Getting 'Anora' Premiere Ready With Ivy Wolk

Getting 'Anora' Premiere Ready With Ivy Wolk

Oct 18, 2024

Ivy Wolk is a lot of things: comedian, actress, internet main character. Now, she can add one more title to the list: red carpet darling.

Strutting into the New York City premier for the Palme D'or winning film Anora, Wolk was wearing custom Elena Velez with makeup done by Sterling Tull. In Anora, Wolk plays Crystal, the friend and confidante of the titular Ani. It’s quite the booking, especially given that Wolk connected with Anora’s director, Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket) over Instagram initially. Wolk reached out to him after she attended a Q&A for his film, Red Rocket, and didn’t get to ask a question. Baker, intrigued by what she described to Variety as “her weird internet presence,” requested to see a reel, leading to her casting.

For Anora’s premier, she had the direct support of Velez who showed up with her young child, Freya, in tow. The custom “silicone rubber dress was inspired by Courtney Love’s 1999 Golden Globes dress by Galliano,” Wolk tells PAPER. Towing the line between dystopian and futuristic, the dress, with its sleek rubber texture, popped on the carpet as Wolk herself was getting “muggy.” In the end, the long hours of glam were with it. Wolk was Pop Crave-approved.

Wolk took PAPER behind the scenes as she got ready, from the hotel room to Velez’s “mommy van” transport to the red carpet.

Trade tried to welcome me. Views from the second floor of the Holiday Inn Express in Times Square.

Photography: Taryn Segal