IN CONVERSATION WITH PIPER PERABO

interview by JANA LETONJA

Piper Perabo, a Golden Globe–nominated actress known for her remarkable range and lasting screen presence, continues to shine across film, television, and stage. She’ll next star opposite Daniel Dae Kim in Prime Video’s ‘Butterfly’, a high-stakes spy thriller premiering on 13th August, and recently wowed Cannes audiences in the romantic comedy ‘Peak Everything’. Best known for standout roles in ‘Covert Affairs’, ‘Yellowstone’, and ‘Billions’, Piper has consistently balanced blockbuster hits like ‘Coyote Ugly’, ‘Looper’ and ‘Angel Has Fallen’ with acclaimed indie projects and stage performances. Beyond acting, she’s a committed activist and humanitarian, using her voice to advocate for refugee rights and social justice.

cape KOKHIA
shoes GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI
tights FALKE
glasses OXIBIS

You’re starring in Prime Video’s thriller ‘Butterfly’ opposite Daniel Dae Kim. What drew you to this project, especially one based on a graphic novel? Were you a fan of the source material beforehand?

I don't really read graphic novels at all, and I didn't know about the source material. I did an action movie almost 20 years ago with Daniel Dae Kim in Romania, in the Carpathian Mountains and the Black Sea, and we became really good friends. So, he is making this show and I was doing a movie in Iceland, and he called me and was like "What are you doing? " And I was like "Oh, I'm about to wrap this thing". And he said "Would you want to go to Korea for six months? " I always want to go some to some country that I've never been to, with a friend who was either from there or their parents are from there because then you get this great insider understanding of a place. And for six months, you know, e went all over South Korea, we filmed in 20 different cities. It was amazing. And when he said I get to play the villain, I was like "I'm in, dude".

Spy dramas have been a significant part of your career. What makes ‘Butterfly’ feel different or fresh to you?

I think that a big part of it is the aspect of the story setting in Korea and that soul. For fans of the graphic novel, who really want to go to a new world, a new universe, I feel like 'Butterfl'y is this whole new landscape. The back streets of South Korea, it really doesn't look like anywhere else in the world. I think fans are going to feel like they've got this whole new universe to explore.

dress and tie MARC JACOBS archive, courtesy of Albright Fashion Library
shoes LUCASHEVA
tights stylist’s own

You premiered ‘Peak Everything’ earlier this year at Cannes, a very different tone from ‘Butterfly’. How do you switch gears between such dramatically different genres?

I actually left Korea and was only home for about a month, maybe six weeks to prepare for 'Peak Everything' in Montreal. It's helpful that the genres are very different because then you're not sort of habitually carrying some behavior or the tone or ideas, even emotions into the other piece. It's such a different piece. The first day of 'Peak Everything', we did the first scene with Anne Émond, who's the writer and director, where I'm running down the street with Patrick and all these dogs, and after the first take, she was like "That's not the tone". So, I had to really back up and try and get on board very quickly with this very unique tone that she achieves. And actually after about five or six days, I realized what she was doing was so much cooler than what I had prepared. It was really fun to kind of let go of the reigns like that.

You were a major part of ‘Yellowstone’ during its peak seasons. What was it like working on a show that became such a pop-culture force?

What was helpful is that they filmed that show in very far western Montana, and it's very sparsely populated. The town where we make the show, you drive down the main street, and you're in the town and then out of the town in about 25 seconds. It's so small, so you don't feel the energy of the fans and the hype and everything. When you're in Western Montana, you go for a run and you'll see a herd of elk running beside you. And there's bald eagles and it's some of the best fly fishing in the world. You are really in this kind of remote, beautiful place, and it really helps keep you focused.

dress SPORTMAX
shirt KHAITE
shoes LUCASHEVA
gloves TIBI
tie MARC JACOBS archive, courtesy of Albright Fashion Library

You’ve had some incredibly memorable film roles, from ‘Coyote Ugly’ to ‘Looper’ and ‘The Prestige’. Which of those characters has stayed with you the most?

I'm a huge fan of Christopher Nolan. Obviously, he makes incredible film and I felt so fortunate to do 'The Prestige'. Christian Bale is an actor that I'm really interested in working with. But also, David Bowie was in 'The Prestige'. I'm a huge fan of his, and you have to try and be really cool around somebody like that and not freak out. For 'Looper', Ryan Johnson had made that world, and writer directors are something I really respond to because you just have one mind that's in charge of the whole universe. I remember I was shooting a scene for at kind of like a burlesque theater whorehouse, and I said "Can the guys bring guns in?" He said "No, you have to check your gun at the door". And I said "Did you know the answer to that question before I asked you, or did you just make it up right now? " And he said "Well, as long as I never forget what I say, I can make up anything that I want because it's my world". I love being on a set where the writer's not in some other country or some other time zone. You just have the mind of the story there all the time. I really liked his ideas.

‘Coyote Ugly’ became a cult classic. Did you have any idea at the time how iconic it would become?

I was so young when it came out. We made it in 1999 and the late nineties in Hollywood was a pretty challenging time actually to be a young woman. You know, Harvey Weinstein was still making movies and the landscape was just really different. And this kind of stiletto feminism movie was so cool, but at the time, I was just trying to sort of keep my head above water. It was a lot to balance, the dance, the piano, the guitar, singing, acting and being a young woman. And I didn't have a lot of friends in Hollywood. I came from a town on the coast in New Jersey and I didn't have a lot of relationships out there, so I was also just kind of watching my back. I wasn't thinking about what would happen to the movie. I was like "Let's just try and not get fired".

jacket ZIMMERMANN
skirt PRADA archive, courtesy of Albright Fashion Library

What makes a role feel worth saying “yes” to, especially at this point in your career?

I think, if it's a world that I'm interested in. I get really curious about things I've never seen before or places I've never been, and it doesn't have to be a real place, but if it's a new landscape or a new idea of a world, that's really interesting to me. And then when I talk to the filmmaker, if they have references that are sort of something that is really outside of what I first imagined, that gets so exciting. I wouldn't say I don't care what the part is, but I almost don't care what the part is. Like, the part is to get me into the world. And then once I'm there, I figure out how to advocate for that person.

You’ve returned to the stage several times, including in Neil LaBute’s ‘Reasons to Be Pretty’. How does live performance fuel your work on screen—or vice versa?

I studied theater in college and when I graduated, I intended to be a theater actor. I still go to acting class, and what we're working on in acting class is always scenes from the theater. We don't do scenes from film. And I think it's kind of the foundation of where the work is coming from. Obviously, you work different on screen than you do on film, but it's foundational. Being on the stage helps kind of reignite and clarify the process of building a character and building a scene, so that then when you're doing something on television, which works really fast and you get the scripts really late, your foundational work is strong. Plus it's just terrifying. If you screw up on camera, we can go again. But you can't screw up on the stage. But, I like things that are terrifying.

top PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO SERAFINI
trousers CALVIN KLEIN archive, courtesy of Albright Fashion Library

Outside of acting, you’re an active voice for human rights, including your work with the International Rescue Committee. What fuels that advocacy for you?

I think it was Fannie Lou Hamer, a female activist leader in the fifties and sixties, who said "I'm not free until everybody's free". And that really helps clarify things for me when I'm figuring out when to speak out. And I think I also have kind of weird relationship to social media. When I was young, it didn't exist and now it's so prevalent. When I realized that I can use the platform for something useful, that was really exciting. And especially in times right now, where our elected government isn't representing my values, my right of free speech and then the platform that I have access to because of my work, I think become a responsibility. I get so frustrated with people that are upset, but they don't do anything. Also, you don't have to have a huge Instagram following or something. It's very important to know that your elected officials all the way down to your community level are affecting change and they represent you. And so your vote is critical. I think that's how we can really make change in the world and take care of each other.

Has your activism influenced the kind of roles you choose, or the stories you want to help tell?

Sometimes it doesn't affect it at all, and sometimes it does. 'Peak Everything' really has the climate crisis in front of mind when you're thinking about the depression and anxiety of the lead character, and so it's a very strong note in the chord of the piece. That's not why I did it, but I was glad that Anne Émond wants to include that in the world she's building, and so it drew me to her. I got the role in 'Yellowstone' after Taylor Sheridan and I were having dinner and talked about things, about issues that we feel differently about. I had just been arrested for protesting Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, and it came up at dinner and he said "What? You were arrested?" And I told him the story and that's where the part that he wrote for me on 'Yellowston'e came from. The activism literally created a role and it's his interpretation of an activist.

full look PRADA archive, courtesy of Albright Fashion Library

Amidst your busy career, how do you stay grounded and recharged?

All you have to do is open the newspaper to see what's going on in the world. I live in New York City, and I always want to walk out to get my coffee when I get up in the morning. I love to walk to the coffee shop because anything that's sort of bothering me, a choice I'm making at work or a scene I'm planning, doesn't seem so dire once you step out into the world. I'm really grateful to live in that city. It helps me a lot. It's inspiring, but it also keeps me engaged in a larger thing.

What can you share with us about your upcoming projects?

'Peak Everything' was just accepted for the closing night gala for the 50th anniversary of the Toronto Film Festival. We made this movie here in Montreal, and I know that Cannes is important and Tiff will be important, but this is like their hometown premiere. It's very exciting and everybody's really jazzed. And then there's a couple of things on the horizon, but I haven't decided which to do yet.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent PIPER PERABO
photography RUBEN CHAMORRO
styling RYAN YOUNG at The Wall Group
makeup VINCENT OQUENDO at The Wall Group
hair MARIA PELO at The Wall Group
photography assistant AVERY SANTA ANA
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
editorial director and interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN
location RAY'S BAR NYC