First look at Kristen Stewart as Coco Chanel

Alexondra Assemi
Nov 19, 2015
2 min read

Harper’s Bazaar published the first photos of Kristen Stewart on the set of Karl Lagerfeld’s new short film, Once and Forever. Like Clouds of Sils Maria, this one’s very meta: She’s playing an actress preparing to play the young Coco when the movie’s director is replaced by some French rookie. Stewart’s character isn’t happy about this.

“She’s not the nicest person,” Lagerfeld told the magazine. “She is quite condescending. It’s a modern woman, the way some modern movie stars behave with the red carpet, the paparazzi, all of that.”

Basically, she’s playing a b-tch.

I love it.

Laura Brown, Harper’s Bazaar’s executive editor, made a cameo as a journalist following Stewart’s character on set. She wrote, “I tell her to conjure up every bit of rage she’s ever felt against the media, and she nearly blows me off the soundstage.”

This will be so much fun.

Stewart will be taking over for Keira Knightley, who played Coco in 2013’s Once Upon a Time. Geraldine Chaplin will reprise her role as the older version from previous films.

Knightley and Stewart both make sense, not only to represent the brand, but also to play Coco. I don’t necessarily mean looks-wise (Audrey Tatou is the ultimate doppelgänger). But they both embody a tomboyish ennui. Not many people know this, but Gabrielle Chanel was kind of a tomboy. She loved horseback riding, and what made her stand out as a designer was her commitment to comfortable clothing.

Knightley and Stewart both got started in blockbuster franchises at a young age. They’re both foul-mouthed, polarizing figures. (They’re also both my girl crushes.) Or at least, Knightley used to be. She was much angstier in her teens. She seems to have mellowed out, and I don’t think people even remember she started in Pirates of the Caribbean. Since then, she’s been nominated for two Oscars. Could this be a career projection for Stewart?

The film will premiere at the Métiers d’Arts show on 1 December. I can’t wait to see what Stewart will wear.

I can't find any links to the article yet, so I've attached scans of the spread.

*Update: I've added the trailer below.*