MORNING AFTER

A golden glow surrounds Rebecca Dayan on the New York morning where we talk. But this time, it’s not a halo of holiness left from her unforgettable role as a nun in the 2017 film Novitiate. It’s the after-party aura of Studio 54, where the French-born New Yorker stars as Elsa Peretti in Netflix’s Halston. 

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Left Full look GIVENCHY

Right Suit FENDI

Since we still have to live vicariously through our screens for the time being, how did it feel, hitting the Studio 54 era with Halston? 

 It was really fun – the sets, the costumes, everything was amazing. Obviously, it’s a very exciting period to portray. To play a character that evolved during that time is very enticing and felt very liberating in a lot of ways. 

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Left Top, skirt and belt CELINE BY HEDI SLIMANE , coat vintage

Right Full Look SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO

Was it jarring to have the real world turn into this quasi-monastic existence for most people while you were living the ultimate party epoch?

 We started filming before the pandemic, so Daniel [Minahan] had been very good about getting us to spend time together. He took us all to lunch at Bergdorf’s. We went to visit all the real locations the show mentions but where we wouldn’t be filming, like the original studio. It built a form of complicity, and it’s definitely what kept us going.

 Most of the show was filmed during Covid-19 so it was very interesting to experience this dichotomy between the world we were experiencing off-camera and what we were bringing to life on screen. The gap between the two worlds wouldn’t have felt so different, for sure. But this friendship that had really developed [between cast members] really helped, and I think it really transpires in the show. 

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Full Look LOEWE

What was your favorite part of the whole project? 

 Definitely the scenes where you have all of us, and see us as a crew, being this Rat Pack of weird misfits that are both crazy and super fun to be around. 

Did you have any apprehension slipping into the fabulous skin of Elsa Peretti?

 Although I knew her work, I had never delved into her personal life or the details of her career, so it was exciting. Watching interviews, reading what others have said about her, all that was fascinating. You know, one of the best parts of a project is that you get to dive into worlds that you’re not familiar with and where there’s always things to learn.  

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Left Full Look GIVENCHY

Right Full Look CHANEL

Is the coming summer going to be a “hot fun summer” or a studious one for you?

 Usually, I spend my summers in Europe, especially the South of France where I’m from. A Mediterranean summer is always something to look forward to. But given that I spent around two months away in Mexicorecently, I’m rather hoping I’ll be working this summer. Right now, we are trying to find a home for Born Free, a documentary I produced and which speaks about the rising maternal mortality rate in the US. How is it possible in one of the richest countries in the world? We explore all the possible causes, from women’s rights and [access to] healthcare, to racial bias. 

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Suit FENDI & shoes LOEWE

At a moment where women’s rights have taken a hit – a step back worth decades – due to the pandemic, it’s a crucial topic. 

 Yes, it's a sobering thought. A crisis like that can happen and boom, we’re back to 1955 or something. So one of the main goals of the documentary is to educate people, without pretending to know better but by sharing information and giving them all the facts to make their own informed choices – whether I agree with them or not. 

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Interview by Lily Templeton

Photography by Martina Keenan

Fashion by Carolina Orrico

Make-Up by Misha Shahzada at Kalpana

Hair by Seiji at Forward artists