EXCLUSIVE: Jenna Ortega, Maya Hawke, Thuso Mbedu Among Artists Fronting Gris Dior Scent
PARIS — Jenna Ortega, Thuso Mbedu, Maya Hawke, Joseph Quinn, Fai Khadra, Liu Yu Xin and Oreselan are the artists starring in the new campaign for Gris Dior, a scent that is part of La Collection Privée Christian Dior.
“Dior has gathered together a group of remarkable artists, who are the true multicultural idols of a new generation, guided by a spirit of diversity and authenticity,” Parfums Christian Dior said in a statement.
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“In the same way that a perfume reveals its accords, each of them draws inspiration from the scent of Gris Dior and discloses a facet of their character,” the house continued.
In the individual spots directed by Bardia Zeinali, each Gen Z talent describes how they personally dare. Their answers range from having no filter to diving into color.
What visually links each video with the next are the various iterations of gris — or gray — the emblematic color of the Avenue Montaigne house that are prevalent in the spots.
The still images were lensed by Mikael Jansson.
Gris Dior, a gender-neutral fragrance launched a decade ago, is considered to be the pillar of the Privée collection.
Ortega chose as her dare, “dare to risk it.”
“I don’t like to play it safe creatively,” the actor said. “I think it’s important to take risks as an artist and in life.”
Ortega explained that among the biggest risks she has dared to take was pursuing acting, “since it was such a foreign world that I had no connection to.”
“Working with Dior, and the meaning behind the campaign and my joining is hopefully to encourage others to find themselves,” she explained. “Try everything, even if it’s scary. You learn so much when you’re uncomfortable, and it’s wonderful getting to know yourself.
“I think that naturally influences confidence, which I think people my age can struggle with,” Ortega said.
She trusted Zeinali completely, she said.
“He was so clear about what he wanted, and always encouraged letting go and just having a good time,” said Ortega, who is working on an untitled film with The Weeknd and Trey Shults. “It was so refreshing. I didn’t have any notes — since rolling around in flowers as petals rain from the sky is a pretty unbelievable job.”
Mbedu is no stranger to Dior, which has dressed her for red carpets.
“When it came to an opportunity to partner with them in a bigger way, it was a no-brainer for me,” the actor said.
She chose as her dare, “dare to fly.”
“I’m in a place in my life where I want to get to know what I’m capable of,” Mbedu said. “And that literally means I have to leave my comfort zone. I have to take a leap into the unknown.
“I want to challenge myself, I want to grow, and growth requires flying,” she added.
On the Gris Dior set, Mbedu jumped on a trampoline to get the sensation of flying. She has actively been trying to overcome a fear of heights in her own life.
“In the past I’ve tried freefalling,” said Mbedu, adding that in “The Woman King” it was necessary to jump off a high platform.
As for the trampoline, it was a matter of jumping on it over and over again, “and finally getting to a place where I was like: ‘Oh, this actually looks beautiful,’” continued Mbedu, who said she realized: “There’s so much beauty, fun and great opportunity on the other side of fear…all while wearing couture.”
Actor and musician Hawke’s dare is “dare to be yourself.”
“I don’t know if I dare to be myself. I try to be,” she said, adding that for the Gris Dior shoot: “I tried to convey a confidence I didn’t totally feel.…I was really tired and scorched, so went for that sorta cool calmness that comes with sleeplessness…where you’re somewhere deep inside your head.”
Hawke — who described Dior and its artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri as someone with “powerful, mystical femininity” — shared that she’s working on a new movie and album, but remained mum on further details.
“I’m really excited about the place I’m in creatively,” Hawke said. “I feel like I’m finally expressing myself — willing to be bad in a new way.”
Quinn chose “dare to chill,” “because everyone needs to chill,” he said.
Nonetheless, the actor isn’t given lots of time to do so. “My agents won’t let me chill,” joked Quinn, who in October 2022 became the first face of Gris Dior.
He enjoyed working with Zeinali.
“He was very collaborative and had brilliant ideas,” Quinn said. “When you’re shooting something conceptual, time is never on your side, and he didn’t waste any. Everything went so smoothly — a truly seamless exchange. I loved it.”
The actor has two new films on the horizon. Of “Hoard,” he said: “I can’t say too much right now. I know the creative team behind ‘Hoard’ are now entering a new stage, submitting to festivals and whatnot.
“I’ve seen an edit of it. It’s wild,” Quinn continued. “I’m incredibly proud of our glorious leader, Luna Carmoon. She’s going to be a powerful, fresh voice in British cinema.”
He said being close to the finish line for “Quite Place” is a bit bittersweet.
“It’s been a privilege both working with Lupita [Nyong’o] and getting to know her. Likewise with Michael [Sarnoski],” Quinn said. “They’re both beautiful, deeply talented people, so I will miss them greatly.”
Meanwhile, Khadra, a multidisciplinary artist, chose “dare to play,” whereas singer, producer and street dancer Yu Xin opted for “dare to create,” and singer-songwriter and performer Orelsan picked “dare to be real.”
The Dior Gris campaign, with the seven individual spots, will be primarily digital. Their reveal begins on Friday on Dior’s platforms. Then a film featuring all seven talents together is set to follow.
The artists will take part in a “Dare in Gris Dior The Grey Zone” exhibit, which will be held in a pop-up gallery in Los Angeles between April 11 and 16.
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