Mia Goth may have had her fair share of challenging roles, but nothing could have prepared her for the role of a lifetime in "Frankenstein." In this episode of “Ask Me Anything,” ELLE’s November cover star opens up about bringing Guillermo del Toro’s vision to life, the audition she almost ruined (spoiler: chopsticks were involved!), and how her most terrifying scenes became some of her favorites. Plus, she spills on her all-time favorite red carpet look, her dream rom-com role, and the best advice she ever received as a young actress.
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But then he called back and he said,
do you want to be Pete?
I said, I'll be anything.
Am I nervous?
A little.
Probably the creature.
I was taken by how,
how much humanity there was in his performance.
Even with all of the prosthetics,
it was very easy to connect with him in our scenes.
And I guess that that was probably
what I found most surprising.
I had a little anxiety, I guess,
as to how that was going to work
and how that would feel.
But it kind of turned out better than I could have hoped
and ended up being some of my favourite scenes in the movie.
Maybe Blue Valentine with a little bit more funny
sprinkled in here or there.
We should do that.
Yeah, I think that's what my rom-com would be.
I don't think I've ever turned down an audition.
If anything, the question should be,
what job are you glad you didn't get?
Because more often than not,
you end up watching the movie
and you kind of think,
oh, well, glad I dodged a bullet there.
Probably Lars Von Trier
when I was filming Nymphomaniac,
my first movie.
We sat down and he told me to go through the script
and just cross out any of the lines
or the directions that weren't working for me
and to put in place something that was.
The longer I do this,
the more I see how right he was about that
and how it's so important to own your character
and for it to feel right in coming from you.
And it always stuck with me
and just generally as an actor.
Maybe my Nymphomaniac audition
because it was quite a lengthy process.
And I remember I was so nervous
and I was in London and I was there early
and I was very hungry,
so I went and got a cheeseburger at Burger King.
And I went in for the audition
and after that I had to fly to Copenhagen
and then me and Lars had sushi
and I remember I was thinking to myself,
I don't know how to use chopsticks.
I'm like, my mum always told me
to learn how to use chopsticks
and I didn't know how
and I thought, I fucked it up
and I'm not going to get the job.
And then I didn't get the job.
I was like, oh.
But then he called back
and he said, do you want to be Pete?
I said, I'll be anything.
My dress that I just wore
to the Venice Film Festival.
That was designed by
Jonathan Anderson for Dior.
It was this beautiful
chocolate brown satin gown
and it just felt so beautiful in it
and I really don't think
I've ever felt better on a night
than I did that night.
What happened was
we were in this little studio.
We had these tents
and I remember I was in one tent
and then Ty was in the other
but I could hear everything
that was being said
and then he was like,
well if Mia can't do it, it's okay.
We can always cut between the takes.
We've got a backup.
And I heard that
and it crushed me
because I was preparing for this
for so long
and I was ready
and I thought my director
didn't believe me.
And I think hearing that
really kind of motivated me even more
and kind of was exactly
what I needed to hear
was exactly what Pearl needed to hear
and so maybe we ended up doing it
maybe three or four times.
Which roles of yours
challenged you the most creatively?
I think Elizabeth in Frankenstein
was quite challenging.
I've been such a huge fan of Guillermo's
my whole life.
I remember being in geography class.
I was about 12 years old
watching Pan's Labyrinth
and it really, like, sticking with me.
And yeah, I mean,
working with him is like
being in a constant hug all the time.
I felt very supported
and he knew how nervous I was
and, you know, the fact that it was
Guillermo del Toro
having a chance to make the movie
that he was always meant to make
I mean, that pressure
never really left me.
But he was incredibly supportive
and I learnt so much from him.
What was the best note
Guillermo del Toro gave you?
Probably that whatever it is
I choose to do with the character
I can't go wrong with it.
He told me that after we had met
the character of Elizabeth
kind of came to life
and he was able to
finally put her down into the script
but up until that point
she was just like this
rough sketch.
And so whatever it is
that I decide to do with the character
it will be the right choice
and to follow it.
What's one line from one of your films
that fans quote to you the most?
I'm a star!
Which horror film
has actually kept you up at night?
I don't think a horror movie
has ever kept me up at night.
It takes a lot to scare me.
Thanks so much for watching
and make sure to check out
my Elle cover.
See ya!