Vanity Fair UK April2020

Vanities / Opening Act

After a heroic turn in Sam Mendes’s Golden

Globe– and BAFTA-sweeping World War I

drama, 1917 , the London-bred leading

man has Hollywood in the palm of his hands.

Already buzzed about for 2016 ’s Sundance

standout Captain Fantastic, MacKay, 28 , stars

in True History of the Kelly Gang alongside

Russell Crowe, in theaters next month, and

later opposite Lily-Rose Depp in Wolf.

Here, some insights gleaned over a Beverly

Hills breakfast with Britain’s big breakout.

HIS PARENTS are artistically inclined

(“Mom’s a costume designer, Dad was a

stage manager”) and raised George

and his younger sister on theater and ballet.

HE HAS TIES to Australia, “rst by his

father, who hails from Adelaide, but also as

the location for three of his “lm roles. In

True History of the Kelly Gang, he stars as the

continent’s infamous outlaw Ned Kelly.

“He is their Jesse James, or a meaner, more

aggro Robin Hood. The “lm shakes up the

perspective of a legend; we explore themes

of identity, brutality, and the history of

Australia, a place that means a lot to me.”

HE ADMIRES the theater background that

Mendes brought to the 1917 set, with a

luxurious six months of rehearsals before the

cameras rolled in southern England. “It’s

like a piece of furniture that’s been crafted

over months rather than an Ikea one

that’s just put up. The Ikea one works, but

you unconsciously can feel the di™erence.

There’s something beautiful about it—time

equals understanding.”

HE READ poetry from World War I every

morning on set and listened to Tchaikovsky

on training runs.

AWARDS SEASON took him out of the trenches

and into a Hollywood fantasy: “I’ve been in

the same room as Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep,

Beyoncé, Jay-Z...and it’s mad.” Even 1917 ’s

best picture rival left him starstruck: “I met

Bong Joon Ho—I loved Parasite.”

THE LOYAL COUNTRYMAN’S last used app

was for British Airways and his room service

order is porridge.

HIS DREAM DATE would be “dancing at a blues

club in London.” As for his eligibility? “That’s

for me to know.” — 

True BRIT

GEORGE MACKAY helped lead

1917 on a path to glory. Now he’s

conquering new territory

Corison Cabernet

Sauvignon

Region: Napa Valley, California.

Flavor profile: Chock-full of

chewy black fruit, with a tinge

of leather and smoke. Pair with:

A hearty steak to bring

out the sanguine undertones

and gripping structure.

Marie-Thérèse Chappaz

Grain Arvine de Fully

Region: Valais, Switzerland.

Flavor profile: Honeyed

and floral with unctuous body and

crisp acidity. Pair with: A rösti

(a fritter-like Swiss potato dish)

or your favorite rendition of fried

potatoes, ahem, french fries!

Champagne J. Lassalle. Brut

“Cuvée Préférence” 1 er Cru

Region: Champagne, France.

Flavor profile: Elegant

and timeless. A jolt of red

currants and lemon zest.

Pair with: A classic champenoise

snack like Chaource, a soft

and creamy cows’-milk cheese.

Clothing by

Givenchy.

Tastemakers

America’s youngest-ever

certified sommelier,

Victoria James, chronicles

her experiences in her

new memoir, Wine Girl (Ecco).

Here, she deploys her

palette to suss out three delicious

sustainable wines

32 VANITY FAIR APRIL 2020

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PHOTOGRAPH BY DARIO CALMESE