#northridgetalk

As soon as he walks through the door, the office that was once quiet and contained becomes bustled and busy. He sparks up conversation with anyone he can while preparing for the interview, leaving no one out as he tells the story of his mother’s advice for the day. “She told me not to mention her by name unless it’s to say how much I love her,” his laugh fills up the room before he adds: “which I do.” 

Vanity Fair: So, is it safe to say asking questions about your mother is off limits?

Theodore: I’m a smart man I know half the reason why I was asked to be here is because of her. I don’t mind speaking about Margaret, I have nothing but good things to say about her. 

VF: We know you’re a smart man. Congratulations on being accepted into the Northridge Law program! We know how difficult it is to get into it considering they only accept eight applicants. Your mother must be so proud of you.

Theodore: She doesn’t have to tell me, I know she is. She’s my role model, I look up to her and see how much she’s accomplished and I hope I’m able to do as many great things as she has with the degree I’ll be earning at Northridge.

VF: Surely, she was just as proud when she found out you and the princess, Céline Bouiette, were dating.

Theodore: My parents are running a country but at the end of the day— they are my parents, and they are only concerned with seeing me happy. I am happy with Celine and they couldn’t ask for anything more.

VF: How is it going to be having to compete against Céline for a chance to work with Professor Griswold? You won’t be letting her win, will you?

This question gets a scoff out of him.

Theodore: No. No, when I win, it will be fair and square. I can promise you that.

He holds a level of confidence that is seemingly untouchable, but it does not go unnoticed when answering this question. In fact, it seems as if the mention of the competition gives him more self-assurance. To him, it’s no battle— he believes he will be walking out a winner.

VF: On the topic of Céline, how is it dating in the royal social circle? One can imagine it is a lot to live up to.

Theodore: There’s a certain amount of pressure on us to act a certain way, yes. That doesn’t go to say that we let it get to us. We’re a normal couple with normal issues. The difference is we have hundreds of thousands of eyes on us at all times.

VF: Would you say you hold resentment against Liroux because of that?

Theodore: I wouldn’t say that. Céline and I are in a good place. We would be here with or without that pressure. I don’t hold any ill will towards the country.

The topic soon turned back to Northridge University. Since Professor Griswold has enough on his plate, we thought to get more information on the otherwise very private man from one of his students.

VF: You are surrounded by powerful people— your mother, your girlfriend and her family, and now you’ll be spending time with Professor Griswold. Is he someone you also look up to?

The country of Liroux was not surprised when the news that Princess Céline Bouiette would be the next Liroux queen was announced. The French-Italian country was ecstatic that the little girl they watched grow up has now blossomed to be their next queen. A step into a female-lead future, Princess Céline has plans to modernize the country of Liroux into a country of empathy and equality.

When asked to be interviewed, the Princess agreed without hesitation.

“It is important for me to put myself out there as much as possible. That way little girls can see how strong a princess is.”

Many agree with the decision of making Princess Céline the next in line for the throne. After the uncertainty of rule from older brother Prince Nicolás, many feared that the Bouiette name was in danger from being removed for the monarchy. Gracefully, Princess Céline was given  the title and plans to take over once her Father, King Nicolás IV, retires or passes. We further discussed the responsibilities of the title, and Princess Céline gave us a perfect explanation.

“It is a lot to take on, especially since I was expecting my brother to take over before me. However, my parents always treated Nicolás and I as equals our whole lives. I was given the same training he was and I am confident that I will be the queen that Liroux deserves.” 

The princess was schooled at home due to excelling classmates at different academic institutions. Being taught by the world’s best educators, including the Yeners. She prepares herself this fall semester to attend Northhridge University in Scotland’s law program. Led by Professor Griswold Delgado, many expect the Princess to excel and hopefully, have a respectable degree in law. A promised position of a spot in Griswold’s law firm is given to the  students at the end of the semester. Will the princess be the one who is chosen?

“When I received the letter from Professor Griswold, I was so thrilled! Law has always interested me, and now that I’m able to learn how to navigate it and practice the skills alongside a knowledgable professor and peers... well  it’s exciting!  It also gives me time to focus on myself and my personal goals before entering queen training.”

We then moved on to the topic of love. It’s no secret that Princess Céline is in a relationship with Theodore DuPonts, son of the Prime Minister of Liroux, Margaret DuPonts. A match made in heaven, one would say, since the two make a power couple amongst the citizens of Liroux. 

“He’s amazing. Teddy has a way of making his presence known when he walks into a room. It’s something I’ve always liked about him. He’s also really stubborn and there have been moments where our relationship has struggled because of it, but we always work it out in the end. What’s a relationship without a few problems?” 

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐄  𝐃𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐒   (  dylan  arnold,  25  )    one  of  eight  members  of  the  love  club.  known  for  his  ability  to  capture  a  whole  room’s  worth  of  attention.  seen  a  lot  in  the  media  due  to  his  high  profile  relationship  with  the  princess  of  liroux.  he’s  a  good  role  model  for  the  kids  in  his  country  as  he  has  a  great  reputation  and  charming  personality.  he  is  also  very  intelligent,  getting  into  griswold’s  prestigious  law  program  at  northridge  university  and  competing  to  make  the  rest  of  his  family  proud.

𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐘  𝐃𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐒   (  ewan  mcgregor,  52  )   𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓.    a  self  proclaimed  entrepreneur.  having  all  the  resources  of  liroux  at  the  snap  of  his  fingers,  he’s  started  a  few  companies  since  his  wife  was  chosen  to  be  prime  minister.  however,  he  finds  difficulty  in  staying  in  one  place  for  too  long.  so,  he’ll  start  a  company  and  bring  in  investors  who  are  serious,  but  a  few  months  pass  and  he’s  on  to  his  next  adventure––––    no  warnings  given  to  those  working  for  him.  while  his  daughter  admires  the  fact  that  he  never  settles,  his  son  has  the  opposite  reaction.  when  he  became  a  father,  he  was  caring  and  focused  all  his  attention  on  his  kids.  unfortunately,  like  everything  else  in  his  life,  he  got  bored.  and  gave  up.  with  his  wife  working  on  her  campaigns,  it  was  his  idea  to  hire  the  nannies  and  the  governesses,  and  the  children  are  aware  of  that.  a  year  ago,  he  was  diagnosed  with  als.  the  family  keeps  it  a  secret  and  will  continue  to  do  so  until  it’s  impossible  to  hide.

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐓  𝐃𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐒   (  carla  gugino,  50  )   𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓.    the  prime  minister  of  liroux.  she’s  almost  more  well  liked  than  the  king  and  queen  by  the  people,  bringing  a  more  modern  point  of  view  to  the  country.  she’s  very  devoted  to  the  job  and  that  is  shown  through  the  amount  of  work  she  does.  since  she’s  so  loyal  to  the  people  of  liroux,  she  tends  to  put  her  family  on  the  back  burner––––    using  them  only  when  needed  for  press  conferences,  public  gatherings,  etc.  however,  she  hadn’t  always  been  so  careless  with  her  family.  she  married  for  love,  at  times  that  shines  through  in  small  details  and  moments  with  her  husband,  and  she  chose  to  be  a  working  mother,  standing  by  the  decision  proudly.  although,  you  can’t  force  a  bond  between  yourself  and  your  children  and  it’s  what  she’s  struggled  with  since  they  became  adolescents.  she’s  not  too  concerned  with  their  lack  of  connection,  trying  not  to  dwell  on  things  she  can’t  control  when  there’s  so  many  other  things  that  she  can.  

HUGO ASTOR

the man that started it all and likely the most distinguished of all the astors. sure, the astor’s had money well before hugo came along, but he’s the man that cemented their family name as the definitive name in architecture. think frank lloyd wright in terms of his influence. to live in a home designed by hugo astor is to live within a work of art ( isabel herself grew up in a building he designed, memorizing the rhythm of his design ). 

MARGARET ASTOR

margaret was the wife of hugo. the two of them were both from wealthy london families, both in each other’s orbits growing up. they got engaged when they were young and eventually moved to the united states as hugo’s career began to take off. they split their time between new york and the secluded family home hugo designed for them in the nature of vermont. they had two children, lawrence and elliot. 

LAWRENCE ASTOR

the eldest of hugo and margret’s children. lawrence followed in his father’s footsteps, continuing the astor family name in architecture. 

ELLIOT ASTOR

elliot is the second son of margaret and hugo. unlike his brother he had no interest in following in his father’s footsteps. elliot preferred spending time in parisian cafes writing poetry and painting. he split his time between new york and paris, each city having a piece of his heart. he published two poetry collections that aren’t terribly well known but certainly have their place within the cannon of the beat movement. him and céline raised charles in new york while designing their home in the south of france that they would eventually move to. 

CÉLINE ASTOR

céline met elliot in paris. she was a young heiress at the time, naive and fresh faced.  she was enchanted by elliot and his life style and the two fell in love quickly. she was a fashion darling, always well dressed and always around the right people. a muse for french designers, she was a socialite that defined the word. elegance was easy for céline, every move perfect without her even having to calculate it. she was elliot’s second half, the two of them entirely dependent on each other. she moved to america with elliot, raising their son together there. she excelled within new york society, but all the while she was looking forward to one day moving with elliot to their quiet home in france. 

CHARLES ASTOR

charles was a genius from the moment he was born. you could see it in his eyes, the unmistakeable sparkle of intelligence. he grew up in new york, often being taken care of by nannies despite neither of his parents really having a job in the traditional sense. it wasn’t that they didn’t love their son, they did, but céline had grown up with nannies, and it just seemed like the way things were done. he never really fit in when he was younger, but it never really bothered him. he was the kind of person who always knew the right answer even though he lost all his notes. he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life, becoming the next astor mind to grace the new york city skyline. he worked with his uncle right out of college, quickly learning the tricks of the trade. him and adrianna fell in love easily, their minds and lives in sync already. they were the kind of people who would do the crossword every sunday morning over coffee. they wanted children, charles was the sort of man that was bound to make a perfect father, kind and wise and down to earth. he loved his family, and when his kids were young he couldn’t have imagined a better life — but then he was fifty. charles woke up one morning, fifty years old, and then nothing he had accomplished in life seemed like enough. sure, him and his wife had designed some of the worlds most iconic buildings together as a team, and he had an impressive body of work on his own, but in the past decade and a half he felt as though he had lost himself in his family. it felt like a certainty to him that the only way to find his own voice again was to leave them behind, and that’s what he did. the cruelty in it was in his calmness. he didn’t say anything disparaging, but he didn’t flinch for a second when he walked away. it seemed as if who he once was had washed away over time. when isabel was young he seemed unbothered by the press, but now that he was a middle aged man that couldn’t see past his own legacy.

ADRIANNA ASTOR

adriana was born in california in the sixties. she was raised by a single mother, her father never known. her mother was a wannabe painter, a woman who rarely wore shoes and always smelled of sandalwood. she made adrianna’s childhood magical and volatile in equal measure, joni mitchell always crackling through the speakers of her mothers record player. adrianna grew up with freckles on her skin and salt water in her hair, always acutely aware of the world around her. she hadn’t expected to become one of the most renowned architects of her era when she was sketching skylines in the margins of her school notes, she just had a unruly imagination, always wondering how things could be different. she was named one of forbes’ 30 under 30, she was on the covers of magazines, people would say that she ushered in a new era of design. she was happy with her accomplishments, but she never had a big head. she designed because she loved it, not for any praise. she was the sort of woman who felt things very deeply, both love and pain. when she met charles they were coworkers, but they quickly fell in love. even as successful as she was and as free spirited as the astors seemed she never quite fit in to their world. she was still the poor little girl from california, and no matter how creative the astors were they were still old money at the end of the day. she never liked the press, but she dealt with them for her love of architecture and she never liked society, but she dealt with it for her love of charles. and she was happy with her life, happy with her children. she loved her children endlessly, always determined to make their lives warm and their worlds magical. she was the kind of mother that could make even the dullest things seem fun. when charles left her she felt as though her heart had been ripped out of her body. she wasn’t sure how to go on without him, so she didn’t. she became a recluse, only peaking her head out for the sake of her two children. the death of her son came quickly as another blow to adrianna. she still loves isabel dearly, although she isn’t the doting and supportive mother she once was. 

VINCENT ASTOR

death tw, addiction tw

vincent was adopted by charles and adrianna. they loved him more than anything, but he never quite felt like he fit into the family. still, from the moment isabael, the baby no one had ever expected, was born he was determined to be the best big brother in the world. he was always there for isabel growing up, determined to make her laugh and protect her from the world. vincent was always getting into trouble, never content to conform. he rebelled as a teenager, even more when his father left their family. he couldn’t have known he had a predisposition for addiction — genetic information he had missed out on. he passed away from an overdose in january of 2015.  

ISABEL ASTOR