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jacket + trousers. Ports 1961
bra top. Nadine Merabi
Brittany O’Grady firmly believes that as an actor, “the role goes to the right person because they’re meant to tell that story.” Have a quick peruse of her filmography and you’ll see the 26-year-old has a point. Her acting journey began with a break-out role in Lee Daniels’ musical drama series Star, which turned Brittany into pretty much just that: a star. O’Grady followed up her small-screen success with a few film roles, including the 2019 feminist remake of the slasher film Black Christmas, and her first star vehicle in Apple TV’s Little Voice, a short-lived series that showcased Brittany’s singing talents.
While conventional wisdom may suggest Little Voice would be the role to take Brittany O’Grady global, it was her next gig in a small HBO show called The White Lotus that saw the actress cross over to the big time. Playing the snotty Gen Z’er Paula in season one of the cultural phenom, The White Lotus hugely boosted Brittany’s profile as more and more viewers picked up the show on streaming. Chatting with the actor, it’s almost humorous how unlike her prickly character Paula she is. Thoughtful and generous with her time, O’Grady is an old soul who radiates all-around good vibes. The fashion world has been taking note too, and O’Grady has already become a fast friend of labels like CHANEL, Dior and Coach.
When we speak, O’Grady is in Los Angeles, her adopted home for the past few years, and coming off the press rounds for her latest role in Amazon Prime’s eight-part series The Consultant. In the new series, O’Grady plays Elaine, a young woman climbing the tech ladder who’s swept into the chaotic world of the mysterious Regus Patoff, acted to perfection by Christoph Waltz. The series is part thriller and part black comedy and lampoons the world of tech companies and the shadowy figures operating in it. With the role of Elaine, the actor has found herself at yet another art-meets-life crossroads: she’s almost playing the role of her real-life girlfriends back home in Washington D.C. The determined young women building careers in more traditional work settings than Hollywood.
Schön! caught up with the rising star to discuss leaning into her spirituality, her love of show biz survivors like Eartha Kitt, and going toe to toe with acting heavy weights.
jacket + trousers. Ports 1961
bra top. Nadine Merabi
boots. The Attico
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jacket + trousers. Ports 1961
bra top. Nadine Merabi
Hi Brittany, so great to chat with you and congratulations on The Consultant! Firstly, what drew you to the character Elaine?
I was excited to play a woman in the workspace who’s constantly trying to tackle different situations and put out fires. I thought it was a role that reflected where I’m at in my life and the people in my life – like all my girlfriends are working in that sort of space – and I was excited to dive into a new world.
Elaine is working in the competitive world of tech – what’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in your career?
I think the one thing that I’ve been told a lot by people in my life is you don’t have a crystal ball. You don’t know where your life is going to take you, especially in the industry we’re in. It ebbs and flows and it’s a business and it can be very superficial. Consistently hone in on your craft and also stand up for yourself.
When I look at the projects you’ve done there’s something kind of meticulous about your choices as an actor. I’m curious if you consider yourself very selective when it comes to choosing roles because it seems quite intentional.
Thank you. I love being able to diversify the characters I play and be in different worlds and take risks. I get invested in the projects that I do. I am pretty intentional about making sure everything is fairly different and offbeat and gets an audience thinking. It can be risky because sometimes audiences don’t vibe with what you do or the story.
jacket + trousers. Ports 1961
bra top. Nadine Merabi
boots. The Attico
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full look. Venia Collection
boots. Giorgio Armani
You got to explore your talent for singing in Little Voice – are you interested in doing something more musical?
I would love to. There are a couple of careers that I really appreciate like Judy Garland or Doris Day. These women told these stories but also used their vocals to add to it. I think your spirit wants to tell a story and there are so many ways to tell a story, whether it’s using your voice or your body, like dancing. Diana Ross, and Eartha Kitt.. those are my dream careers.
There should really be an Eartha Kitt biopic because hers is such an inspiring life story.
Such an amazing story. She was so eccentric and broke so many barriers in her life. She was so brave and I don’t think she ever put herself in a box, there’s just no way she could have. She paved the way for a lot of black women and her unique identity is inspirational to me.
In The Consultant you worked alongside Christoph Waltz – two-time Oscar winner and all-round legend – what was that experience like creatively?
Oh my gosh, I was so excited. Forgive me for sounding like a broken record but I always like to challenge myself. [Christoph] is someone who cares about the art and I was given a lot of permission to take myself seriously as an actor. I learned a lot from Christoph, he’s just a lovely person and it was definitely a career highlight.
top. Felder Felder
rings. PIANEGONDA
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full look. Stella Jean
boots. Francesca Bellavita
I read that you guys didn’t have all the scripts when you began filming, is that a preferred method or do you like to have a clear idea of where your character is going?
Oh my gosh… I don’t know. Like White Lotus, I had all the scripts. When I auditioned I didn’t think that Paula would have the arc she did but when I got the role before we started filming I was given the arc. It was good but when you’ve got the scripts coming to you as you film the episodes like we did with The Consultant, I feel like I can live in the moment. You have this authenticity of the moment and what defines us as humans is how we handle things at the moment and all the choices we decide to make. I think there may be a bit more of an authentic performance at the moment but you have more control when you know where things are going. It could go either way – I like different aspects of both.
I know you’ve probably been asked this 100 times, so forgive me, but the White Lotus has become such a cultural phenomenon, were you surprised at all by how much the show has resonated with audiences?
I think Mike White’s writing really resonates with a lot of people. He touches on a part of humanity that’s really raw and that’s intriguing to people. One of my favourite films is Beatriz at Dinner…
Love that movie! With Salma Hayek…
Yes! His writing really spoke to me when I watched that. All the human feelings we’re meant to feel or supposed to feel, I think Mike makes that happen.
full look. Stella Jean
boots. Francesca Bellavita
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full look. Stella Jean
boots. Francesca Bellavita
You’ve been dressed by a lot of the world’s top designers from Dior to Chanel – has your personal style changed a lot in your twenties and has to work with these big brands influenced you?
Absolutely. I’ve learned so much working with different brands and incredible stylists and I feel more empowered in the way that I dress and make choices. Where I grew up [in Washington D.C.] people like to dress fairly the same and not stand out. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realised — you know what, screw that! I’m going to express myself and it doesn’t have to be anything to anybody, it can just be something for me.
I came across a previous podcast interview where you talked about your strong sense of spirituality. Where did that spiritual journey start for you?
I grew up Catholic but I’m also super open. I’ve read so many different books about how we might have existed. While I was filming White Lotus somebody suggested that I read the book Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss. I thought it was just an interesting way to see how we all exist. I’m very open to people’s humanity and despite being raised in a specific religion I’ve always been open.
Is there an intersection between your spirituality and your work – does that inform your acting as well?
I notice in my career that a lot of things happen at the right time when they’re supposed to. Sometimes when I am going through something specifically in my life there’s something in the role that helps me heal or discover an aspect of myself the character is going through as well. I find that a lot — where some of the work that I’m doing reflects maybe some sort of aspect of myself and where I am at in my life. That’s a really interesting thing that I’ve noticed these past couple of years [and] it makes storytelling very magical.
full look. Ports 1961
boots. Brian Atwood x Scarosso
The Consultant is streaming now.
photography. Raul Romo
fashion. Jacquie Trevizo
talent. Brittany O’Grady
hair. Suzette Boozer
make up. Jamie Greenberg
fashion assistants. Julia Rose + Karla Garcia
retouching assistant. Al-Sayed Mohamed
interview. Reilly Sullivan
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