“It’s so hard to play around with your identity,” she says. “It’s dangerous, actually.”
Julia Garner is a little nervous at the start of our interview, and it has nothing to do with her slew of upcoming film projects, many of which are being kept under wraps. “My dog might come in at any second,” she says, eyes darting back and forth between the door and our Zoom. After a long pause, she lets out a sigh. “I think he’s good,” she says. When I tell Garner, who appears on our 2023 Hollywood cover, that I’m thinking of getting a dog myself, she smiles. “You’re going to understand the stressful Zooms of locking your dog in a room, and then…[mimics her dog whining].”
One thing Garner remains calm and collected about is her career. “I don’t worry about it because, to be honest, I know what I’m capable of doing as an artist,” says the actor, who’s been on an award-winning streak since starring in Ozark back in 2017, earning an Emmy nomination last year for her performance in Inventing Anna as well. Still, she remembers the moments of doubt from earlier in her career: “I actually remember those moments more than the good, because I feel like any kind of professional trauma is character-building. It makes you work to the point where you don’t get to that place again. It makes you work harder.” Now, Garner has two new movies coming our way: The Royal Hotel (from Kitty Green, who directed her in The Assistant) and Apartment 7A. Ahead, excerpts from a conversation about navigating a career and wrestling with the complexities of social media.
Vanity Fair: When was the first time you truly felt like a professional actor?
Julia Garner: The first time I felt like acting wasn’t just a hobby, honestly, was when I got my first professional job in Martha Marcy May Marlene. I was 16 and I remember getting that first paycheck and becoming a member of SAG. I was fixated on the SAG card and remember being like, “Wow, I’m a real actor.” That’s where I really learned how to be on a set.
At that time, Sundance was still super independent. There weren’t tons of endorsements happening there. Only certain people had iPhones and BlackBerries. You had to pay for the internet every month, and the people who did have internet were lawyers, not actors. My mom wasn’t going to pay the extra money. Things were a little different.
In terms of your career, how far ahead are you strategizing? Are you always thinking, say, five years in advance?
It’s such a complicated question. When I was 21, I had a pretty dry year. This was before I booked Ozark. It wasn’t a great year for me as an actor. I felt a little hopeless. I wasn’t getting jobs for a few months. It was really hard. I remember thinking, If I’m still in the same place in five years, I don’t want to do this. It’s a really hard business and there are other businesses out there other than acting. I was still young at the time, but it’s tough because in the acting world, 21 is young, but it’s not so young. You’re not 16 or 17 anymore. You’re not the bright, shiny new toy, and this business relies on shining. They love a shiny new toy. I booked Ozark and I kept pushing because I felt like I still had a lot to do.
When you told yourself that you’d quit acting and do something else if you were in the same place in five years, did you know what that “something else” would be?
No. So I’m going to be honest: I’m not good at a lot of things, so I was like, “This acting thing better work out.” I’m somewhat decent at acting. And I just continued to have the stamina, worked really hard, and not have entitlement.
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