Allison Williams is featured in the March issue of Glamour (the one with Taylor Swift on the cover) to promote Girls. I think Allison looks stunning in this metallic-themed shoot. She looks relaxed and better than she’s been styled in months. Allison usually tries to hard to be a fashion darling, but she usually ends up looking uncomfortable and overdressed. Glamour did a good job here. Allison’s beautiful hair is swinging free, and the clothes are tailored perfectly to her bod. Plus she looks FUN.
The interview is slightly awkward. Allison is putting forth the image of herself as a very family-forward girl. The type of girl who would throw her career away in an instant for the chance at having babies. There’s nothing wrong with being a stay-at-home mom at all. It’s a damn difficult job, and I respect the heck out of women who give up the “prestige” of a high-powered job for a largely thankless 24/7 role. With Allison, the declaration seems off somehow. She’s strategizing. Perhaps she’s not setting the world on fire as expected. Her IMDb profile reveals little on the horizon besides more Girls. Allison will probably end up with a cosmetic endorsement soon, but it feels like she knows her time in film and television are limited. That’s the vibe I’m feeling here:
Career vs. motherhood: “My goal is to create a career I can walk away from and become a mom. I’d love to be a mom – and not have to bring my kids into my trailer. That’s my long-term thinking. You gotta call it on the fly to a certain extent.”
She’s not trying to be famous: “If you go into acting for love of the craft, and you dodge the fame aspect, it’s more sustainable.”
Her personal style: “In college I wore a lot of layers, jewelry, and makeup. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten more control of the simple. A typical look is pants and a blazer, or a dress. On the red carpet, it has to be comfortable.”
Comparing Lena Dunham to Tina Fey: “[Tina] is humble and efficient. That exact combination was everything to me. Tina knows everyone’s name. It’s funny, [Girls creator and star] Lena Dunham is the same way. It’s hard to misbehave when your boss is so gracious.”
On Girls dynamics: “I root for Hannah and Marnie more than I do for Hannah and Adam. Marnie needs a close female friend. Who doesn’t? I’d be nowhere without my girlfriends.”
What she wants in a girlfriend: “I think the qualities I look for are loyalty, honesty and I think empathy is huge, because as a girl I am entitled to say often we think we want honesty but we want is for someone to say ”No, no you look great.'”
[From Glamour]
Am I wrong in reading Allison’s meaning in this interview? Let me know what you think.
I think she’s positively gorgeous if slightly unremarkable. Like … she’s the prettiest girl in the room, but she doesn’t “pop” as far as personality goes. Allison is a classic beauty who favors classic looks and clean lines. It’s no coincidence that she played Duchess Kate in a “Funny or Die” series. This shoot is really different for her, and it makes me crave popcorn.
Photos courtesy of Glamour
She’s really bland on screen. Sure she’s pretty, but so vanilla, kind of reminds me of Ashley Green or one of the chicks from the new 90210. None of them are going to be big stars. They’re all as pretty as can be, but nothing about their looks is interesting or memorable. The most interesting thing about Allison is who her father is, her upbringing, and the fact that she’s in Lena Dunham’s circle. Lena is interesting. Love her or hate her; she’s interesting.
Yes! Every time I see her or read about her all I think is ‘vanilla’. Pretty, but that’s about it.
If by interesting you mean racially insensitive then I agree ; )
Though, I will most definitely give her credit what she’s accomplished and having the ovaries to speak out on behalf of Dylan Farrow, especially with so much of Hollywood pretending like it doesn’t matter.
Well said.
If it wasn’t for her father (BW leading to big money leading to her knowing LD) I doubt we’d know about her at all..
And she is the prettiest girl in the room, but not striking or gorgeous imo.
Of course, personality plays into someones appeal very much.
“If you go into acting for love of the craft, and you dodge the fame aspect, it’s more sustainable.” Riiight… and that’s what you’re trying to do, is it?
IKR? She’s so obviously trying to be the next It Girl, so we’re supposed to believe that she’s doing it all “for her craft”? She’s a terrible liar and not coincidentally, an unremarkable actress. When Girls ends, so will she.
Every interview she gives makes her more unlike able. Maybe her phrasing is poor?
She has an awkward, stilted way of expressing herself. It makes it hard to understand her and she comes off as unnatural. Only ever saw one episode of Girls and thought she was the weak link as far as acting ability.
Perhaps by “create a career” she means “earn a shedload of cash fast so that when I have a family I don’t have to bother with the time-consuming bane of money-earning”?
If so, I can get with that. I only work, and work as much as I do, because I need to earn money to live at the standard I want. I’m not the ambitious type. But I’m not an apple pie mummies-should-be-at-home type either. Far from it.
If she’d said that I’d like her more.
I think she has some perspective on this because of who her father is. I can imagine he wasn’t around as much as she would have liked and worked constantly and missed a lot. My dad did, and I think if he had the option to do it over, if the option was available, he’d work less. I think she probably just imagines being home when she has kids and not being consumed by a career. If she can earn a living that can sustain them beforehand, that would be fabulous.
I’m the exact same way Sixer—apart from wanting to be a writer, I’m not really, truly interested in anything. Like I was thinking I would want to be a nurse, because I like to work with older people….but I hate science, etc.
And I’m not the ambitious type either–unless it comes to writing. I don’t care, really, if anyone knows my name by the time I die, but I would like to get PAID.
And if she stopped ‘Girls’ now–she should be able to do that. They get paid tons of money–just save it.
Yes. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy my job. I do it because it’s something I enjoy that also pays enough to keep me as I want to be kept. My point mostly is that I have easily enough productive interests to fill my day and some of them (including but not limited to bringing up my kids) are things I would enjoy doing MORE than I enjoy my job. The need to earn money reduces my choices somewhat. Yet others, who ARE ambitious, may find most life satisfaction in pursuing a career and gaining status and influence. I get that – it’s just not me.
But my lack of ambition and my enjoyment of my family doesn’t necessarily mean that I want to be a stay at home mother to the exclusion of all else, or that I think parenting should even be about staying at home.
Good god she is boring.
Heh yep she is. Also she reminds me of Jessica Biel back when Biel was trying to be a big name and was all over the place being papped. Both of them are very gorgeous/pretty women with nice figures but their acting is nothing to write home about.
Right? I couldn’t even finish skimming.
Like all kinds of women around the world who get knocked up and leave their employers hanging. Wow, how original.
Wow… That is a perspective I’ve not heard before…
My husband owns his own business and has been all kinds of screwed by present and former employees. My sister-in-law got a brand new job with benefits but kept it secret that she was pregnant until her 3 month trial period was up – just so she could screw them and go off on mat leave. Not cool.
No. Just, no.
wait, what?! what is the problem with women having children?
I didn’t say there was anything wrong with having children. Just don’t be underhanded. Read my reply above.
@Lis in response to your sister in law not disclosing that she was pregnant for 3 months- I’m not exactly sure how that’s screwing anyone over? I’ve never been pregnant, but if I was early on in a pregnancy and interviewing, I don’t think I would necessarily disclose that information either. After her maternity leave, she’ll still need a job (and its benefits) to provide for her children. All of the working pregnant women I’ve known have worked all the way up to maybe a day or two prior to giving birth, take their 6 weeks off and are back at work. That’s hardly screwing an employer over.
Who takes six weeks off? My SIL got the job and then was off on mat leave for a year.
I wouldn’t put it in such a straightforward manner as you did, but I do get what you mean. See, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having children, but if you shouldn’t leave your employer (or co-workers) hanging once you pop a kid. Be professional, FFS! I’ve had a boss once that could not for the life of her separate her private and professional life. She would come to the office and make personal calls regarding her children all the time. She would also leave frequently to care for her kids during working hours. My co-worker and I would be often left on our own to solve problems that were way beyond our abilities/positions because my boss would leave us hanging.
I do understand that children require specific care and flexibility from the parents, but if you are a parent and a professional you should also tend to your work responsiblities, not only your personal ones. There is no problem if you need to make personal calls or leave to do whatever it is your child needs, but not all the time.
Maybe your boss didn’t have a partner who was doing their fair share of the child rearing. It often falls on women, even those with full time jobs outside the home.
@Lis,
One of the perils of tying healthcare to business. Kids are expensive and people aren’t going to stop having them. Many families require two incomes to get by (forget about saving for retirement and helping pay their kid’s education.) It’s too bad your sister’s pregnancy could have caused her to lose out on a job. It’s a reasonable fear and probably why she didn’t say anything. Also, she could still work for awhile. Obviously this isn’t something men have to think about. If they did, maybe society would be more accomodating towards families and healthcare.
You do realize that an employer is not allowed to fire a woman for being pregnant, right? And your SIL was perfectly within her rights to not disclose her pregnancy until after her probationary period was up? I get that its hard as a small business owner (REALLY, I do) but your underlying sentiment that women should be punished for going on maternity leave is part of what’s wrong with American workplaces today.
No, I was born yesterday. Thanks for explaining it to me.
She’s really pretty, and kudos to her if she can walk away from a Hollywood career and be a mom full time. But I can’t stand her character on Girls. Her character is the biggest time suck on the show.
I’ve never seen her in anything but every interview I read makes me like her less.
This statement is reflective of someone who is wealthy. Wealthy young adults people tend to pick up jobs like they’re hobbies. It depends on what they’re interested in at the moment. If you’re in the position to choose any career that you’d want (and she is), I assume it would be one of your passions. Something that you wouldn’t want to drop or walk away from even if you could. It’s a very lucky position to be in.
+1! Agree 100%.
Like tin foil on a piece of white bread.
(Lol, sorry. I just find her utterly charmless, and that’s the image this metallic-y shoot immediately put in my mind…)
Thank you. My first chuckle of the morning was glorious.
I actually really like this girl. She is definitely hustling but I’m not going to shade her for it. Ambition is hardly a crime and the reality is that in Hollywood, you have to strategize it. She doesn’t have a lot going for her right now with Girls as her only credit. If she can get a fashion or cosmetics contract, that can keep her profile up while she hustles. So why not? She’s certainly got the looks and body. These pictures are gorgeous, especially the top one. I think by fame she means the constant pap walks, not magazine features.
The rest of her quote about walking away to be a mom is ‘or a balance of both’. That seems like a pretty normal 25 year old dream. It is a bit idealistic but that happens when kids aren’t in the picture yet. I just don’t see any reason to shade her. She’s pretty, smart, hustling for her career, and IMO, improving quickly on Girls. What’s to hate?
I think that the quote about her wanting to have a career that she can walk away from is funny. To me, that means that she can walk away from it because she has a mediocre body of work.. . reach for the stars Allison!! Although I do agree that she probably just isn’t expressing herself well here.
Or she has enough money and she finds motherhood a more satisfying career than acting, or maintaining a career in a very competitive business.
I don’t know who she is. But it is senseless. One can have any career and walk away from it once you have children. Did I miss something? Or is she just not very bright?
She reminds me of Brian Williams (NBC news anchor) which is no surprise since that’s her dad!
I love her dad. That’s all I got. 😉
She’s the kind of girl I loathe and bait, then feel guilty afterwards. This type of human is the result of parenting and genetic perfection. No grit. No dirt. But nothing to justify hatefulness. Who wants to play care giver or DNA roulette and play the odds of creating a flawed genius; hence the Allison doll.
I think it’s ridiculous that a 25-year-old is making this kind of grand statement about walking away from her career – is this imminent? Or something she’s planning in 5 or 10 years? Either way, she seems like she’s just trying to be sooo mature and say something sooo provocative, but it just comes off silly.