Venice all at once if I speak of it.”
The British-American actor, whose breakout role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice was followed by star turns in both the Harry Potter and Alien franchises, is returning to her indie roots with her latest feature, The World To Come. Directed by the Norwegian filmmaker Mona Fastvold, it tells the story of two couples living on the American frontier in the 1850s, weaving a visceral portrait of love and heartbreak between Waterston and her co-star, Vanessa Kirby. “To have our film met with a response we would not have dared to dream for was gobsmacking and extraordinary,” says Waterston of the project, which has already garnered rave reviews and seen her performance tipped for awards nods following its Venice premiere.
For the big night, she wore a sleek design by Prada, balancing elegance and edge in a way that Waterston (working in tandem with her stylist Danielle Goldberg) has already firmly made her red carpet calling card. “To be at a festival that, this year, has achieved what no festival has before—almost an equal percentage of films by women and men—and representing a film that tells the story of a woman whose self-education is her only escape from the limitations and isolation of her circumstances, it felt incredible and incredibly fitting to wear looks from the recent collectsions of what is often referred to as ‘the thinking woman’s brand,” Waterston adds.
Here, join Waterston as she prepares for the Venice Film Festival—as shot by the legendary photographer Brigitte Lacombe.
Hair: Paolo Ferreira
Makeup: Alexis Day
Styling: Danielle Goldberg
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe1/9“To wear this look from Mrs. Prada’s final solo collectsion was such an honor. As a child, I would pore over her looks in the pages of Vogue and fantasize about the woman I might become. My character Abigail in The World To Come has a predetermined, limited life—since playing her, I’ve felt I can no longer turn a blind eye to the obvious fact that I am immensely privileged simply to have the option to imagine a future for myself.”
2/9“When a collectsion speaks to you it’s a kind of communication—it puts you into a secret conversation with the designer. Mrs. Prada’s mind is all over her work and, though we’ve never met, I feel I’ve been getting to know her mind, her sense of humor, her free and inquisitive imagination, her powerful individuality for the better part of three decades. Her work has influenced me as the heroines of the best films and books I’ve read have—by teaching me what a singular, strong woman looks like.”
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe3/9“Getting ready for a premiere is a lot like my real job. It takes a village. I love collaborating, so it’s actually pretty stimulating to make the whole thing come together. My stylist, Danielle Goldberg, has a great eye and a wonderful imagination and is as smart as a whip. She’s also a fashion clairvoyant. She knows whether or not something is right, seemingly, the moment she has the idea—I’m a bit slower in my process so I often have to take her word for it at first. Trust is the essence of collaboration, without it you’re cooked!”
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe4/9“Speaking of collaboration, I’m so eager and excited to see what Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada will do together.”
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe5/9“I rarely wear jewelry primarily because the prospect of losing it is terrifying! I took a risk Sunday night and wore these beautiful emerald and diamond earrings from Bvlgari.”
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe6/9“This dress is like slow dancing. As captured here, take a step and it swings and sways all around you. And, like the characters I most enjoy to play, it has complexity—it is strong and delicate, it is commanding and carefree, it is even, somehow, both demure and sexy. It’s the kind of dress that makes me pity people who only ever wear suits. ”
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe7/9“Checking my makeup in the mirror while standing on one leg. Not sure why it was a one-foot job.”
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe8/9“Brigitte [Lacombe, photographer] inspires me and has a truly magical presence—she draws me out and, in some way that is a complete mystery to me, makes me feel completely safe and sort of, extra-alive, like a Technicolor version of myself, in front of her camera. I wish she would direct a film and put me in it!”
Photo: Brigitte Lacombe9/9“When I first worked with Brigitte it was like professional love at first sight. I recognize it should be the other way around, but Brigitte is my muse.”
