Maisie Williams reveals the 'relentless' effort she went to to play 'emaciated' Catherine Dior in The New Look: 'I ate very little and woke up at 4am to sweat'
Maisie Williams has opened up about the “relentless” effort she put into her “all-consuming” role as resistance heroine Catherine Dior in Apple TV+'s upcoming drama The New Look.
The 22-year-old actress, who packed up her “whole life and moved to Paris for the role,” described the grueling efforts she went through to get into character, including eating “very little” and waking up at 4 a.m. after just three hours of sleep.
The Game Of Thrones star also opened up about suffering from 'sleep paralysis' during filming due to 'feeling restricted'.
Inspired by true events, the 10-episode historical drama series centers on fashion designers Christian Dior and Coco Chanel as they navigate the horrors of World War II and launch modern fashion.
Speak with Harper's BazaarMaisie said: 'It was a long job, and it was great; my whole life moved to Paris. It was hard work, but it was such an honor to do this part, and it became an all-consuming task.
Maisie Williams has opened up about the 'relentless' effort she put into her 'all-consuming' role as Catherine Dior in Apple TV+'s upcoming drama The New Look
The 22-year-old actress described the grueling efforts she went through to get into character, including eating “very little” and waking up at 4am after just three hours of sleep.
'It was very brutal. The process of doing take after take really breaks down your character in a way.
“It's not for everyone, but for me I like to get lost in a role and keep going until we complete a scene.”
The actress revealed the strict regimen she followed to realistically portray Catherine Dior's emaciated appearance when she returned to Paris after World War II.
Maisie continued: 'I ate very little, meditated all the time, burned candles and incense in my apartment. I had to get up at 4am to start sweating.
“The night before, around 7 or 8 p.m., I was allowed to eat something salty and dehydrating: some smoked salmon and a small glass of wine.
'Then I was given a boiling hot bath with lots of salts in it. And I kind of drifted off to bed and slept maybe three hours, and woke up and had a handful of nuts.
'Right now I couldn't sleep all night. I kept waking up feeling like a marble in a bottle rattling…'
Maisie further admitted that she suffered from nightmares and had 'terrible visions of men in uniform' during filming.
The Game Of Thrones star also opened up about suffering from 'sleep paralysis' during filming due to 'feeling restricted'
She said: 'I ate very little, meditated all the time, burned candles and incense in my apartment. I had to get up at four o'clock to start sweating'
Maisie further admitted that she suffered from nightmares and had 'terrible visions of men in uniform'
Maisie stars in the upcoming drama The New Look, out February 14.
Todd A. Kessler's landmark 10-episode series stars Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior, Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel and Game Of Thrones star Maisie as resistance heroine Catherine Dior.
Inspired by true events and filmed exclusively in Paris, the series focuses on fashion designers Christian Dior and Coco Chanel as they navigate the horrors of World War II and launch modern fashion.
It will also star John Malkovich as French couturier Lucien Lelong and Emily Mortimer as socialite and close associate of Coco Chanel Elsa Lombardi.
The first images Maisie was almost unrecognizable in her close-up as Mendelsohn's on-screen sister, Catherine Dior.
The series will make its global debut with the first three episodes on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 on Apple TV+, followed by one episode every Wednesday through April 3.
Set against the Nazi occupation of Paris in World War II, the drama focuses on the pivotal moment in the twentieth century when the French city brought the world back to life through fashion icon Christian Dior.
As Dior rises to fame with its groundbreaking, iconic imprint of beauty and influence, Chanel's reign as the world's most famous fashion designer is in jeopardy.
The intertwined saga follows the surprising stories of Dior's contemporaries and rivals, from Chanel to Pierre Balmain, Cristóbal Balenciaga and more.
It also offers a glimpse into the atelier, designs and clothing created by Christian Dior in collaboration with the House of Dior.
Inspired by true events, the 10-episode series centers on fashion designers Christian Dior and Coco Chanel as they navigate the horrors of World War II and launch modern fashion.
The March issue of Harper's Bazaar UK goes on sale from February 8
The soundtrack for the series was produced by Grammy Award winner Jack Antonoff and features covers of popular songs from the early to mid-twentieth century performed by artists such as Bleachers, Florence Welch, Lana Del Rey, Matty Healy (The 1975) , Beabadoobee, Nick Cave, Parfumgenie and more.
Maisie's character Catherine Dior, sister of Christian Dior, was a crucial figure in the French Resistance.
She was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo in 1944 and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp before escaping near Dresden in 1945.
As Christian's sister, she became the inspiration behind his famous Miss Dior fragrance.
The March issue of Harper's Bazaar UK goes on sale from February 8.
Maisie's new series is scheduled to be released on February 14
Game Of Thrones actress Maisie plays the role of resistance heroine Catherine Dior in the series
She looks almost unrecognizable in her close-up as Mendelsohn's on-screen sister, Catherine Dior