Saoirse Ronan has such a Period Piece Face to me — I am including Lady Bird as a period piece, as it’s set in the early aughts; I have not seen it yet, but really want to — and that is something that I appreciate about her. We’ve talked about Period Piece Face here before — it is what it sounds like, namely that the actor has a face that looks like it’s from another time in history. This doesn’t mean that said actor cannot play modern — I’d argue that Adam Driver has HARDCORE Period Piece Face, for example, and he was the best part about Girls — but merely that they have the kind of visage that looks at home in Olden Times. It is easier, in fact, to have a Period Piece Face and play modern than it is to have a Modern Face and play period, because Modern Face looks weird in a period piece, whereas humans sporting Period Piece Faces are walking amongst us now. I spend a lot of time thinking about who has a Period Piece Face, and who doesn’t, as well as the people who seem like they wouldn’t, but do, and I could talk about it all day. For example: Emma Stone does NOT have Period Piece Face but you think she does until you really consider it. Jake Gyllenhaal does not have Period Piece Face UNLESS he has his beard; Maggie has raging Period Piece Face regardless. Halle Berry has Modern Face. Drew Barrymore has Modern Face. Reese Witherspoon has Modern Face. Matthew McConaughey has Period Piece Face but it’s kind of a surprise once you realize it. Naomie Harris has Period Piece Face. Julia Roberts is a total Modern Face. Anyway. I could go on all day, and I feel like there’s something I forgot to talk about…
Oh, right — her dress! Essentially, it feels to me like the women over at Rodarte have been reading a lot of Edith Wharton. That is not a bad thing. It matches, after all, her face.
[Photo by Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock]
