Apple TV+’s newest drama, The New Look, celebrates the history of Dior in post-World War II France. Created by Todd A. Kessler (Bloodline and The Sopranos), the 10-episode season juxtaposes Christian Dior’s (played by Secret Invasion’s Ben Mendelsohn) rise to fashion fame with Coco Chanel’s (Juliette Binoche) struggle to return to the scene of polite society. Both designers suffer personal setbacks due to the troubles of beloved family members, but their methods of dealing with their situations are very different.
Apple TV+ has several prestige shows, and The New Look will soon be joining their ranks if the cast is anything to go by. Aside from Mendelsohn and Binoche, the project features a powerful performance from Maisie Williams as Dior’s sister Catherine, Emily Mortimer as Chanel’s best friend Elsa Lombardi, and the incredibly prolific John Malkovich as Dior’s boss Lucien Lelong. Though not a designer himself, Lelong had an eye for talent and took a special interest in Christian for that reason.
The New Look Cast & Real Life Character Comparison Guide
The Apple TV+ series The New Look sees talented actors take on the roles of famous designers Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and their contemporaries.
Screen Rant interviewed Malkovich about stepping into the role of Lucien Lelong for The New Look, understanding his place in the fashion world, and respecting his relationship with Dior.
John Malkovich On Lelong & Dior’s Friendship In The New Look
Screen Rant: I really enjoyed The New Look, but I have to say poor Lucien Lelong is a little bit lost to time in comparison to some of his employees that we meet in the show. Did you have to do any extra research into him or his life when you were stepping into the character?
John Malkovich: No, not really. There weren’t really episodes finished when I agreed to do this. I agreed because my long-time colleague who I’ve worked with a number of times, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, is the executive producer.
My faith was in Lorenzo and Todd Kessler, who presented me with what he wanted to make. He told me where Lucien Lelong fit into that universe, which made sense to me and seemed a very interesting person who had the misfortune to be born at a very difficult time. Although he himself was not a designer of any interest, he had a great eye for talent, I think, and a great capacity for developing and encouraging and supporting talent.
He obviously understands the size of Dior’s talent, but he also seems to have a soft spot for him personally. Can you talk about that relationship and building it with Ben Mendelsohn?
John Malkovich: Yeah. I had spoken with Ben. We have an Australian friend in common, and he happened to be there when I called our mutual friend. I had a fairly long chat with him many years ago after I’d seen Animal Kingdom.
I’ve always thought Ben’s work was absolutely terrific and fascinating, and he has so many qualities that are very difficult to find in male actors. He is exceptionally emotionally available, and he makes very unique, singular quixotic choices. He is perfectly happy to be vulnerable, and he is vulnerable at a moment’s notice. Those are qualities that you just don’t much find in [male] actors – either they’re not very good at it, which is part of the thing, or they’re not really capable of showing it, or don’t really want to show it for whatever reason. He’s not like that.
Our relationship, I think, developed very naturally. You’re playing someone who’s, yes, his “boss” and whatever positivity or negativity people may associate with that – but Dior’s obviously a person in pain. The character is in often great psychological or psychic pain and torment, and he’s a very fragile human being. I think for Lelong, the natural impulse is kindness and compassion, really. I think his interest in Dior – of course, people could cynically say, “He’s a great designer, and that was your meal ticket.”
But actually, I think people are a lot more complex than that. There are people who just love people for their talent, period, end of story, sign off. There are people who love talent, and they do more or less anything for someone with talent. I think Lelong, in this sense, was one of those people and Dior’s talent merited it.
About The New Look
This emotionally thrilling series reveals the shocking story of how fashion icon Christian Dior and his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain, and Cristóbal Balenciaga, navigated the horrors of World War II and launched modern fashion.
Check out our other The New Look interviews here:
- Ben Mendelsohn
- Maisie Williams
- Juliette Binoche
- Todd A. Kessler & Lorenzo di Bonaventura
The New Look
The New Look is a biographical drama focusing on the rise of fashion designer Christian Dior as he competes with Coco Chanel. The series was created by Todd A. Kessler and stars Ben Mendelsohn (Christian Dior) and Juliette Binoche (Coco Chanel). The series premiered on AppleTV+ in February 2024.
- Release Date
- February 14, 2024
- Cast
- Glenn Close , Ben Mendelsohn , Juliette Binoche , Maisie Williams , John Malkovich , Emily Mortimer , Claes Bang
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Todd A. Kessler
- Writers
- Todd A. Kessler
- Streaming Service(s)
- Apple TV+
- Directors
- Helen Shaver , Todd A. Kessler , Julia Ducournau , Jeremy Podeswa
