“Whenever people ask if I always knew I wanted to be an actor, there’s the answer I want to give, and then there’s the truth. I want to say that I never imagined an acting career was in the cards for me. But the truth is, I did think this would happen—not in an arrogant way, but in a delightfully delusional way. A healthy dose of delusion helps you leap over the hurdle of what seems impossible.
I had the most wonderful time working on The Life of Chuck. I was thrilled to reunite with Mike Flanagan—the writer-director who first brought me to America for one of his early films, Oculus—but beyond that, the story itself is so beautiful. It makes you rethink how you are choosing to spend your precious time on Earth. If you knew everything would end tomorrow, what would you do, and who would you spend it with? That question offers real clues about how we might better devote our time now, even without the threat of it all ending tomorrow. The film definitely gives you a gentle existential crisis but leaves you in a profoundly hopeful place.
When it comes to beauty, there’s pre-pregnancy me and post-pregnancy me. Before I got pregnant, I was obsessed with multi-step skincare routines. Then it all fell apart when I started scrutinizing the ingredients I was putting on my skin while growing a human. [Laughs] I started gravitating toward ‘natural’ products , although there are some things I just can’t replace. For moisture, I use Trader Joe’s coconut oil, but it doesn’t really cut it under a full face of makeup. In those cases, I reach for Crème de la Mer, which is incredibly expensive but luxurious. Now moisturizer feels more like a treat than a daily essential, which I’m sure people will laugh at. I’ve also borrowed babycare products for my own routine. Sudocrem antiseptic cream is absolutely brilliant if you’ve got a little zit—it’s technically a diaper cream from the UK, but honestly, you can’t beat it. My daughter’s baby wipes from Coterie are 99-percent water and do a great job of removing makeup when I add a bit of my Sulwhasoo cleansing foam. A hairstylist gave me that foam and it feels so nice on my skin that I ended up using it as a hand wash, too. I bet that sounds ridiculous, but why are we so nice to our face and not our hands?
I’m lucky to have professional makeup artists when I’m working, and they’ve helped guide me as my skin’s changed. When I did the Jumanji reboot, the makeup artist was so passionate about skincare that she’d basically give me a 30-minute facial. That meant I had to wake up super early, but I’d lie there thinking, Yeah, this is worth it. I need to get better at massaging my face—and way better at wearing sunscreen. I don’t wear it every day right now, which is really bad because I’m basically the poster child for SPF. I’m Scottish and pale as hell. But I hate feeling like I’m covered in product. I’ve started investing in hats, but sometimes they don’t cut it. I went to Ecuador once, and I was prancing around thinking I would be all right—afterwards, I was sizzling red and raw. It was awful. I had to use aloe for weeks.
I love makeup—it’s my favorite part of getting ready for a night out—but I don’t wear it every day. I’ve been loving MAC’s Studio Fix foundation in NC10 for the occasional meeting or event because it’s the palest one I could find. I had to go on a full-on mission in Nordstrom to find it because stores generally don’t carry pale-enough shades for me.
I’ve been using Benefit since my teens. My friend and I used to go to Boots and try all of the testers, and Benefit was always our favorite—great packaging, and the products were actually good. The Dandelion blush works really well with my skin tone—it’s so fresh and youthful.
Covergirl’s another brand that I’ve been using for years. Perfect Point eyeliner is my go-to—I like to draw it in a way that elongates my eyes. Even though liquid liner is hard to use, and kind of catastrophic in that you have to start again if you mess up, I just love the vintage look it creates. I usually do that after applying Chanel’s Ombre Première eyeshadow. A makeup artist once used Talpa on me for a shoot and I’ve kept it ever since. Speaking of Chanel, the Les Beiges powder palette is great for perfect shimmery cheeks. It has a bit of blush, a bit of bronzer, and a bit of highlighter. My favorite is Deep Rose Gold.
My friend runs a business selling Korean beauty brands and she gave me a tube of Heimish Dailism’s Smudge Stop. It is hands down the best mascara ever—truly better than all the others. I don’t know much about the formula, but it’s got this slightly stretchy consistency that really elongates your lashes. And it comes off in pieces with just water—no raccoon eyes.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lip liner is a classic for me, but lately I’ve been indulging in a brown-ish liner, too. I pair it with MAC’s clear Lipglass. It’s the only product that keeps my lips from getting chapped. I don’t know what the hell is in that formula, but for me, it’s better than lip balm.
As for my hair, I’m so bad at maintenance. I wash it every few days, and I don’t use fancy products. I’ll use any shampoo I find in a hotel or from CVS. Right now I’m using Paul Mitchell’s Shampoo One. And I almost never get it cut. I’m like a child that waits for an adult to take care of it. Usually it gets to a point where someone else has to step in and cut it because I’m doing a job. The only thing I do keep up with is bumping up my color. With life and regular sun exposure, it’s dulled a bit from the red I had growing up in Scotland. I saw Kenny Reed at Striiike recently and I feel so much better for it. But honestly? I don’t know how people make it to the salon every few weeks. That’s too much upkeep for me.”
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Shana Trajanoska in Los Angeles on April 11, 2025