Mia Goth Says Goodbye to MaXXXine, Hello to Frankenstein

In MaXXXine, the final chapter of Ti West’s trilogy, following X and Pearl, Mia Goth reprises her role as Maxine Minx, a porn star determined to break into mainstream cinema. Her journey takes a promising turn when she lands a role in a horror sequel, but her past comes back to haunt her when a serial killer begins targeting her friends and industry peers (played by Halsey, Moses Sumney, and Lily Collins). Though audiences first met Maxine in X, Goth explains, “She’s in a totally different place in her life.” Now, fully bleached blonde, Maxine embodies an aspiring 1980s Hollywood starlet—a transformation that helped shape Goth’s portrayal. “For all my movies, I have an idea of the character, but until I’m in the costume department, I don’t really know where it’s going to end up. That’s where I meet my character for the first time,” she says.

Goth’s riveting performances throughout the series have solidified her status as a modern horror icon. She even caught the eye of Guillermo del Toro, who cast her opposite Jacob Elordi in the upcoming Frankenstein. Recalling her first conversation with the Oscar-winning director, she shares, “He called me and said, ‘Hi. I saw Pearl, and I really loved your performance in it. Would you like to meet?’ I almost died.”

The X trilogy takes place during very specific time periods—the 1970s, the ’20s, and the ’80s. Which one was your favorite?

It would have to be Pearl in the 1920s. That's one of my favorite experiences that I've had on set so far.

The last time we spoke you mentioned that you don’t particularly love horror movies. Is that still the case?

I do like horror movies where the performances are essential to the film, like Shelley Duvall in The Shining, Sissy Spacek in Carrie, or Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby. Back then, those performances were not celebrated in a slightly different way than they are these days. I don’t know why that is, but they are amazing performances.

One of your first horror films was Suspiria. Did you like being the devil in a ballet school?

Loved it! That was fun. I loved all the blood.

You recently finished production for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. What can you tell us about that experience?

It was amazing. We started in Toronto; then we moved to Scotland and to England, and we shot in castles and on mountaintops. It was everything I ever wanted it to be, and on my days off I would go to set and I would shadow Guillermo. It was a real education. I never went to drama school or had that formal education of filmmaking, so it was really cool. It opened my eyes to so much.

What are your pet peeves?

If you come into a house, take your shoes off. It's disgusting, because you're bringing in the shoes that you stepped into public toilets with, on train stations, on streets. It's nasty. Just leave the shoes. Put slippers on.

Do you have a favorite reality show?

The Great British Bake Off. I love that show, partly because I live in L.A., and whenever I watch it I feel closer to home in London. It feels like a hug. Also because it’s incredible, what they do. I’m trying to learn how to cook. I’m a little bit late to the game, but what they make on that show are real pieces of art. I just made an apple crumble for the first time. The crumble didn’t really work out on top, but it was good.

Have you shown your daughter any films?

She loves Jurassic Park. She loves spooky movies. She’s like, “Mommy—I want something really spooky.”

Do you think you're more like a cat or a dog?

Definitely a dog. I’m animated, and I kind of receive people like a dog—a goldendoodle.

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.