The Armani show set the stage a very glamorous reunion for Juliette Binoche and Glenn Close, who star together in the upcoming Apple TV+ show “The New Look.”
Close plays Harper’s Bazaar editor Carmel Snow, while Binoche takes on the role of Coco Chanel.
The role of the legendary editor was “a little daunting,” even for the Emmy-, Tony- and Golden Globe-winning actress.
“Because she was a force to be reckoned with,” Close said. She focused on the character but skipped her Irish accent, she said.
“What hopefully a lot of people don’t know that she actually had a little bit of a tinge of an Irish accent,” she said of Snow, who was born in Dublin before emigrating to the U.S. “But I actually have heard a recording of her, and she sounded more mid-Atlantic or more English, actually.”
“I loved playing her. I learned who she was and how important she was. And the fact that she was the one who said ‘Ah, this is the new look.’ It was her who said that for the first time,” said Close. The phrase of course crowned Christian Dior’s collection and defined the entire post-war fashion era.
The show is set against the Nazi occupation of Paris in World War II, the recovery of the city, and the emergence of Dior as a fashion icon.
It’s the second project for Close and creator Adam Kessler. The two previously worked together on the series “Damages.” Close said she is “so proud” of Kessler, who wrote and directed.
As for working with Binoche, Close said they had a great time on set. “Juliette, I mean, to play a woman like Coco Chanel means you are a fierce actress,” she said, looking fierce herself in a velvet tuxedo jacket with an embellished collar.
As Binoche took her seat front row alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, she was besieged by photographers. Paltrow praised her seatmate. “You are a living legend,” she told Binoche.
British actress Sheila Atim has been busy since winning the Trophée Chopard in Cannes. She had just wrapped the intense filming of “The Woman King” when she appeared at the film festival, and has since wrapped another — lighter — project, though she remained mum on any specifics.
“I don’t know if I’m able to say anything because I don’t think the casting has been announced yet,” she said. But the film was “great fun” and a marked turn from her usual fare.
Her latest film, “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” the poetic and heartfelt coming-of-age story set in rural Mississippi, was released in December.
“It was nice to do something fun for a change; I tend to do some pretty heavy stuff. It was nice to have a change of tone,” she said. After the two intense films, “To be able to shoot this film afterwards was a real joy, and it was nice to remind myself that I can diversify projects.”
She has also been working on her own first screenplay, which is a tougher project than she imagined as she really wants to do it right. “I wanted to make sure I was getting the craft down and not just kind of steamrolling in there and being like, ‘Hey, give me a TV show,’ which, that doesn’t work by the way, in case anyone’s trying,” she joked.
Atim said she’s finally found her groove, and is working with her agent to see what’s next.
In the meantime she’s been getting to know new designers and exploring fashion. She was sporting a lean leather coat look from Armani.
“I’m really excited to keep building on that, just experimenting and playing,” she said. “It’s really great to build relationships that make sense. I’m like, yeah, we can vibe.”
