Style icon?

I love what Chloe Moretz wears, she’s one of my very good friends and every time I see her she just looks so like…neat. She always wears really cool skirts and trousers that are like rolled up at the end. She’s just really well put together — she takes a lot of care into what she wears, which I think is important. But then she’s also one of my very good friends, which does make me kinda biased. I love what Keira Knightley wears as well, she’s got such a particular figure, but is also quite tall so she can get away with these big shapes, like she can wear really tight leggings then wear a really baggy cardigan and she can do the leather trousers..she’s got a cool style I like it.

Other hobbies?

I do a lot of music — I sing, I play piano and I write music as well — I’d say that’s my biggest one

Best present?

When I did my first film my friends all chipped in together and bought me an iPod, and they engraved it on the back and wrote “Ella we all love you good luck on your movie” and it was just really lovely.

Superpower of choice?

I change my mind about this all the time. I think it might be fun to be invisible. Pranking people…the stuff I could do to my three younger brothers, payback for everything they’ve put me through! Or flying, flying would be fun.

Wow. What’s the best prank they’ve ever pulled on you?

My brother once woke me up by opening up my eyelids and spraying water into my eyes with a water gun, and I can tell you I wear contact lenses. Thankfully I remembered to take them out before going to bed — luckily — but when you wake up and you have poor vision already and you have water in your eyes and you can’t see… it can be quite stressful as I thought I’d gone blind. It was about five in the morning and you could just hear me screaming, and my brother on the floor, laughing hysterically.

Most stylish character played?

Probably my part in Kick Ass 2. I mean all the other parts I played — I was quite grungy in one, which was cool but I had so much eye-liner I looked like a panda and I put a green streak in my hair and ripped up jeans and a big baggy t-shirt, etc. But in Kick Ass they put me in short skirts and kind of American pretty — and I’ve never played a pretty character so it was fun to be dressed up in pink and stuff.

If you were a superhero where would your hideout be a-la super man’s fortress of solitude?

This is quite a particular answer. You know in Old Street they have those two trains by the billboard? I was driving past and I saw a guy smoking like on top of the train so that is where I’d have it — it’d be inside of a train, I’d want it somewhere quite high up so I can watch things, ’cause no-one thinks to look up do they? Somewhere high up.

Biggest pet peeve?

When I’m speaking and people “sshh” me, that upsets me. My brothers do it so much. I’ll be saying something and they’ll go ‘Sh!’, and it goes with the hand gesture as well, it makes me want to strangle them. I also don’t like sharing forks or cutlery, or taking food off my plate. I don’t like when people take food off my plate, like if you want that food you could order that, it’s my food. Like if I offer it it’s fine, but don’t take it without asking — it’s food, its important to me!

All time to co-star with male/female?

Marilyn Monroe and Elvis. If you co-star with Marilyn Monroe and Elvis you’re pretty much set. Also because there’s so much hype about them I just would want to know what they’d actually be like. I’d wanna get to know them. You know, like having Elvis on Facebook, or Marilyn on your phone hahaha.

Embarrassing style choice from years before?

It wasn’t even like 4-5 years ago, that’s how embarrassing it is, it was from about 2 years ago I used to wear these hand warmers — but like the little ones so there black and kinda goth-y, and I used to wear them everywhere. I used to wear black beanies and just wear them indoors even on a hot summer’s day. I don’t even know why I wore them besides I thought they looked cool. So embarrassing. You know when you see kids who try to colour coordinate everything? That was me too. I used to have clips in my hair that’d have little bows on them, and they’d be green-purple-green-purple-green-purple going all the way to the back of my head. Also pink and brown, which is also a great color combination (laughs).

Three wishes?

People always go world peace, end poverty, so pretending that isn’t an option, pretending war doesn’t exist. I’d wish I won the lottery, I think everyone’s gotta wish that. I’d wish that I owned an ostrich because my grandma rode an ostrich when she went to Australia, so I think if I owned an ostrich I’d be able to ride it to work everyday. And my third would be lifetime good health for friends and family…and myself (laughs).

See Ella in Kick Ass 2 with Chloe Moretz, Jim Carrey and Aaron Johnson, out in theatres now.

Words: Paul Craig
Photographer: Jessie Craig
Stylist: Francesca Turner
Producer: Seona Taylor-Bell
Grooming: Noriko Takayama at UnTitled Artists London using TIGI
Make-up: Noako Scintu at The London Style Agency using Dr Hauschka
Fashion Assistance: Giulia Oddi

Velvet dress by Christopher Kane.
T-Shirt by James Perse, navy skirt by Acne Studios at Liberty and necklace by Dominic Jones.

The post In Profile: Ella Purnell appeared first on Wonderland.

Middlesbrough girl Faye Marsay snagged the lead role of Anna Neville in BBC1 period epic The White Queen fresh out of drama school and is on the rise. After all, Anna Neville didn’t claw her way to the throne for nothing – some of that queenly steeliness definitely comes from Marsay herself. Since The White Queen, Marsay’s landed roles in Fresh Meat and ITV wartime drama The Bletchley Circle – but we’ll always have a spot in our hearts for the once and future Queen of England.

Who is your style icon? I like what Ellen Page wears. Sometimes she wears like beautiful dresses, and then other times she just looks like a tomboy. That kind of vibe I think, like casual, smart, and then just whack out a beautiful dress.

Any hobbies? I like playing the drums. Or just hanging out with my mates really. I just like being around people. People person. Not all the time, but you know.

What’s the coolest gift you’ve ever received? Probably when my parents took me to Disneyland in Florida. I was about 9 or 10, my mum and dad told us and a week later we were on a plane. It was that age where Disneyland is like the best thing in the world.

If you could co-star with any actor or actress all the time, who’d it be? Kevin Spacey, or Charlize Theron… Or Robert De Niro, loads of them you know what I mean? Let’s go with Kevin Spacey.

What is your most embarrassing fashion faux-pas? At school we used to have our hair tied back in a really tight ponytail. Your hair would be scraped back in a pony with a scrunchy and you’d have two bits coming down over our foreheads that would just be hairsprayed – these two antlers, like antennae. I also had a coke-can fringe before, horrible fringe… With a scrunchy on top.

Biggest pet peeve? Slow walkers. Especially living in London. People that walk dead slow.

What’s the worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard? “Are those space pants because your ass is out of this world.”Awful.

What’s the bigger deal breaker, bad teeth or B.O.? Bad teeth.

What is most stylish character you’ve played? None of them really… Probably Anne Neville because she’s in the court, so she’s got the most regal style. Anne Neville, White Queen.

Three wishes (and no wishing for unlimited wishes). Mum and Dad sorted forever. Just sorted. Emotionally, healthwise, financially. To be in a play at the national theatre. And to be able to drum with Dave Grohl would be pretty cool as well. Art, passion, family.

If you could punch any animal in the face, what would it be? Snake.

Click here to check out more of the best new acting talent in our In Profile archive.

Images: Jessie Craig
Styling: Francesca Turner
Words: Paul Craig
Producer: Seona Taylor-Bell

Hair: Noriko Takayama using TIGI
Makeup: Naoko Scintu at The London Style Agency using DR HAUSCHKA
Fashion Assistance: Giulia Oddi

Look 1: Bug print pencil skirt by MCQ ALEXANDER MCQUEEN and T-shirt with elasticated collar by MARNI
Look 2: Sweatshirt by MCQ ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

The post In Profile: Faye Marsay appeared first on Wonderland.