EXCLUSIVE: Alba Baptista Talks Languages, Lucas Bravo, & Her New Film, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Today, July 15, Focus Features released its must see, feel-good film, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. We got the chance to sit down with one of the stars of the new film, Alba Baptista.
Baptista plays the gorgeous Dior model Natasha who befriends Mrs. Harris (Lesley Manville) during her visit to Paris. During our chat with Baptista, we talked how she came to be a part of the film, fashion, languages, Lucas Bravo, and so much more. Check out what she had to say below.
How did you come to be a part of the film?
“Well, it was one of those things that, just by chance I suppose I had a meeting with the director [Anthony Fabian], there was an instant connection there, and the rest is history.
Besides the connection with Fabian, what about the film and the character drew you to wanting to be a part of the film?
“There’s the obvious factor of it being the story of the Dior House in the fifties, which is such an important mark of fashion history. That was a big reason, but also how easily I could relate to this character was also another. It felt a little kismet when I read the script and I met with the director and he saw me very, very quickly. It was a quick understanding of that this part was for me to do.”
Your character, Natasha has a number of your scenes with Lucas Bravo’s André Fauvel, which are all fantastic. The two of you have such great chemistry together. Can you talk about that chemistry and how the two of you created it?
“We were the youngsters of the cast, so naturally we bonded through that, of having this insecurity that the other actors certainly didn’t feel because of their experience. And so, we relied on each other a lot with working through the scenes, and we just hung out a lot. It was Lucas and Lesley [Manville], we were a trio that were inseparable. It was a lovely thing that wasn’t on purpose. We just got along very well, and Lesley was such a perfect element to both of us. It was very comfortable once we got on set and had to do more emotional scenes.”
Did COVID restrictions prevent you, Lucas, and Lesley from doing things off screen together?
“Yes and no. We weren’t supposed to do anything outside of set, but we did. We did sneak out for a couple dinners at Lesley’s place. We loved to cook all together and just enjoy a good night.”
Your character speaks French in the film, is that something you had to learn for the role?
“I was speaking French before the movie. I think French is the language that I’m perhaps least comfortable with, but I speak it, so it was lovely to have a French role to practice that.”
If you don’t mind me asking, how many languages do you speak?
“Five, counting the French.”
That’s amazing! Is there one language in particular that you find a little bit easier to fall into, besides obviously your native speaking one?
“I suppose English comes next. It’s the most used after Portuguese, but I grew up in a German school, so German is also very familiar to me, and French and Spanish are not too far away from Portuguese. So, I feel like I manage well.”
Well, to get back to the movie, what would you say was the most challenging part about bringing this film to life?
“Giving justice to the outfits. These models from the 1950s of the Dior House were beyond glamorous and so effortlessly confident and graceful, that I struggled for a while to make sure that I was doing a good job, which I obviously never knew. So that was the most challenging and most fun part of the job.”
Was there anything about the Dior House in 1950s that you learned that surprised you, that you didn’t know about previous to making the film?
“I remember being surprised on set that they had a little stand with a Miss Dior perfume. I didn’t know that in 1957 it was already out.”
Did you have to do much research on the Dior House during that time period?
“I was given a lot of information, but you can’t help but do your own research on such an interesting topic, obviously. I dove deep into everything I could find online and ordering books and all of that, and just obsessing over the collections of that decade.”
Was there a particular piece in the movie that was your favorite?
“I really adored the Puerto Rico dress from the 1954 collection, which is this polka dot. The cut was just phenomenal. All of the cut from that decade was so, so, so fitting to each woman’s body that I loved. And I really adored that wedding dress that I wore.”
The fashion industry of now is so different from the fashion world of the 1950s. If you had to choose, would you prefer to be back in the 1950s or stick with today’s fashion industry?
“I would go back. I’m not a fashion expert. I just know that I resonated very much with the whole process of learning about the fashion trends at the time and the delicacy that came with each dressmaking. It’s just, not dismissing the process of nowadays, but there’s just something romantic and nostalgic about that era.”
Well, my final question for you today is what are you hoping fans get from the movie?
“I hope they feel good and warm inside, that this gives them some color to leave the cinema, and yeah, I don’t think it’s a film where you need to digest and talk about it for days to come. It’s an entertainment that provides warmth, I really believe. And that’s something that I think we might just need during this time.”
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Photo credit: Dávid Lukács / © 2021 Ada Films Ltd – Harris Squared Kft