MALINA PAULI WEISSMAN

STARS IN

DISNEY

SERIES

COVEN ACADEMY

 

PHOTOGRAPHY MATT JONES

FASHION EDITOR DEBORAH FERGUSON

Words by Deborah Ferguson

 

She was the girl who read us into her world as Violet Baudelaire. Now, at the edge of a new decade of work, Malina Pauli Weissman arrives on the cover of Contentmode Beauty as Briar Roberts ; the fiercely independent New Yorker at the center of Disney+ and Hulu’s Coven Academy, Tim Federle’s bewitching new series about teenage witches, warlocks and the secrets kept inside an elite New Orleans boarding school. We caught up with her on magic, messiness, and the parts of herself she stopped trying to change.

LISA ELDRIDGE BEAUTY

 

SKIN:
SEAMLESS SKIN ENHANCING TINT

SEAMLESS SKIN PINPOINT CONCEALER MICRO CORRECTING PENCIL

EYES:

SEAMLESS GLIDE EYE PENCIL in Lilac Time

EYESHADOW PALETTE in Betty

KITTEN LASH MASCARA in Black

CHEEKS:

VENTURA BALM in Meeting The Ex

LIPS:

INSANELY PIGMENTED LIP COLOR in Strawberry Shock

Jacket & Scarf: Stella McCartney

Many viewers first met you as Violet Baudelaire… What part of your own evolution do you think longtime fans will feel in your performance as Briar?

 

I think they’ll definitely feel that I’ve grown up. I was younger when I played Violet, and Briar is also a very different personality. Violet was more composed and responsible, whereas Briar has more of a rebellious edge to her. She’s more impulsive, more guarded, and a little messier. I think people who know me as Violet will get to see a different side of me with Briar.

LISA ELDRIDGE BEAUTY

 

SKIN:

SEAMLESS SKIN ENHANCING TINT

SEAMLESS SKIN PINPOINT CONCEALER MICRO CORRECTING PENCIL

EYES:

LIQUID LUREX EYESHADOW in Rosalie

SEAMLESS GLIDE PENCIL in Lilac Time

KITTEN LASH MASCARA in black

CHEEKS:

VELATURA BALM in Rose Madder

LIPS:

BAUME EMBRACE MELTING LIP COLOR in Metropolis

Top, Skirt, Gloves & Boots: SPORTMAX

Tim Federle is known for emotionally honest young characters, while executive producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer bring years of supernatural storytelling. Was there a conversation or note from them that unlocked Briar for you?

 

I had a number of conversations with Tim about Briar and how he saw her. He’s genuinely one of the most supportive people to work with and such a great guide. He really became an anchor and a mentor for me throughout the process. Having his perspective while still giving me the freedom to bring my own instincts to Briar really helped me create her. My favorite internal monologue Briar has is “why not…”

Dress: Kenzo

Blouse & Jacket: 3.1 Phillip Lim

Briar begins her journey determined to find answers on her own, but the series also explores the difference between independence and isolation. What did playing her reveal to you about being strong while still allowing yourself to be supported by others?

 

I think at the beginning Briar believes being independent means never needing anyone, and that can become isolating. I actually like that the show doesn’t suddenly turn her into someone who needs to be rescued. She can still be independent and let people show up for her. Those things don’t cancel each other out.

LISA ELDRIDGE BEAUTY

 

SKIN:

SEAMLESS SKIN ENHANCING TINT

PINPOINT CORRECTOR MICRO CORRECTING PENCIL

EYES:

SEAMLESS GLIDE EYE PENCIL

LILAC TIME EYESHADOW PALETTE in Betty

KITTEN LASH MASCARA in Black

LIPS:

INSANELY PIGMENTED LIP COLOR in Sunday Matinee

CHEEKS:

VELATURA BALM in Rose Madder

Dress: Zimmerman

Creating magic on screen often requires an actor to react to something that is not really there  or to remain completely serious when a practical effect develops a mind of its own. Which supernatural moment tested your imagination the most, and what was happening just outside the frame that viewers would never guess?

 

There were plenty of hidden tricks behind the scenes to create the illusion of real magic. While shooting the pilot, they built a rig to blow up Graves’s office and lift the potions in the vault. It was pretty surreal seeing how much they could create on set, and then watching our VFX department take it even further.

Scarf, Jacket, Jeans & Boots: Stella McCartney

If you could preserve one completely ordinary, spoiler-free moment from the set in a time capsule , not a major scene, but a small detail that captures what this experience meant to you what would it be?

 

There were so many, but my favorite was our last overnight shoot. Everyone had already wrapped around 4am but waited up for me to wrap around 8am, and somehow we spent the whole next day together celebrating our wrap. I think that captures the experience pretty well.

LISA ELDRIDGE BEAUTY

 

VELATURA BALM 

Rose Madder, Meeting the Ex, Cinnamon Bun

Jacket & Scarf: Stella McCartney

 

SKIN: SEAMLESS SKIN ENHANCING TINT, SEAMLESS SKIN PINPOINT CONCEALER, MICRO CORRECTING PENCIL

EYES: SEAMLESS GLIDE EYE PENCIL in Lilac Time, EYESHADOW PALETTE in Betty, KITTEN LASH MASCARA in Black

CHEEKS: VENTURA BALM in Meeting The Ex

LIPS: INSANELY PIGMENTED LIP COLOR in Strawberry Shock

One of the most powerful ideas within Coven Academy is that something a person has been taught to suppress or view as a flaw might become the source of their power. By the end of Briar’s journey, what question do you hope she leaves younger viewers asking themselves?

 

Maybe, “What parts of myself am I trying to change that I should actually embrace?”
I think Briar’s journey is more about understanding herself and realizing that not everything that makes you complicated is something that needs to be changed.

Briar’s hair and makeup become a visual language before she ever explains who she is. What did you want her beauty look to communicate about what she protects, rejects or refuses to reveal? Were there any specific details you helped develop with the beauty team? What did you want her beauty look to communicate?

I def had some input into Briar’s overall look. With the makeup, I really wanted to keep it minimal and not have her feel polished. As for her outfits I loved the idea that she’s not even sure what her style is yet and that she’s playing around with anything and everything. She’s putting things on depending on how she feels that day. As we got further into filming, I just kept wanting less and less done to her makeup or hair. She’s messy, that should reflect in her appearance. Briar is lived-in rather than someone who remotely cares how she is perceived.

Blouse & Jacket: 3.1 Phillip Lim

 

Which specific Lisa Eldridge Beauty product and shade stood out most during our cover shoot  and has it become something you now reach for when doing your own makeup?

 

Velatura Balm Dewy Lip and Cheek Stick. It’s so smooth, dewy and smells amazing. It’s in my everyday bag.

Photography

 
Creative Director & Fashion Editor 
 
Makeup