I'm still trying to find out
who I am. Some days
I have absolutely no idea.
— Mia Goth
Rejina Pyo Sophie Organza Blazer ($835), Lily Button-Detailed Organza Midi Skirt ($690), and Imogen Neon Bra and Briefs Set ($140); Zara Animal Print Heeled Sandals ($50); Diana Lecompte Volta Pearl Earrings ($300) and Giro Choker ($669)
A lifelong devotee to freaky films herself, Goth (who names Yorgos Lanthimos of The Favourite and the Safdie brothers of Heaven Knows What as the directors she’d most like to work with someday) has spent her career acting only in movies she’d personally want to watch. “I would pay them to be on every film set I’ve ever been on,” she says with childlike wonder, her enormous eyes, impossibly round and tawny, blinking in the L.A. sun. For Goth, acting isn’t just a career; sometimes it’s the only thing that makes sense to her. “I’m a Scorpio and an introvert. It takes me a while to open up,” she admits. “But when I’m performing, it’s entirely different. Sometimes it’s much more comfortable being other people than being myself.”
Maryam Nassir Zadeh Silk Vellum Blazer and shorts;
Rudi Gernreich One Strap Bandeau; Svnr Chaouen Earring ($150) and Giverny Earring; Who What Wear
Danielle Vinyl Heeled Mules ($35)
Goth gives her latte a stir and quotes Charles Bukowski: “He’s got a poem called ‘Style.’ There’s a line, ‘Cats have it with abundance,’” she grins. “When you see someone with style like that, you recognize it immediately—like if you’re people-watching. A lot of people don’t really know who they are. They spend their entire lives figuring it out. But when you see someone who has it, you know.”
She doesn’t care for Instagram. She’s a homebody whose ideal Friday night involves making soup in her new Vitamix alone, watching Good Time. Goth’s favorite article of clothing is a no-frills Valentino blazer. “I enjoy simple, quality things,” she says of her taste in clothes. “Being from London has informed my style a lot. London is fashionable but also practical and comfortable. I relate to that.”
Following your instinct,
your gut, and doing
what you love can never
lead you astray.
Peter Do Detachable Apron Shirt; John Elliott Gradient Slip Dress; By Far Virgo Green Suede Sandals ($370);
Diana Lecompte Volta Pearl Earrings ($300) and necklace (worn as belt, no longer available; similar style available here)
Style is a way you carry
yourself. Style is character.
Style is knowing yourself.
And I think it's quite rare.
As unconcerned as she is with conventional fame, Goth is even less concerned with conventional “coolness.” Where many other 20-something starlets are consumed by the trend cycle—dad sneakers, bushy eyebrows, a round-the-clock social media presence—Goth sits before me draped in a Burberry toggle peacoat, no makeup, and brows so unapologetically faint they’re almost invisible.
Most importantly, Goth wants to take the anxiety of her quarter-life crisis and channel it into creating beautiful art. “We have one life,” she says urgently, leaning her shoulders forward. “When people go to the movies, they’re trying to connect with something. They’re trying to find themselves within it. And if you can, for like one minute, make someone feel like they’re not alone. I think—no, I know—that is a worthy way to spend your time.”
Explore the Spring Issue on
social with #thespringissue.
is the Anti-Hollywood Starlet,
and We're Here For It
Goth’s nomadic tendencies started early: Growing up, she split her time between London, her mother’s native Brazil, and Canada, the birthplace of her dad, who was also young when she was born. “My parents and I essentially grew up together,” Goth says. Her introduction to the entertainment industry occurred purely by happenstance. When she was 13, a modeling agent scouted her at a music festival in London. “But modeling wasn’t enough for me,” Goth says. She wanted to act. “Even when I would do my shoots, I would always consider the girl that would be wearing these clothes.” Soon Goth was connected to an acting agent, and at 15, she started auditioning. Goth endured three years of rejection before scoring Nymphomaniac, which she calls one of the most surreal and incredible experiences of her life. “It’s rare for you to truly grasp it in the moment how fortunate you are, but every moment of that time, I just lived in complete gratitude,” she expresses.
WRITTEN BY Amanda Montell
Even in her success, Goth has remained a Hollywood oddball. When asked if she’s ever felt pressure to pursue more commercial movies, she answers candidly: “Sometimes I think it would help to do something more mainstream because perhaps it’d mean I’d get to do all the weird movies I’d ever want in the future,” she offers. “But I’ve never worked on a project that I haven’t been absolutely passionate about. I would never want to compromise that for some ‘chance.’” Goth names Rooney Mara as an actress whose career she aspires to emulate. “She hasn’t just gone on to just doing Marvel movies. She uses her success to work with more interesting directors and on interesting scripts,” Goth says, admiringly.
“I’m still trying to find out who I am,” says Mia Goth, breathily. “Some days I have absolutely no idea.” Curled over a steamed almond milk latte and a cold-pressed juice at an outdoor café in Beverly Hills, 25-year-old indie actress Mia “Gypsy” Goth narrates her quarter-life crisis in real time. “I turned 25 on the 25th of October. My golden birthday,” she continues in her soft-spoken falsetto. “And I had a mini breakdown because I suddenly realized how fleeting everything is. You’re only young once. You’re only going to have this energy and drive for so long. So you have to make the most of it. I’m still figuring out how to do that.”
Publically copping to such honest feelings of self-questioning isn’t in the typical Hollywood handbook. Actresses are often media-trained early to seem like unwavering pillars of confidence. Then again, Mia Goth is not one for typical. While so many young stars come from families of successful performers, Goth was raised by a single mom who had her at 20 and worked as a waitress for most of the actress’s childhood. “The most inspiring woman I know,” Goth says of her mother, who gave her the middle name Gypsy for reasons Goth is only just now beginning to grasp. “As I get to know myself more, I find my name becomes more fitting,” she muses. “I am very nomadic. I identify with everywhere and nowhere, which, as an actress, ends up being useful.” But in this period of reckoning, every thought that crosses Goth’s mind comes with a pensive counterpoint. She challenges herself: “The more you know yourself the better you are at understanding and having empathy for others. So it’s a balance I’m trying to find.”
Ambush Crochet Top ($309) and Patchwork Drape Dress (no longer available); David Yurman Stax Earrings With Emeralds and Diamonds in 18K White Gold (price upon request)
When asked which other celebrities most influence her style, Goth could name any number of well-dressed figures, but she can’t bring herself to give an easy answer. “Style is such a big word,” she responds. “Sure, it’s clothes, but style is also from within. Style is a way you carry yourself. Style is character. Style is knowing yourself. And I think it’s quite rare.”
Ottolinger Asymmetric Tank Top ($255, available in pink); David Yurman Novella Statement Necklace With Citrine and Pink Tourmaline in 18K Gold ($29000); Laura Lombardi Spira Braided Brass Hoops ($128) and Luna Bracelet ($165)
If Goth’s enigmatic name and face seem elusively familiar, like you’ve seen her in a dream, that’s sort of the point. Sporting one of the most unorthodox filmographies in young Hollywood, Goth made her on-screen debut a little over six years ago in Lars von Trier’s provocative 2013 art film Nymphomaniac. She relocated from her native London to Los Angeles the same year, but the films she’s worked on since have remained similarly outré: 2016’s psychological thriller A Cure for Wellness; last year’s Suspiria, a supernatural horror directed by Luca Guadagnino; and her newest project, High Life, a sci-fi mystery from French filmmaker Claire Denis, whom Goth rhapsodically calls “the most inspired, kind, creative, funny, brave filmmaker” she’s ever met. “What I love about Claire is that she’s in a constant state of awe,” Goth gushes. “I hope to be like Claire Denis when I grow up.”
Mia Goth may still be figuring out who she is, but here’s what she knows so far for sure: Like Rooney Mara, she wants to act in weird movies that make people think. Like director Claire Denis, she wants to stay in awe of everything around her. Whenever possible, she wants to wear comfortable clothes that make her feel at home in her body. And she wants to spend more time by herself, exercising and eating well. “I’ve noticed that’s when I tend to be happiest—when my mind and body feel connected,” Goth concludes. “Sometimes I’ll catch myself feeling really happy and be so pleased about it. Of course, I know that means there’s a low point coming pretty soon, but I try to remind myself that there are cycles to everything.”
— Mia Goth
— Mia Goth
Priscavera Ruched Mesh Neon Dress ($520); Derek Lam Ankle Wrap Sandals; David Yurman Extra Large Novella Ring With Citrine and Diamonds in 18K Gold ($5900);
Svnr Anhui Lifesaver Earring ($150) and Edinburgh Green Jesper Earring
Photographer: DARIA KOBAYASHI RITCH
Stylist: RACHAEL WANG
MAKEUP ARTIST: JENNA KRISTINA
HAIRSTYLIST: BRIDGET BRAGER
MANICURIST: WHITNEY GIBSON
VIDEO PRODUCER: Samuel Schultz
Proenza Schouler Tie Dye Shirt ($950);
Svnr Maheshwar Lifesaver Earring ($150) and
Blonde Agate Cultured Pearl Earring
