“No one pushed me into acting,” insists Léa Seydoux, nervously tapping her elegant fingers. Born into not one but two French film dynasties (she counts Pathé and Gaumont studio bosses among her nearest and dearest), it would be easy to dismiss the screen beauty’s glowing résumé as the result of behind-the-scenes maneuvering. However, the 25-year-old Parisienne seems genuinely conflicted by her escalating presence on both sides of the Atlantic. After roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, Seydoux will appear in the latest installment of Mission: Impossible, and in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, alongside the French first lady, Carla Bruni. (With Seydoux’s off-kilter sexiness and penchant for hair chewing, it’s not hard to imagine Allen making her his next muse, à la Scarlett Johansson.) The fact that the actress has quietly fashioned an equally successful modeling career—she is the face of Prada’s forthcoming fragrance campaign—can only increase the likelihood of her obtaining superstar status. “I basically got into all this to avoid having office hours,” Seydoux says, sighing. “I liked the idea that you’d work really hard for certain periods of time, then not do anything for ages. But it didn’t work out like that. All I ever seem to be doing is working.”
Léa Seydoux: Generation W
Léa Seydoux on W‘s October 2013 cover.
Hair by Orlando Pita for Orlo Salon. Makeup by Diane Kendal for Marc Jacobs Beauty. Fashion: Stella McCartney shirt; David Yurman earrings; Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. necklaces; pin from Kaufman’s Army & Navy, New York. Beauty: Armani Beauty Maestro Fusion Foundation in 2, Maestro Liquid Eye Liner in 1, Eyes to Kill Mascara in 1, Sheer Bronzer in 1; Rouge d’Armani Lipstick in Ecstasy.
“I like the difficulty of nudity sometimes.”
Léa Seydoux wears a AG Adriano Goldschmied jacket; Valentino pullover; Tiffany & Co. necklace (throughout).
Marc Jacobs vest; Chloé shirt; Louis Vuitton pants; Giorgio Armani tie. Beauty note: Ring eyes in jet black using Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner in Raven.
Valentino shirt and pants; Myla London bra; Stetson hat (throughout); David Yurman earrings (throughout); the Frye Company boots.
Hair by Orlando Pita for Orlo Salon; makeup by Diane Kendal for Marc Jacobs Beauty; manicure by Megumi Yamamoto for Chanel Beauté. Set design by Piers Hanmer. Production by N6.
Digital technician: Allan Schoening. Photography assistants: Simon Roberts, Huan Duong Nguyen, Teppei Maruoka. Fashion assistants: Felicia Garcia-Rivera, Ryan Foulke
Styled By Leila Smara; Hair By Paolo Ferreira And Makeup By Tracey Gray Mann, Both At Calliste Agency
