On being drawn to darker roles: "I’m drawn to those roles because [they’re so] rare, especially for someone my age. Women in film are often the prizes for the men and nowhere near as layered or complex as the men get to be. My character in The Town was written for a 37-year-old. I had to fight for that role. But also, I’m not this super-tortured soul, so it’s fun to be able to go there.”
On preparing for events: “I like it to be easy. I don’t feel like I have to do so much with hair and makeup, because I’m the mannequin for these beautiful clothes, so I never want to do anything too distracting. Most of the time, I put my hair in a ballerina bun, and I take it down and it’s wavy, and then I leave. I feel shy when people are fussing on me. And my diet of choice before events is a chicken potpie from Tea & Sympathy, because they never have enough food at these things.”
On not having a stylist: "You know, my mom modeled and made clothes, so I always had such an appreciation for design. And then Gossip Girl completely blew open the door to fashion for me. I’d go to fashion shows and call my publicist and say, “Can I wear that?” I think I became my own stylist by not knowing any better. And once I was told it was time to get one, I thought: This is one of my favorite hobbies! And I’m going to pay someone to steal my hobby from me? That’s a terrible idea."
