A former model and fashion design assistant, actress Rebecca Dayan has the kind of perfectly unfussy look we all dream of achieving. We caught up with the rising star in between her travels to the south of France (where she originally hails from) to hear more about that ever-elusive French style, her debut in a lead role, and more.
Interviewed by Kristin Tice Studeman; Photos by Thomas Northcut.
Everyone wants to know the art of mastering the french girl cool. What is your secret?
[Laughs]. I don’t know, I’m sorry! Sometimes, I am just in jeans and T-shirts, and then other times, I go full-on ‘60s or ‘70s style. It really depends on my mood.
You are just naturally chic…
Maybe it’s just watching my grandmother and my mom when I was a kid. It’s like cooking. People asked me how I learned to cook and I didn’t. I just watched when other people were doing it. They are very similar. It’s just about putting things together well.
Come fall, what are you most excited to wear?
Cashmere sweaters.
You are really into natural beauty products. What are some of your favorites?
Anything with rose water, and I also love lots of oils (for my face and hair). Mainly, I just try to drink a lot of water.
Your first feature-length movie, H, is set to debut at the Venice Film Festival. what was the filming experience like?
It’s my first real leading role – very exciting. We were filming in upstate New York and I had to run around in the snow with a pregnant belly for most of it (I don’t know why they always make me pregnant in movies). In that sense, it was physically quite demanding, but I like challenges.
Aside from the debut of H, what do you have coming up?
I just finished a series with watercolors that will be published in L’Officiel Hommes. I am also working on a small exhibition to show in the south of France during the Photography Festival. I mainly do portraits and shots of hands and faces.
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