For our latest In Profile, we talk to Kick Ass 2 star Ella Purnell on superpowers, pranks, and stylish BFF Chloe Moretz.
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.