Micaela Wittman Is Figuring It Out

First things first. How did you get into acting?

"I grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness in a rough home and wasn’t really allowed to do anything until I dropped out and became an adult early and on my own terms. I had always wanted to act, though. At one point as a teenager I had two jobs and it all went to acting classes, which quickly turned into saving up to move to Hollywood."

Hedi Slimane has been a public advocate for your acting. How did he discover you?

"Being championed by Hedi is one of my proudest accomplishments. I have bad imposter syndrome and I was worried that he discovered me through a Netflix film I was in at the time, but my role was small, and I kept thinking I tricked him into believing in me for something I had only a tiny part in. But then the piece came out and I realized he, and Celine, chose me because of my work on my own independent films, something I at one point had shame over. It gives me so much confidence knowing he believed in me for the things that are the most me—not a label, not a network, or a studio, or a big name. Just me and my work."

You’ve since signed with an agency and recently appeared in a campaigns for Ssense and Tory Burch. Do you enjoy modeling?

"Modeling is a lot like acting except you don’t have to memorize lines, which is awesome. I think of it as playing a character. You’re on set, in front of the camera, with a bunch of people who have a special vision around, all working as a team. I’m really inspired by the Julia Roberts pantsuit era so working with Giorgio Armani a few times was a big dream come true for me. I have to say I’d also love to work with CHANEL. They’re a staple."

You've become a bit of a front row fixture. Do you have a favorite runway moment?

"The Celine show at The Wiltern was incredible. It was all such a whirlwind. They sat me next to Rachel Sennott, who I really admire, and I was just thinking, 'What the heck did I do to end up here?' It was my first show ever and it set the bar so high. The music, the looks—it was truly a spectacle. It felt like being at a concert or something. I was smiling the whole time."

How would you describe your personal style?

"My style is whatever brands want to send me. Just kidding. However, as an actor, I’ve had it ingrained in me to be a blank canvas, and to just be adaptable. I don’t have a strong built in aesthetic and I like being malleable. Some days I go in an edgy, goth direction—one time, I went through an era where I only wore pink. I miss the pre-Instagram Y2K nonchalant celebrity era where they’d go on red carpets with jeans and a graphic tee and no bra. That’s my true personal style dream."

What has your relationship been with fashion?

"It’s been really interesting for me to learn about how fashion and film intertwine. The film industry really respects fashion and if you get the okay from the fashion industry, it becomes easier to get respect in Hollywood. Both industries look to each other for guidance. It’s bizarre because it’s like, how does going to Paris and wearing cute clothes help me as an actress? I don’t know. I don’t know the machinations behind it, but I’m down. More roles equals more fashion equals more roles. It’s a fun system."

You recently co-starred with Julia Fox in the LGBTQ+ romantic drama Perfect. What was it like working with her?

"She is amazing, just very kind and down-to-earth. It’s really inspiring to be around someone who has such an interesting life, and who’s so original and self made through-and-through."

You stopped posting your viral acting audition content on TikTok. Why?

"This is so funny. I think I just gave all the advice I had to give and I was kind of tapped out. People who are content creators who make videos about a subject past its expiration date feel really disingenuous to me. There isn’t an infinite amount of advice I can give, because at a point there’s only so much you need to know and all you need to do is go do it. I helped people get started making their own projects, find agents and managers, get their foot in the door while also keeping a mentality of respecting themselves and not being sycophantic towards an industry that doesn’t have your best interest at heart.

I’m grateful I was able to help people, but if I kept going I would probably start saying things I shouldn’t be saying and sacrificing my own palatability. I’m just getting started and I’m not ready to take that bullet. Also, more recently, my account got hacked and I’m not really trying to get it back."

"I wasted a lot of time waiting for things to be fair and I kept getting sold a lie that if I just got better, then I would get my dream life handed to me."

Do you have any advice for aspiring filmmakers or actors?

"I would say, don’t expect anything to be fair and don’t expect anyone to give anything to you. That sounds negative, but it’s not. I wasted a lot of time waiting for things to be fair and I kept getting sold a lie that if I just got better, if one day I was good enough, if I took enough classes, if this if that, then I would get my dream life handed to me. I was good enough from the start; I just didn’t know yet that I needed to forge my own path.

Things are different now then they were in the '90s, and it was a difficult transition for a lot of people, but now that we’re here, I think people can save themselves a lot of time by just owning that things have changed. Autonomy and art, and your own creative expression are above all else. Don’t wait for anyone to give anything to you. They will come when they see you don’t need them. Also, don’t let people waste your energy. A lot of bad people are drawn to Hollywood and they like to siphon off talent because they don’t have any of their own. See, this is why I can’t make TikToks anymore!"

You’ve now collaborated on multiple films with French-American director Arthur De Larroche and launched your own production company together last summer. Do you see consistent collaboration as a sort of hack for longevity in Hollywood?

"I’ve definitely seen a pattern in a lot of the moguls I admire. They all have their team of people that they came up with, they trust them and they’ve worked together from the beginning. Having a group of friends or even one person that you’ve worked with from the start and eventually making all of Hollywood your sandbox is the dream."

You named your production company "Manic." Does that word resonate with your creative working style?

"One time, someone insulted Arthur by calling him manic. They were basically like, 'This isn’t how things are done, and you’re acting…manic!' There was something powerful in taking something that was said as a diss and making it our superpower.

Honestly, Arthur and I keep getting things done despite all odds. There’s been so many times where people have said something is impossible and we come back a couple weeks later, having done it. Hollywood is really catered to people who started off lucky, and people aren’t always used to seeing what it looks like to make this happen for yourself, with no connections or anything; it can overwhelm people. But luckily, I live for it."

Rapidfire Q&A:

• What’s the real vibe at the Cannes? Holy.
• F*ck, marry, kill: Romcoms, coming-of-age, horror movies. Marry rom-coms, kill coming-of-age, f*ck horror movies.
• Bucket list actor you want to work with? Leonardo Dicaprio.
• All-time favorite movie? Hunger Games, Life Is A War.
• LA or NY? New York overall but Los Angeles right now because I’m chilling here.
• Acting or writing?Acting.
• Favorite book?Catcher in the Rye.
• What movie of yours should people watch?Remy & Arletta. It'’s on Amazon and it’s so relevant but not enough people have seen it.
• What can we expect from you next?I’m making plans right now and they’re huge. I’m pretty excited about all my upcoming projects.