Words by Federica Volpe
Photography by Sarah Krick, Styling by Oretta Corbelli
Actress and producer Joey King is the new Max Mara Face of the Future, as “she embodies the strength, creativity, and passion of a leader for her generation,” says Maria Giulia Prezioso Maramotti, director of the brand. “It feels surreal to be recognized by Max Mara and Women in Film in front of actresses and women I look up to and in front of my family–with whom I share this award–because they made me the woman I am today,” King says. At 25, the number of films and TV titles King has worked on is more than twice her age. The film series she starred in, The Kissing Booth, was a huge success and gave the 25-year-old actress massive popularity. However, with her performance in the crime drama series The Act, she received critical acclaim along with SAG, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice Award nominations. The Act is based on the life of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, with whom Joey has never interacted except via messages. “I’ve never met Gypsy,” she explains. “The extent of our interaction was a couple of friendly and nice words over Instagram DM. What attracted me to that project was the delicate nature of telling someone’s story when they’re still alive, and when there’s so much information about them that everyone has access to and can cross-reference your performance and accuracy. That made me very nervous but also excited. I was really lucky because I was given the freedom to find my version of playing Gypsy. It was the most incredible experience to work on something everyone cared so deeply about.”
She recently starred in and produced Uglies, a science fiction drama based on Scott Westerfeld’s novel, set in a dystopian reality with strict beauty standards. It doesn’t sound so different from today’s reality, where the pressure of aesthetic standards is often placed on women, a pressure Joey is very aware of. “It’s inevitable nowadays not to feel a certain pressure. If you subscribe to social media, whether you are a celebrity or not, people will make assumptions about your appearance, personality, and life. I think people are a little too comfortable voicing their opinions nowadays. It seems more important to be humorous than kind. I also think there’s a certain pressure put on women, with things expected of them when they reach a certain age. I feel that pressure and I’m in my 20s. I’ll surely feel it more as I get older. A lot of women feel it, it’s unfair and crazy. I’m so glad many inspiring actresses and female directors are making art that addresses this problem.”
With her production company, All the King’s Horses, she tries to find talented filmmakers and foster their vision because her inspiration “is a collaborative kind of inspiration.” This collaborative inspiration is, in fact, what attracts her to a project: “If I look at my career so far, I don’t know if I could have predicted any of the projects I’ve worked on. I get really inspired when I feel someone else’s inspirational energy. I love the nature of how spontaneous many of my decisions as an actress have been because, at times, I’ve gotten very excited about a script and just jumped right in, even if I wouldn’t have necessarily thought I’d want to do something like that. Most importantly, though, I want characters to feel, to have real-life stakes and personalities.”
Throughout her career she’s worked with acting legends such as Nicole Kidman, in the movie A Family Affair: “I’m just so amazed and inspired by Nicole,” she says. “She’s so funny, talented, and caring. Working with her makes you realize how she rose to the position of leadership that she so elegantly holds, by being kind, compassionate, and collaborative with other people. She is also just such a badass who knows what she wants and is so sure of herself. I find that amazing.”
There are also other women in Hollywood that King dreams of working with in the future: “One day, I’d love to work with Greta Gerwig and Angela Bassett. There are so many incredible women I really look up to, both in front of and behind the camera. I can’t wait to continue my career and work with more female filmmakers and more women in general. I’m lucky to live in a time where there are more opportunities for women than ever before, and I’m really thankful to all the women who came before me in this industry, who laid down the groundwork and trailblazed the path for us to have more opportunities, more say, and more creative power. Of course, there is still a lot more to be done, and there are still many things we’re striving for. Hopefully, those goals will be reached.
Hair by Dimitris Giannetos (@Dimitrishair), Makeup by Allan Avendaño (@Allanface), Nails by Thuy Nguyen (@Thuybnguyen)
PA by Bryan Javier (@Bryanjavier.Jpg), Styling Assistance by Alessandra Mai Vinh (@Alessandra.Maivinh)
