Maisy Stella Comes of Age

Maisy Stella was so invested in playing the role of Elliott in My Old Ass that not getting it, she jokes, would’ve been her “villain origin story. I would’ve become evil.” The 21-year-old, who went viral with her sister, Lennon, for their cover of Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend” before starring in the TV series Nashville, went to great lengths to secure the part—even sending a personal video to the film’s producer, Margot Robbie. “I did crazy things to get her attention,” she tells W’s editor-at-large, Lynn Hirschberg. Fortunately, her efforts paid off. Directed by Megan Park, the coming-of-age film follows a teenager who, after meeting her 39-year-old self (played by Aubrey Plaza) during a psychedelic mushroom trip, is forced to reevaluate her relationships and future plans. The film marks Stella’s feature debut—and a major breakthrough in her career.

How did My Old Ass come into your life?

I manifested it fully! I saw this thing called the 369 Method, and if you’re manifesting a person or a thing, you write the person’s name three times, your intention six times, and the outcome nine times. I literally did that for this film. And it worked! I’m also such a mood board kid. When I lie in bed, I look up at the ceiling and up there, I put the Netflix logo, the A24 logo, a photo of Jennifer Lawrence, a photo of Saoirse Ronan—all these people that I admire. I’m a big manifester.

You were on the show Nashville.

Yes, with my sister, Lennon. I was 8, and she was 12. It was my first time auditioning for anything. We didn’t even have a TV at our house. My sister made this cardboard TV, and I would climb inside of it, putting on a show.

What movie makes you cry?

Every movie makes me cry. I cry in a movie when they're smiling too big. When I see pure joy on the screen, I will start crying. The Wild Robot—what happened to me in that theater? It was similar to what I cried when I was born. That’s what I sounded like. The Perks of Being a Wallflower always makes me cry really hard. And Babyteeth, one of my favorite movies of all time. It's such an underrated movie.

Do you sing in the shower?

Yes, I have music blaring in the shower. A lot of Charli XCX happens in the shower. It’s a safe place for that to occur. Or, a lot of times, I just make up songs. I’ll be shaving my legs and just making something up as I go.

When you were growing up, who were your crushes?

I had a lot of crushes. My first one that was serious, that was like feelings—was the Naked Brothers Band. Nat and Alex Wolff. I say the Naked Brothers Band plural, because I wanted both of them. I couldn't pick. And then I was really obsessed with Alex Russo from Wizards of Waverly Place. And Selena Gomez. That one might've even been more serious because I had a replica of her wand, and she was my wallpaper on my iPad. I was obsessed with her.

Did you like casting spells?

I did. I’ve always been a little witch.

Where was your first kiss?

My first kiss story is so absurd. This goes hand in hand with me being a little witch. I was obsessed with the Ouija board when I was a kid. I was like 14 and hanging out with these kids. I asked them if they wanted to play the Ouija board. One of the kids who was there started using it as if it were Spin the Bottle. They were like, “Will this person kiss this person?” So we all just started kissing each other. Either it was a really horny ghost or a really horny teenager. I don’t know. Fingers have been pointed at me, and listen, if it was me, I will own that a hundred percent. It was the horny ghost. It wasn’t me.

What’s your favorite reality show?

Love Island. I always like the U.K. version. It's a little messier and more unfiltered. But Leah and Serena from Love Island USA, I met them at a party, and that was the first time I've been really starstruck.

Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Hair for portfolio by Paul Hanlon at Dawes & Co.; makeup for portfolio by Sam Visser at Art Partner; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders James. Set design by Gerard Santos at Lalaland.

Creative producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Leonard Cuinet-Petit at January Productions; producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Kevin Isabelle; produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Anneliese Kristedja; associate producer: Kimmy D’Ancona; production manager: Hayley Stephon; production coordinators: Miranda Dos Santos, Susan Lucas; photography assistants: John Neate, Jed Barnes, Chris Whitaker, Kendall Peck; digital technician: Niccolo Pacilli; digital assistant: Cassian Gray; postproduction by Dreamer Post Production; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, Celeste Roh, Raea Palmieri, Tatiana Isshac, Haleigh Nickerson, Lauren Marron, Savannah Steilner, Sage McKee, Frankie Benkovic, Kaley Azambuja, Tatum Sanchez; production assistants: Gigi Rosenfield, Lily Cordingley, Eli Cash, Lex Vaughn, Anderson Renno, Kat Saravia, Kyle Dekker, Wyatt Noble, Brandon Martin, Moose Krupski, Josh Muwwakkil, Bradley Gonsalves, Drew Carter, Thomas Lynch, Alex Kofman, Jackson Schrader, Anatalia Zavaleta, Joseph Wride, Matt Flynn; first AD: Steve Kemp; location manager: Kyle Hollinger; hair assistants: Kim Garduno, Ben Gregory, Marco Iafrate, Hyacinthia Faustino, Chris Foster; makeup assistants: Shimu Takanori, Laura Dudley, Brian Dean, Beatrice Sandoval; manicure assistant: Cheyenne Vander Schuur; set design assistants: Seth Powsner, Denver Stoddard, Ryan Johnson; tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Ripsime Vartanyan, Jackie Martirosyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.