#articles 2017

It's a very active episode for you. We learn a lot about Dolores. We learn that she's Wyatt, for instance. She kills Anthony Hopkins' character Robert Ford at the end. The list goes on. What was your first reaction when you read the script and learned the scope of Dolores' arc?

Well, I had my suspicions. It was hilarious. While we filmed the first season, we didn't know our character arcs. I would be instructed to be "dark and menacing" in weird moments. I thought nothing of it. I thought it was part of Dolores waking up. Then they introduced this looming character of Wyatt, and I kept asking people on the set: "Have we cast him yet? When is he going to show up? Who's playing him? Who's Wyatt?" I went and looked everywhere, turned over every stone, and came up with nothing — and then I realized I hadn't turned over mine. I looked everywhere else, and figured it had to be me. So I asked [co-creator Jonathan Nolan], and he laughed and walked away. It wasn't confirmed until the [finale], and I was so excited. I thought it was a genius move on their part. This whole season, she's been going through this Jekyll and Hyde thing. We've seen Wyatt poke his head out at multiple times. When she slashes Logan's [Ben Barnes] face, or during her last speech to Ed Harris; halfway through, her voice shifts and the eyes get darker. That's totally Wyatt.

What are some of the differences in how you approach the two characters of Dolores and Wyatt?

It's funny. I kind of had to play five different characters. There's Dolores the character; there's Dolores analysis, when they're able to talk to the characters in an office; there's straight analysis mode; then there's Wyatt; and then there's Dolores' subconscious. Dolores' subconscious, I didn't realize that's what it was when I was playing it. They just kind of instructed me on the vibe. I thought I would just play this like Ford. I would make my subconscious as close to Ford as I can. (Laughs.) Not that that's how it was supposed to be, but as an actor, that's just what I did!

When in doubt, pretend to be Anthony Hopkins.

Yeah! (Laughs.) When I did realize what I was doing, we changed the makeup slightly. The eyes are a little darker. We contoured my face more. We darkened my eyebrows a little bit. I just tried to channel the most badass cowboy that we possibly could. The first time we see in Teddy's [James Marsden] memory Dolores walking in slow motion, that was the first time I got to walk over kind of hunched over with this weird strut. Dolores walks the same way every time. It's always shoulders out, arms folded in front of my chest. To be able to change it and walk with purpose and strength as this beast was really fun. I lowered my voice a lot and I dropped the accent slightly. Little details here and there. I'm really excited for season two, because … it was sad for me when I watched the finale. I didn't realize that in a way, Dolores' character does get killed off.

That's how you view it? When Dolores achieves consciousness, she's committing to Wyatt?

Yes. The way I interpret it, when she finds the center of the maze and is talking to herself at the end, consciousness is a conversation with yourself. It represents to me that Dolores is fully conscious. When she realizes who she has to become and it becomes her choice, Ford has just gotten through telling her that the divine lives in our minds. She unlocks Wyatt and allows him to take over and Dolores disappears. So that was very bittersweet.

What was your take on finding out that you were pulling the trigger on Robert Ford and taking Anthony Hopkins' character out of the equation?

I felt terrible! I read [the finale] and didn't know it was coming. It was on the very last page. I threw the script down and walked away with my mouth open for a good hour. I just couldn't believe it. When I got to set the first time I saw Anthony after I read it, I walked up to him and said, "I am so sorry. I am so sorry I have to kill you!" And he went, "No, no, no. It's all right. It's beautiful! It's really beautiful!" (Laughs.) He forgave me. He saw the poetry in it. I will say that shooting that scene was one of the most nerve-racking things I have ever had to do, because we're using real guns. We're very safe with them and they're not loaded. But dear god, I had to hold a gun up against Anthony Hopkins' head and pull the trigger, and after every take, I would go, "Please god, do not let this be the time that something goes horribly wrong and I am responsible for killing Anthony Hopkins. I won't be able to handle that." (Laughs.) That was terrifying. It was horrible.

Dolores turns the gun on the crowd, and we see her through Teddy's eyes. He looks terrified, and you can understand why. He and Dolores are star-crossed lovers, but he's also Wyatt's sworn adversary. Teddy is looking at his great love and his great enemy in the same person. Did you sense that conflict in the character?

Yes. I think the question on a lot of people's minds is if they're now going to be enemies, or are they going to join forces? I think that's a good question. I did love filming that scene. I think I really surprised James with my delivery. In my first take, I came up behind him and just pulled him into me and whispered in his ear, and when they yelled cut, he was just like, "Jesus Christ, Evan! What the hell?" (Laughs.) I had been this sweet and innocent Dolores with him, and now here was this sultry, primal, evil thing. I think I made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up a bit.

This episode confirmed that William and the Man in Black are the same person. How did you first find out about this twist?

I didn't know that Jimmi had guessed early on, but I will say that in episode two, when Jimmi and I filmed our first scene together — and really, that was the day we met, when he picks up the can and hands it to me and looks into my eyes … that was really us meeting each other for the first time. I remember, since I'd already shot the pilot and I had done that same scene with Ed, when we did it in episode two, my first thought was, "Oh my God, wouldn't that be so upsetting if Jimmi's character was Ed? But that wouldn't make sense." And as the show went on … at one point I thought Jimmi might be a host. I kept making up these backstories, and then it was around episode seven where I started getting the feeling that that's where it was going. All we were told about our storyline was that it was a beautiful and tragic love story, so we knew we were heading toward destruction, and we were nervous about that. At one point I kept saying, "God, I really hope you're not the Man in Black. That's so sad. And I really don't want to have to kill you!" (Laughs.) So there was that. But it was amazing storytelling, so we were excited by it, and it made us want to make the love story that much more believable in an evil way, to break people's hearts more. But it turns out that we were probably the most heartbroken people watching [the finale] last night. We didn't realize we would be. Jimmi and I hopped on FaceTime right after we watched the finale, and both of our faces were wet, we had tears streaming down our faces. We both didn't think it would hurt this much. Jimmi said it so beautifully: "We spent so much time building them up. I had no idea it was going to hurt so much watching them fall." As actors, we worked on that relationship for a year together. We really kind of experienced Westworld more than anybody else. We were given these characters, we weren't told our narratives, we were sent out into the desert, and since we only found out what was going on episode by episode, we really got to live in the moment, and live in the shock of certain moments. So much of it felt very real. So we were so heartbroken last night, just because we realized Dolores and William will never be in love like that again. The experience meant so much to us, and I love what we did together. And the good thing about Westworld is we've established we can move forward and backward in time. Nobody's ever truly gone. So who knows what the story will be with young William and Dolores — if it's over or if it's done. Who knows?

Another major moment in the finale involves the reveal of what fans are calling "Samurai World." Are you practicing your sword training for season two?

I have no idea what's going to happen with that. One can only hope that I'm going to eventually have to start taking some classes and learn how to sword fight. The only thing I do know is that when I met with [co-creator Lisa Joy] and Jonah for the first time, I said, "This is great, because if there's any action on the show, I'm a black belt in Tae Kwon Do." And Lisa's eyebrows perked right up. She looked over at Jonah and said: "Mm! That might come in handy!" So I don't know. It did come in handy for when I [fought] Ed Harris. I got to set and asked how we were going to do this. Is he going to be in a pulley or in a rig? Jonah told me that I was just going to drag him. And I said, "You know I'm not really a robot, right? I'm not saying I can't drag him, but I might not be able to make it look cool." But we did it. That was just dead Ed Harris weight.

In interviews with some of your Westworld colleagues, you're often described as someone who was always trying to solve the mysteries of the show. It's interesting, considering the fandom around the show. There's this feverish appetite to puzzle out what's going to happen next. Do you relate to those fans?

So hard. It makes me so excited that other people are just as crazy about it as me, because I would get to set and somebody would say, "Good morning, Evan!" And I would say, "Oh my God, what if it's this." I would just jump in with a theory. After work, I would just sit and think about the show and try to figure it out. I questioned the Man in Black theory in episode two, but didn't pick it up again until later in the season. I didn't know Bernard was going to be a host. I did, however, guess he was going to be Arnold, and I kind of guessed that I was Wyatt. Out of my thousands of theories, I got a few right! But I did get surprised a few times.

What are some of your biggest questions heading into season two, then?

Well, the only thing I know is that we'll see a very different side of Dolores, and that Wyatt has fully taken over. If I can speak just in theories now, literally basing this off of nothing — these are Evan Rachel Wood's theories and I'm taking no clues or cues, only what's coming out of my brain.

Fair enough. You're the original theorist, we're just following your lead.

I'm hoping that over the years, I'll get to play many, many different characters. That would be my hope. I think that's a lot of the actors' hopes, the ones who are playing hosts at least. Technically, we could be anybody or anything. That leaves the possibilities wide open. I'm really excited to see the many incarnations of Dolores, if that is in fact true; I really don't know. I really want to know where Westworld is. They have not told us, or at least they did not tell me. I do have theories! (Laughs.) But I really want that question answered. And I'm curious to see what the other worlds are, aside from the one we saw in the finale. I don't think they will be the same as the film, obviously. There are endless possibilities there. I'm curious to see how they keep playing with the timelines, and if we'll remain in the past, present, future, all in one. And I want to know what's going to happen if and when Maeve finds her daughter — and if it's still her daughter, or if her daughter has turned into someone else.

Hopefully it won't require too much arm-twisting to get Dolores and Maeve in a scene together.

You’re known for a directional beauty look.

Growing up, I was really inspired by David Bowie, and how you couldn’t put him in a box. He was always reinventing himself, and he really led the way for glam rock and androgyny. So that was the world I felt most comfortable in.

I think because it’s easy to fall into a trap—not of being vain, necesarily, but caving to the pressure of what you think people want you to be in this industry. For me it’s just always been kind of enjoyable if it was about expression, and trying to convey a certain vibe or idea. Something that I know will inspire a feeling in somebody. Especially now. I feel like if you’re a woman in pop culture right now, you can’t help but feel like you have some kind of responsibility on your shoulders to inspire people to be who they are. So that comes into play.

The red carpet is very repressed.

Small gestures go a long way, surprisingly! Yes, I wore an outfit at an event, but there was a message behind it. And it’s the message that I think really stuck with people.

There’s definitely a message in Dolores’ rather straitlaced outfits. Do you enjoy the period aspect of the show?

The show is fun because Dolores is about four different characters at once; she has so many versions of her being. It was fun to really go and do something that I hadn’t done before, so far in the opposite direction. She is this very stereotypical Disney princess, but there was always supposed to be something underneath that the guests were supposed to be drawn to.

It was supposed to be this deeper wisdom and consciousness. And I think every season is really going to be kind of different. I don’t think any of us are always going to be doing the same thing. We’ll discover different parts and characters. That’s what really drew me to it: I got to play the really genuine, sweet farm girl, but also a very highly intelligent computer, and merge with this other, darker entity. And surf in and out of all the turbulence. So it was multitasking like no other role I’ve played.

The Season 2 teaser has just released, and it’s rather dramatic, to say the least.

[Wood laughs] Oh, man. She’s a very different beast!

The show builds very slowly and incrementally.

You feel like you’ve really earned it when it happens. I think that’s why the trailer got such a strong reaction, because people have been rooting for her to break free and be in control of her own destiny, and I think to see her finally on the front lines is really satisfying.

Do you wear makeup when you’re not working?

I don’t wear makeup. I used to! I feel like I’ve gone through every makeup phase and really explored it. And I still do it, but I got to the point where I wear so much makeup for my job that when I’m not doing a photo shoot or Westworld or a film, I don’t wear any. Just to save my skin, really. But it’s kind of nice.

Oh, and sunscreen! Honestly. That’s it. I’m so pale as it is, I have to wear sunscreen every day, but that’s the secret to not aging. Especially now. Slather it on!

Do you have a self-care regimen that’s not makeup-based?

After working on Westworld, I really understand why there is a reason to take care of yourself, because the stuff we actors have to put our bodies through is really intense. And especially on that show—it’s incredibly physical, we’re in 113-degree weather, and this season is much more chaotic, so there’s a lot more physical stuff. You’re also putting your emotions through the ringer, so that takes a toll on your body. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’re going to get hurt. So it’s a necessity. I do a lot of bone broth and turmeric. I don’t usually eat a big breakfast; I just have a protein shake. I drink as many juices as I can because I hate eating salads. I just kind of down that [laughs].

What’s it been like spending months on a horse? Delores is always on the run!

The intensity of the show — an average day includes filming in 113 degree temperatures or coming home to “wash dirt and blood off of me every day” — is what has drawn its masses of fans; the series is HBO’s most-viewed first season of an original series to date.

“It transcends the genre that is you think of a sci-fi show — you don’t expect it to be so profound or emotionally riveting,” Wood says of the show’s power. “And I think the themes it touches upon are all eerily relevant. Even though it is science fiction, it still is based in reality, weirdly, and [touches on] where technology is headed and the nature of human beings.”

Her character, Delores, is originally read as the classic damsel-in-distress trope but is revealed to be a much more layered woman. “When the show first came on the scene everyone was really worried because they had seen these images of me getting dragged and [took it as] violence against women and everyone sort of thought, ‘Oh great, here we go again,’” Wood says. “And then it turns out she’s this fierce warrior who is completely breaking that mold and taking a stand and saying no and changing the story.”

The show is tied with “Saturday Night Live” for the most Emmy nominations this year, including one for Wood. The ceremony, on Sept. 17, is the final big awards show for television stars — and the actress plans to arrive in her now-signature suit.

“I knew how I felt as an actress and as a woman, and I figured that if I felt that way, other people must feel that way, too,” says Wood, who has been acting since age 9, including a Golden Globes-nominated role in the film “Thirteen” in 2003. “I remember growing up as a teenager in the industry, there was massive amounts of pressure and a lot of opinions being thrown at you about what is good for you and what is good for your career, that goes against what feels right for you and your identity. I remember being a teenager and doing some photo shoot for a teen magazine and I really didn’t wear dresses — I was very shy and tomboyish and gangly, and had not gotten comfortable in my body yet — and they kept sending me dresses and I kept saying I really didn’t want to wear a dress, and they were, like, ‘You either put the dress on or we’re not taking your picture.’ And I remember doing the photo shoot with tears in my eyes because it was just so f–king uncomfortable.”

Wood is heavily inspired by David Bowie, whom she calls her “high priestess,” and by Dietrich in her top hat and coattails.

“I’d grown up looking at Dietrich, going ‘what a badass’ and that amazing suit that she wore was such an inspiration for me,” Wood says. “I was like maybe if I just go for it then we can start making it OK and have less pressure to feel like you have to fit the mold. And also because it didn’t feel honest to kind of perpetuate that, especially when young women are watching, and they take a lot of the cues from you and pop culture and fashion. So when I found out I was nominated I was, like, ‘All right, that’s it.’”

Wood has worked with celebrity stylist Samantha McMillen since she was a teenager, and together they partnered with Joseph Altuzarra to create custom suits for her various carpet appearances.

“I really admire Evan’s style and confidence to take chances and affect change through her look,” Altuzarra says. “The message she wanted to convey on the red carpet really resonated with me, so to work with her on tailoring options was a special collaborative experience.  She’s such a dynamic individual and her commitment to her look is so powerful, it’s contagious.”  

“It’s helping her to express the message that she wanted to send — it was kind of being who you are and wearing what you want to wear and not worrying that you won’t get your picture in the paper or be in the best dressed list because you’re in a suit,” says McMillen of Wood’s choice to wear suits. “Obviously, we try to look our best, but being who you are is the main thing — to be comfortable in what you’re wearing and not being afraid to be yourself and not conforming to what you think everybody has to look like.”

And if equating a red carpet fashion choice with real social power seems trivial, the reception Wood has received this past year — and is likely to see at the Emmys — disagrees.

That sense of empathy is deliberate, as Wood makes a point of choosing roles that, at least in part, feel authentic to her own experiences. And when it comes to Dolores, this is also reflected in the character's resilience.

"She's a survivor; she's been abused for about 30 years ... she's been knocked down so many times and she comes back even stronger," Wood said, adding that Dolores' strength gave her the strength to go to trauma therapy.

It was a transparent moment for someone who has gained recognition for being honest, which she says is part of her responsibility as an artist with a platform. She dismisses the notion that actors and actresses should be no more than their parts onscreen.

"Being an actor doesn't take away your humanity or take you out of the real world," she said, repeating the sentiment she recently expressed on Twitter in response to comments made by Steve Bannon. "Actors are citizens, they pay their taxes, they work hard, they raise their families...we are putting ourselves out there with risks of damaging our careers."

But that risk hasn't stopped her. She has rejected the gendered expectations in Hollywood. On the red carpet, for example, she only wears suits.

"I want to put a positive message behind it," she said. "It's not about shaming dresses, but about opening up options so that there is a choice."

That non-traditional choice is not often seen on-screen, where the overwhelming majority--or 98%--of characters identify as straight, according to a 2016 study by the Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication. Meanwhile, 3.5% of the U.S. population identifies as lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA.

Her call for acceptance extends beyond gender and sexuality. She has become an advocate for those suffering from mental illness, and she urged those in the audience not to be afraid to ask for help.

"My biggest challenge I've ever overcome was myself. No one held me back more than me. and no one was meaner to me than me," she said, recalling her own struggles. "I shouldn't be here, and I tried not to be a couple times."

But by accepting that she needed help and taking the steps to get there, she's moved forward.

On wearing a suit—and keeping it interesting:

I just try not to put any limits on myself. Or any fear of embarrassment, or of whatever people are going think. Me and my stylist and Joseph really collaborated in designing all those suits this year, and that was sort of the dilemma that we were faced with every time, after I had made the declaration that I was only going to wear suits for the awards season. It was this kind of exciting project that we could all work on together of, Okay, how do we keep this interesting? We took inspiration from a lot of style icons like Marlene Dietrich, and Victor Victoria, and Yves Saint Laurent. But you know, then we were also pulling from Elvis and Prince and Bowie, and just really trying to find little touches and things that we could kind of take inspiration from and then make our own. So, you know, that's why we made those SAG suits backless with a chain. And the Golden Globes suit having this very classic, sort of Fred Astaire look, but then making the pants wide at the bottom, and making the jacket tailored—just little things that update some of our favorite older looks. And just having fun with it and being creative, and just imagining something in your head and giving it a try.

On the connection between activism and style:

I think part of who I am and part of why I've been so vocal about it is because I do see constraints in assigning certain gender roles to children at a very young age, and I've experienced firsthand how confusing and damaging that can be. While it it's amazing that so many people were talking about my suit on the red carpet, it also shows just how much work there is to do when a girl wears pants and it's a huge deal.

To me it was a really simple thing, and I think to a lot of people it's still a big deal, so I think now it's just important to be really honest and open about who you are so we have a better understanding about each other. If I can do that by really committing to a look with a message or statement behind it, if it's going to be in the spotlight anyway, then I'd like to take advantage of that, and be the sort of role model that I wish I had had growing up.

On parenthood changing her style:

An outfit I swear to God I wouldn't have worn 10 years ago—I never understood why parents wore sweat clothes and sneakers all the time, the hair was always in a ponytail, they had no makeup on—I was like, "What's going on?" Now I totally get it, and I actually love it. I'm really enjoying it. You don't have time to get frazzled about little things, so you kind of go for comfort.

On shopping in the men's section:

I shop in the men's section all the time. Actually, I only shop in the men's section, mainly the men's section in Target, All Saints, and places like that, because they all have really small men's sizes, and I just always preferred the cuts in the T-shirts and the shorts. Good god, women's shorts these days are… They just ride up way too far for me, and bathing suits—there's a lot of things that you might not think that some people might not feel like themselves in or feel comfortable in, but I don't wear bikinis, and I don't wear high rise shorts, or tapered shirts that fit my form. So it's things like that where if you want to get a more relaxed, androgynous look, you've got to go find the smallest size in the men's section. But that's why Wild Fang was such a godsend and why I teamed up with them, because before them, there wasn't a sort of women's menswear line that I really loved; you had to go forage.

On her most embarrassing outfit:

Oh, dear God. So many. And so many undocumented. I can't even begin to tell you. Sure, there's plenty of time. Nothing that I'm absolutely mortified by, except for the stuff when I was in middle school and just had no idea what was going on. Not a clue. Pigtails and big diamond necklaces with an "E" on them—just, what are you doing? Probably those are the ones I try not to look at. Or when I plucked all my eyebrows out. I think every girl goes through at least one phase where they're like, ''I can be Greta Garbo" and then it's like no, no you can't.

On her upcoming projects: