Ever since the world came to know Lucy Boynton—through her turn in 2016’s Sing Street, set in mid-’80s Dublin, followed by the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody—she has given the unlikely impression of a hothouse flower, abloom in the simulated reality of Hollywood red carpets. The actor’s fashion choices dip into mod hemlines and fanciful bows. Her makeup reads like an exercise in stylized spontaneity, with delicate arcs of liquid liner or a flush of red eye shadow; a Twiggy lash is a reliable signature. It all speaks to Boynton’s innate sense of character play. More than anything, she told me in the early sweatpants phase of the pandemic, dressing up is “an opportunity to feel like myself—or however I want to feel—in an environment that’s slightly daunting or less natural.”
Over the subsequent year, marked by collective downtime, Boynton has found a different way to feel grounded. “I think you really re-learn to appreciate those London parks when you’re only allowed out for an hour a day,” Boynton says by phone, recalling the lockdowns that persisted into early 2021. The emptied-out city, stripped of its daily hustle, was an uncanny place to lay low, even for a native. “Going through Regent’s Park and just taking the time to take stock of everything around you was surprisingly impactful,” she says. “I’m quite, I don’t know, embarrassed that I haven’t done that sooner.”
Nature has a way of calming the nervous system: soles of feet connecting with the earth’s electromagnetic field, or the sensory tuneup that supposedly comes with forest bathing. If Boynton found tranquility amid the park’s yews and maples, she appears equally at ease nestled in the trunk of an immense, knobby tree in the campaign for the latest Chloé fragrance. Called Eau de Parfum Naturelle, it’s the first scent under the leadership of creative director Gabriela Hearst—a champion of sustainability at the luxury level—and fittingly this is an entirely natural perfume. “Fresh and uplifting and crisp” is how Boynton describes the limpid rose scent, which gets a subtle brightness from the citrus varietal cedrat. “It immediately takes me somewhere barefoot—probably barefoot in one of those beautiful London parks,” she says, “maybe with a bit of Dylan or Leon Bridges in the background. That sounds pretty idyllic.”
Chloé’s emphasis on good stewardship has echoed throughout the industry, where fashion and beauty companies are reassessing not only what goes into their goods but also the ramifications of production. “It sends a really important message when a brand as prominent as Chloé holds themselves accountable in such a public way,” says Boynton—and does it without compromising on the exquisite end results, she points out. Here, the actor shares her own natural beauty philosophy, an apropos Aldous Huxley novel, and the scentscape from the set of her upcoming six-part miniseries, The Ipcress File. Based on Len Deighton’s 1962 spy-thriller novel (which inspired a 1965 film with Michael Caine), it heads to ITV in February, with a U.S. release date on the horizon.
Vanity Fair: This new perfume is centered around nature. What have you been reading lately—or perhaps something from your personal canon—that taps into that theme?
Lucy Boynton: I recently read Island by Aldous Huxley, and I found that to be such a profoundly impactful read. It explores this idea of stripping everything back—stripping back the excess of life and human experiences, everything that humans project onto this earth—and this idea of returning to this core concept in environment. I really loved that book. And I remember—I don’t know why, I haven’t read it for years—but reading E. M. Forster in school: A Room With a View. Nature in that was such a catalyst for signifying the emotional comment of the story. I recall that being truly beautiful.
Chloé’s creative director, Gabriela Hearst, grew up in a household where items were mended before being tossed out, and she champions quality over quantity when it comes to clothing. What about your own closet—are there vintage pieces that have earned their keep, or are you in the habit of weatherproofing boots for longevity’s sake?
My sister’s always been so good at vintage shopping, so from a young age, I’ve been stalking eBay and the vintage shops of London. But my favorite pieces are the ones that I’ve inherited from my mom—I think because of the sentimental value, obviously, as well. My favorite one from her that I always seem to carry around with me is this really beautiful DKNY shirt that’s black and sheer, and the kind of perfect oversize so it can be a dress or a shirt with jeans. I don’t want to butcher it with much description, but it’s just such a perfect piece. I do try and take extra good care of my clothes, but I kind of love the wearing in of everything. Although getting shoes waterproofed would be terribly useful!
In the beauty space, the conversation around natural ingredients has widened to include a focus on sustainability in sourcing and packaging. How has your approach to skin care adapted as a result?
I’ve always leaned toward organic and natural products anyway because my skin is really sensitive. I love the Weleda rose moisturizer and the cleansing milk—both those things are just really beautiful and gentle. Now I’m trying to expand that consciousness of organic to more sustainable products. There’s a great makeup artist I’ve worked with a few times in London, Justine Jenkins, and she only ever uses organic, sustainable, and cruelty-free products. She’s always been a great insight into the fact that this consciousness isn’t any kind of compromise. Increasingly I think a lot more brands are now tuning into that—that you can still maintain quality of products and have it be conscious in all these ways.