Gemma Chan On Narrow Beauty Standards, Ageing On Screen And Why She Loves Eva Longoria

When your career has spanned roles that include, but aren't limited to, a Marvel superhuman, a haute-couture wearing Singaporean socialite, a 1950s housewife stuck inside a conspiracy and an AI robot, you'd be forgiven for thinking that walking a runway for actor, producer and L'Oréal Paris Global Ambassador, Gemma Chan, would be relatively regular by comparison. But you'd be wrong. Stepping out for the make-up giant's annual Le Défilé show during Paris Fashion Week in a crisp Louis Vuitton suit, Chan joined the likes of Camille Razat, Andie Macdowell and Liya Kebede to celebrate all things beauty and sisterhood - a subject the Don't Worry Darling star is keen to champion.

Below, Chan shares her thoughts on ageing in Hollywood, narrow beauty standards, being a make-up hoarder and why she could never live in the 1950s...

What does the word 'beauty' mean to you and what are its limitations?

'Beauty to me is about self-care and confidence, it’s about the inside as much as the outside. In the past there have been very narrow beauty standards whether we’re talking about ethnicity, skin tone, size, shape, gender, ability - those things have been very restrictive.

'I feel really proud to work with L'Oréal Paris, because I believe they've actually taken great strides and led the way for being representative of women from all around the world. But, we can always go further. It’s about accepting everyone as individuals and moving towards that.'

Working in an industry that traditionally favours youth, what are your thoughts about ageing on screen?

'I think things have got a little better recently - I'm so excited that we get to see stories about women who are over 40, and why not? We're half of the human race! Hopefully, we're getting to a place where we're seeing women of different ages and celebrating them for who they are without having to look young. It's about retraining ourselves to open our eyes to appreciating women of all ages and not putting undue pressure on them to have to try and look a certain way for their whole lives because it's just not realistic.'

Who do you look to as a beauty icon?

'Aside from my mum, I look to Viola Davis as just an icon in general. She's incredible. She's talented, she has integrity and she's beautiful inside and out. I was so excited to walk the Le Défilé show and to be there with my L'Oréal Paris sisters, especially Eva Longoria and Aja Naomi King who I worked with on our Revitalift campaign. Eva is such a force and she's just so hilarious, and Aja is just the most gorgeous, gorgeous soul. It was great to meet some of the other spokespeople that I haven't met before like Bebe Vio who's an Italian fencer whose whole journey and life story is incredibly inspiring.'

What does your own beauty stash look like?

'I’m a bit of a hoarder, I have to say. I’ve got lots of products that are probably out of date and should be thrown away and go in the bin - I need to have a good clear out. I’m finding more and more that I’m stripping things back, not using as many products, just a few that really work. No 15-step beauty routine, it just takes too long... who has the time?

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'My go-to products are two serums: the L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Filler 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum which I use everyday, and then there’s a retinol night serum which is brilliant as well. There’s also an amazing L’Oréal Paris SPF that has no shine and no white cast. I got it when I was working in Thailand and it’s by far the best sunscreen I’ve found. It doesn’t interfere with you moisturiser or any make-up I put on afterwards. It’s brilliant.'

Your beauty looks in Don’t Worry Darling are classic 1950s glamour, what did you love about dressing up in that era?

'The whole aesthetic of the film was a dream. Everything from the set design to the costumes and the hair and make-up. It was so much fun creating those looks but that time period wasn't exactly casual! I wore a wig and she was looked after by a whole team who washed and reset her each night. It’s an incredible amount of upkeep. I enjoyed it, but I also have days where I can’t be arsed to brush my hair!'

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Tell us about your all time favourite beauty look...

'I loved the beauty look I did for the 2021 Met Gala - it was an homage to Anna May Wong. Prabal Gurung designed the dress, I had a fringe and Daniel Martin did my make-up with this acid green eyeshadow that I’ve never worn before. It sounds quite scary but I absolutely loved it.

'Betina Goldstein did my nails - we wanted to echo the shape of Anna May Wong’s really sharp looking talons - we didn’t copy them exactly, instead she suggested the shape with a jewel on each of my nails. I was terrified of them all coming off - I definitely lost them all by the end of the night but I managed to make it to the red carpet with them all still on!'