It's Not That Complicated
Actress Caitlin FitzGerald Is En Route to Indie Stardom.
By Alexis Swerdloff
Photographed by Andrea Chu
As far as big breaks go, starring opposite Meryl Streep is about as good as they get. In 2009, Caitlin FitzGerald played Streep's eldest daughter in It's Complicated. And while totally in awe of The Streep, FitzGerald was also amazed by the pristine, Crate and Barrel catalogue-come-to-life that is a Nancy Meyers set: "None of us ever wanted to be in our trailers, we just wanted to hang out on the set -- everything was just so gorgeous and luxurious. Every drawer you opened had cool things in it." A recurring role on Gossip Girl as high-strung W magazine editor Epperly Lawrence followed suit.
Still, with all this glitz, the stunning, willowy 27-year-old, who looks like a cross between Audrey Hepburn and the captain of Middlebury's field hockey team, can do wonders on a shoe-string budget. She got her start playing the title role in an off-Broadway production of Hedda Gabler after graduating from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and this past winter she played Ed Burns' wife in Newlyweds, an underrated gem that Burns made for a mere $9,000. With a teeny-tiny crew and few frills, FitzGerald says, "It was exciting to make a movie that just felt like me and Eddie kind of hanging out." The experience inspired her to make her own film. She's now putting the finishing touches on Like the Water, a movie she wrote and starred in, and filmed in her hometown of Camden, Maine.
This month she may just solidify herself as an indie It Girl, when she appears in Whit Stillman's first movie in 14 years, Damsels in Distress. On working on the offbeat film, which features anal sex jokes and several tap dancing sequences, FitzGerald says, "You sort of feel like you're entering into Whit's brain -- it's a huge treat."
But it's a piece of advice from the queen of Hollywood, the Iron Lady herself which sticks with FitzGerald: "Meryl told me, 'You never have to take your clothes off for a role.' I felt really liberated by that."
Damsels in Distress is in theaters April 6th.
Stylist: Ivy Bjork
Hair: Creighton for Exclusive Artists for Rene Furterer
Makeup: Gita Bass for Exclusive Artists for NARS
Caitlin wears a dress by Alberta Ferretti and bracelet by Noir Jewelry.
Location: Bennison Fabrics showroom
Still, with all this glitz, the stunning, willowy 27-year-old, who looks like a cross between Audrey Hepburn and the captain of Middlebury's field hockey team, can do wonders on a shoe-string budget. She got her start playing the title role in an off-Broadway production of Hedda Gabler after graduating from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and this past winter she played Ed Burns' wife in Newlyweds, an underrated gem that Burns made for a mere $9,000. With a teeny-tiny crew and few frills, FitzGerald says, "It was exciting to make a movie that just felt like me and Eddie kind of hanging out." The experience inspired her to make her own film. She's now putting the finishing touches on Like the Water, a movie she wrote and starred in, and filmed in her hometown of Camden, Maine.
This month she may just solidify herself as an indie It Girl, when she appears in Whit Stillman's first movie in 14 years, Damsels in Distress. On working on the offbeat film, which features anal sex jokes and several tap dancing sequences, FitzGerald says, "You sort of feel like you're entering into Whit's brain -- it's a huge treat."
But it's a piece of advice from the queen of Hollywood, the Iron Lady herself which sticks with FitzGerald: "Meryl told me, 'You never have to take your clothes off for a role.' I felt really liberated by that."
Damsels in Distress is in theaters April 6th.
Stylist: Ivy Bjork
Hair: Creighton for Exclusive Artists for Rene Furterer
Makeup: Gita Bass for Exclusive Artists for NARS
Caitlin wears a dress by Alberta Ferretti and bracelet by Noir Jewelry.
Location: Bennison Fabrics showroom
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