For those of us going through True Blood withdrawal, or eagerly anticipating the HBO mini series Mildred Pierce, Nylon magazine’s November issue gives us a healthy dose of redheaded babe Evan Rachel Wood. She did a photo shoot and interview as this month’s cover girl, and articulated a lot of love for the females. Fresh from having her nose pierced (a stud on the right side), Wood is shown arriving at the shoot with her friends, joking around and letting her goofy side show. While looking at fashion magazines, she describes herself as a “tomboy in heels,” and comments that photos of the lesbian model Freja Beha Erichsen in the French Vogue are “hot s–t.” She goes on to talk about wanting to someday play Janis Joplin (“Can I just claim that now please?” she jokes), how Tilda Swinton is like a female David Bowie, and refers to Hindu goddess Durga as “my girl.”
At the tender age of 23, Wood possesses a fair amount of grace and wisdom about her life so far, careerwise and otherwise. She’s gotten the chance to work with such female Hollywood wonders as Cate Blanchett, Annette Bening and, of course, Kate Winslet. “I was a little bit teary when I was riding the elevator up to meet her because she’s so inspiring to me,” Wood says of the experience. “But she’s so easy to relax around, so by the end of it we were just hanging out and goofing off.” “Relax” may be an understatement, as Wood goes on to reveal how Winslet convinced her to say yes to a full nude scene. Apparently Winslet managed this by initiating Wood into the world of merkins. (No joke, y’all; no joke.) “So you get everything,” Wood concludes of the nude scene, “Everything. Front, back – you’re welcome!” Fans will probably be thanking Wood for more than just the generous nudity for the sake of art. The actress is making some smart choices in regards to upcoming projects, including her choice to take the rest of 2010 off before embarking on films such as George Clooney’s political drama Farragut North and Robert Redford’s ensemble film about the Lincoln assassination.
Her self-imposed need for some R&R may very well be a result of the end of her very public engagement with Marilyn Manson. Wood seemed positive about the relationship, saying, “Oh, I’m always gonna love that guy. He’s a genius, he’s an amazing artist, we’re still friends. Some things just aren’t meant to be.”
Pretty solid sentiments for a gal in her early twenties. In other areas of self-care, Wood talks about her decision to stop drinking, and her dream of one day opening a center for women. “I’ve been in a position where I’ve just wanted a safe place to go and to disappear for awhile, somewhere with no judgements, [with people] who understood. It was hard to find a place like that, it really was.” Wood certainly isn’t the first young starlet to be run through the paparazzi ringer, but as evidenced by her humor and reflective attitude in the interview, she’s definitely going to come out of it on top. “I’ve finally got a point in my life where I’m OK being alone. I enjoy the quiet. I’m not afraid of it anymore,” she says.”It’s cool when you learn to let go. Nothing lasts forever, I know that’s kind of morbid but it’s true.”
True, indeed. You go, girl.
