W MAGAZINE’s first issue of 2024, Volume 1, Best Performances hits stands February 13, 2024. The highly anticipated Best Performances portfolio is an annual feature curated by W’s editor-at-large Lynn Hirschberg and highlights stars at the forefront of cinema, from industry legends and icons to those whose phenomenal talent is ushering in a new wave of stardom.
Paying tribute to the actors and stories that left us in awe over the past year, this year’s Best Performance issue features Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Colman Domingo, Greta Lee, Ryan Gosling, Robert Downey Jr., Lily Gladstone, Nicolas Cage, Charles Melton, Zac Efron, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jodie Foster, and Margot Robbie across thirteen unique covers photographed by Juergen Teller and styled by W Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Sara Moonves.
NATALIE PORTMAN
Remembering a birthday she had on set: “I turned 12 on the set of The Professional. They surprised me—they pretended it was a take. And then, on the clapper, it said “Happy Birthday!” They had confetti come down, and everyone sang to me. I remember that birthday a lot.”
On where she had her first kiss: “At summer camp, on a dare. It was theater camp, so he came out the next year.”
JULIANNE MOORE
Sharing her secret skill: “…Actually, my secret skill—my superpower—is cleaning. I will occasionally go into a bathroom in a restaurant and pick things up. I’m always like, Who are these pigs who were in here?”
On who in Hollywood has made her feel starstruck: “The first time I met Robert Redford at Sundance, I was totally starstruck. There’s actually a photo of me standing right behind him with my mouth hanging open.”
COLMAN DOMINGO
On the friendship he developed with Oprah during The Color Purple: “…Oprah and I have become dear friends. She’s a love. We were actually on the phone last night, talking about clothes… And then I made her laugh. Her laugh is a laugh that I think nobody knows about—it’s the Oprah-just-talking-to-a- friend laugh and not thinking that she’s Oprah.”
Discussing the importance of his costumes on the roles he plays: “I’m very clear about collaborating with my costume designers. I remember one scene with Rustin: He’s having dinner at his house, and he’s cooking Indian food. I asked for an outfit with a print, something from his travels. I’m like, ‘Can we find that?’ They found this really beautiful print shirt and even a necklace. I was like, ‘That feels like Bayard.”
GRETA LEE
Remembering one of her first acting roles in the Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: “…I also had to play the piano, twirl a baton, and catch it. It’s been years, but I still have nightmares where I have to twirl a baton and catch it.”
On whether she considers baton twirling to be her secret skill: “Maybe. I can also get my kids to listen to me by playing something we like to call Orphan Game. I used to love The Boxcar Children series, which is about a family of orphans. One day we tried the concept of: What if you were an orphan? And it works. I don’t know if that says something about how my kids feel about us as parents!”
RYAN GOSLING
On the first job he auditioned for: “The first job that I auditioned for was my uncle’s Elvis impersonating act. I nailed it: I had to hand out teddy bears.”
How baking is his secret skill: “I make a hell of a pie. I go with raspberry. My mom used to bake as a side hustle, and I’ve been lucky enough to get the pie gene. I flute my crust too, so don’t let anyone tell you that I don’t!”
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
Recalling his first on-screen kiss: “Probably in The Pick-up Artist, with Molly Ringwald. Warren Beatty was on set, and he was giving a lot of direction about the kiss, so much direction that by the time he was done—and he’s a super genius and I’ve learned so much from him—I wasn’t even sure I knew how to kiss.”
Whether he believed in astrology: “I’m an Aries. I don’t disbelieve anything, but do we believe there are only 12 kinds of people on Earth? We want to feel that the future is not so uncertain and that there’s someone, like a horoscope writer, who knows exactly what we’re going through.”
LILY GLADSTONE
On who her boy band crush was: “Lance Bass. Unfortunately, I think I was barking up the wrong tree. Still a gorgeous man, though!”
Recalling her first kiss: “I was freshman class president, and he was sophomore class president. He was popular. I was reluctantly popular. The kiss was at an Associated Student Body retreat. Just a quick, very nervous kiss. We didn’t last.”
[Photo Credit: Juergen Teller for W Magazine]
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Charles Melton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Margot Robbie and More Cover W Magazine’s 2024 Best Performances Issue Next Post:
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Star Lily Gladstone at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Charles Melton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Margot Robbie and More Cover W Magazine’s 2024 Best Performances Issue Next Post:
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Star Lily Gladstone at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards
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