Tea With Alice: Mia Wasikowska Talks Wonderland, Girl Power And Role Model Pressures
The actress met Yahoo Style UK for a spot of tea at Fortnums [Photo: DDA]
If there’s one word that sums up Mia Wasikowska, it’s unassuming. When we met the Australian-based actress for tea in London (at the quintessential Fortnum and Mason, where else) to chat about reprising her role as Lewis Carroll’s heroine in the upcoming “Alice Through The Looking Glass” film, we immediately noticed how sincere, polite and sophisticated she was.
Quietly slipping into the room with the film’s scriptwriter, Linda Woolverton, and producer, Suzanne Todd, in tow, the 26-year-old star gently fanned off compliments about her outfit - a sleeveless shirt dress from Tome that we’re obviously going to be snapping up - and made sure she said hello to everyone.
Mia as Alice in “Alice Through The Looking Glass” [Photo: Disney]
With no social media presence and no controversial opinions in the press about her, we weren’t sure what to expect about the actress, but we knew we would be impressed by a woman that snagged her role of Alice when she was just 17 and has quickly become a role model - and style icon - for young girls worldwide.
“There’s a certain amount of pressure to be a good role model to fans,” she told us. “I feel like I’ve consciously tried to stay out of all that. I think the only time I was really tested was at the beginning of Alice coming out and photographers and journalists checking out what I was like. Then they realised I was very boring… I live in Australia so I get a certain amount of distance.”
Mia with Linda (left) and Suzanne (right) [Photo: DDA]
Mia’s certainly not an actress who’s interested in cultivating the “famous” side of life in the film business. For her, it’s all about the work and not about the stardom. She explained she’s choosy about the roles she takes and relies heavily on trusting her instincts.
“I’ve been really lucky to play a number of strong female and complex characters and Alice is another one that’s really great,” she explained. “I love her positivity and her spirit.
“She’s very self-assured. I admire that sense of her being who she is and not caring about how people perceive her.”
Mia at the film’s London premiere [Photo: Rex]
Mia and Linda’s Alice is different from Lewis’ Alice. She’s a modern heroine that’s miles from the Disney princesses we’re used to seeing. The costume designer, Colleen Atwood, dresses the character in trousers (which Mia explains weren’t as comfortable as they looked) for the majority of the film and her sexuality is ambiguous. This, Linda explains, is a film all about friendship and family - not sex and relationships.
“I just love that it’s a unique film,” said Mia. “In a superhero film, a girl is typically the girlfriend. But Alice is basically a superhero herself, which is rare for these kind of films that are more mainstream. She has that innate sense that she’s more than just a housewife.
“I like that searching for these strong female characters is starting to become something that we have to search less for.”
Mia may lead a quiet life offscreen, but she’s something of a superhero herself. She’s only in her mid-20s and has landed a campaign with Miu Miu, written and directed her own film and graced numerous best dressed lists thanks to her on point style. Her Met Gala 2016 look (Prada) won critics over and her “Crimson Peak” press tour ensembles caused her to be hailed as a modern Mia Farrow - high praise indeed.
Whatever Mia’s next plans are, we hazard a guess they’ll be big. Definitely one to watch.
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