Sasha Lane Is an Actor Wowing Attitude
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THIS PAGE Multicoloured cotton shirt, £69O, FENDI.Goldmetal necklace, Sasha’s own. OPPOSITE Cashmere and wool-mix jumper, £85O; velvet trousers, £1,29O; and shearling hat, £49O, all FENDI IPREDICTA BREAKRIOT- OUT STAR SASHA LANE IS AN ACTOR WOWING ATTITUDE. AND IT’S PAYING OFF. M OLLY CREEDEN M EETS 72 ELLE AUGUST Photographs by DOUGAL MACARTHUR Styling by PHOEBE ARNOLD HOLLYWOOD WITH HER NO- COM PROMISE, KICK-ASS A UNIQUE WOM AN ON THE VERGE OF GREATNESS ELLE AUGUST 73 that includes Chloë Grace Moretz and Riley Keough. In short, you could say that Sasha Lane is living the Hollywood dream. But she’s careful about the projects she takes on. Sasha reads roles with a bullshit detector, knowing that in the age of #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite, projects may need her more than she needs them. ‘There are a handful I get [offered] that I know are specifically for a white person; the whole family dynamic is geared towards a white person,’ she says. ‘I don’t have those experiences. My mother is Maori,fromNewZealand,andmyfatherisblack.Igrewupwithalot of black people. You thought [offering me this role] was diverse, so you could say you have someone of colour in your film, but I’m light- skinned enough that it doesn’t throw white people off,’ she says. ‘As much as I’m glad to represent people, don’t use me as your token.’ Today, we’re sat in a café in Eastside’s Echo Park, Los Angeles, and Sasha is dressed in a relaxed, low-key style that reflects the neighbourhood with a pinch of her own Leather coat, kook: wide-leg black sweat- £5,OOO; cotton shirt, £69O; pants, a teal thrift-store wind- erhaps it’s because velvet trousers, breaker, unicorn socks and £1,29O; and Hollywood happened leather earrings, apairofNikes.Mostofher pto her, and not the other £41O, all FENDI. friends live on the Eastside Metal necklace, way round, that 22-year-old Sasha’s own of town, she says, and that’s Sasha Lane doesn’t seem partly why she chose to preoccupied with clamour- make her home there when ing to please it. ‘I’m pretty she moved to the city post- good at sticking to my guns,’ American Honey. she says. ‘I don’t care how One of those friends is much money they’re offering, fellow actress (and grand- or how big the role, or how daughter of Elvis Presley) cool the party is. I just don’t Riley, who solidified their take shit from people. I’ve close friendship by inviting been asked, “Will you switch Sasha to the Dior Couture your hair?” Fuck, no. What presentation in Paris when for?’ she says, pointing em- filming for American Honey phatically at her dreadlocks. wrapped in the summer of The star of Andrea Ar- 2O15. ‘We refused to sepa- nold’s American Honey,a rate, so I went and sat on film that won the 2O16 her lap and watched the Cannes Jury Prize, was a show.’ It was the Texas 19-year-old psychology stu- native’s first time leaving dent with no acting experi- the country. ‘I remember ence when she was spotted we went to this cocktail by the director on a Florida thing. I was wearing heels beach during Spring Break. and was like, “This is fucking “IT’S COOL THAT THE GIRL WITH THE LOCS AND TATTOOS PEOPLE CAN THINK, ‘SHE LOOKS LIKE M E ,WHICHM EANS I CAN Amonthlater,shehadtheleadroleoppositeShiaLaBeoufinthegritty ridiculous.” I took them off and was smoking a cigarette on a couch film about runaway kids selling magazines – it opened to widespread when a lady walked by and said, “I wish I could do that right now.” critical acclaim for Sasha’s visceral, compelling performance. Irealisedthesepeoplehavetobestuffyand“on”.ThenRileyand Just three years ago, she was uncertain about the future. Now, Iwenttoadinnerandranaroundstealingbreadfromeveryone.So she’s one of the most sought-after young actresses out there, with a that was my first Fashion Week experience,’ she says, lighting a string of big releases hitting cinemas throughout the next year, includ- Camel Blue as we talk. ‘I was like, how do I rough this up?’ ing the indie Hearts Beat Loud and blockbuster Hellboy.She’salsothe She’s small in stature, with long dreadlocks, tattoos and a grace- face of numerous fashion campaigns, with an A-list pack of best friends ful, ballerina-like slouchiness. Her doe eyes and pursed upper lip reg- 74 ELLE AUGUST ELLE PLAY ister in person as beautifully as they do on screen, and her face moves distaste for the ‘fakeness’ to her personal life. She talks openly about and frowns and flairs like clay. She has a calming effect, saying people her struggles with mental illness: ‘I have bipolar disorder, and the more tend to relax around her, whether in fashion settings or conference intense my life gets, the more intense my head gets,’ she says. ‘It’s hard rooms. ‘They take one look at me, let out a sigh of relief and chill out,’ she to act like you’re not hearing voices all day when you’re trying to say says in a sweet American twang. ‘They drop any [forced] demeanour.’ your lines… But someone else is struggling with this. I want people to The fashion industry has welcomed her fearless attitude with open know that just because I have designer bags and I’ve travelled the arms. She’s been the face of Louis Vuitton, part of Coach’s ‘Class of world, I’m still having a breakdown every other fucking day.’ 2O18’, and a front-row guest at Fendi with Chloë and a loyal supporter To take care of herself, Sasha paints. It’s a hobby she took up of the brand. She’s graced the covers of Wonderland, Dazed and while in Bulgaria shooting the upcoming comic-book reboot Hellboy. Teen Vogue,andwasastarguestattheMetGala.‘It’skindofcoolfor Writing, music and weed also help. But her greatest comfort is Sergio, me that the girl with the locs and tattoos can wear this [clothing] and her older brother and flatmate. Together, they’ve created a familial co- still feel comfortable. People can think, “Oh, she looks like me, which coon in the foreign territory of Los Angeles. ‘I’m not an activity person, means I can wear that stuff, too; that I can be beautiful.” We don’t all so I try to be as chill as possible,’ she says, describing her and her have to look the same.’ It’s clear that Sasha’s commitment to being brother’s daily routine, which mostly involves hanging out at home, genuine, in terms of person- dancing to reggae in the liv- ality and appearance, is ing room and rolling in a circle what makes her so attrac- of musicians and creatives. tive to the fashion world. Terrified of what roles Her acute self-aware- would follow the success of ness dates back to child- American Honey,Sasha’sup- hood, a period in Sasha’s coming choices reflect her in- life that lingers with her still. terest in directors who ‘will do Her parents had split by the afull,rawversionofastory’. time she was born, and she She arrived at this year’s spent her formative years Sundance Film Festival with regularly moving around Hearts Beat Loud,inwhich Texas. From a young age, she plays the love interest of she knew money was tight. Kiersey Clemons in the story Sasha admits she saw so of a father/daughter song- much of herself in Star, her writing duo. She also starred character in American Hon- alongside friend Chloë in De- ey,thatfilmingtookamen- siree Akhavan’s The Misedu- tal toll. ‘I kind of lost it. cation of Cameron Post as Icouldn’ttellthedifference Jane Fonda, a teen at a Chris- between me and Star. Eve- tian gay conversion camp ry emotion I had in that in the Nineties – the film won movie I drew from my top prize at the Festival back own personal experience. I in January this year. As some- have gone through sexual one who has been romanti- abuse, I’ve had crazy, pas- cally linked to men and sionate relationships and women, Sasha felt the heft Black wool I’ve been the kid who peo- and silk-mix of the movie. ‘We filmed it ple didn’t believe in.’ cape, £4,45O, during the inauguration [of FENDI. Earrings, Sasha’s father, who still Sasha’s own Donald Trump], so it felt like lives in Houston and with we were actually making Hair: Nai’vasha Johnson for Exclusive Artists using Oribe Haircare. Make-up: Maria Pia Saragnese at Beautick Agency whom she has a close rela- something that mattered.’ CAN WEAR [THIS CLOTHING] AND STILL FEEL COM FORTABLE. WEAR THAT, TOO.’ WE DON’T ALL HAVE TO LOOK THE SAM E” tionship, walked out of the movie. ‘He never told me why. I think he’d Next year, Sasha takes a career jump as the Neil Marshall-direct- just seen enough to be like, I’m proud of you, but I don’t want to see ed Hellboy is released – her first big-budget blockbuster – in which any more. I think the sex scenes — going through the sadness – was she plays Alice Monaghan, an ass-kicking do-gooder who develops just too much for him to handle.’ magical powers after being kidnapped. Her performance is likely to IimagineoneofthereasonspeoplefeelrelaxedaroundSashais catapult her to another level of notoriety entirely. down to how candid she is about taboo subjects. A quick scroll of her Of course, none of this hype seems to phase Sasha too much.