IN CONVERSATION WITH TREW MULLEN

interview by JANA LETONJA

Trew Mullen is quickly emerging as one of Hollywood’s most compelling new presences, an actor whose work lives at the intersection of cinema, fashion, and art. After turning heads in 2024’s buzzy box-office hit ‘Blink Twice’, Trew is poised for a major breakthrough with her role in A24’s ‘The Moment’, starring opposite Charli XCX. With a background in modeling, a deep love for poetry and writing, and a natural fluency in fashion, she brings a singular, art-first sensibility to every space she enters—on screen and off.

coat C2H4
shirt, tie and trousers vintage ORGANIC RESEARCH GROUP
shoes CHARLES & KEITH

You’re entering a very visible moment in your career with the release of ‘The Moment'. How does this phase feel from the inside?

“The space between your public and private self is where all the suffering lives.” I feel that right now, a little embarrassed and self-conscious.

What initially drew you to ‘The Moment’ as a project?

I liked that it’s self-aware. I liked that Charli doesn’t take herself too seriously. I’ve dog-eared it as a lesson to my future self. Ana could learn from this too. 

dress MIKIO
bag LUBELLO
shoes CHARLES & KEITH

Your character Ana lives in constant proximity to a pop star navigating pressure and chaos. How did you approach that intensity?

Ana loves control. She’s constantly scanning people. She has strong opinions and expresses almost none of them. That restraint is very conscious. She understands that gossip is a risk, so she’s careful, risk-averse. I don’t think she even drinks much, definitely not around Charli XCX. I think she fake-drinks.

She keeps her personal life private and separate. She prefers to be relied on, but not to rely on anyone else. And she’s terrified of being discovered for any of this. Because discovery means losing control. Which, inevitably, happens.

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shoes PRADA
tights SAINT SASS

How does the film explore the emotional cost of fame beyond the glamour?

It does a good job of reminding us that she’s just a person, and that she’s allowed to be. Fame complicates autonomy, privacy and selfhood.

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shoes KAUD OFFICIAL

You’ve said art is your greatest power. What does that mean to you?

I remember who I am and what I’m about. Even when I’m playing someone nothing like me, it’s the daily awareness of something more than what’s on the surface. And in all art, the hope is people acknowledge it.

How does writing poetry influence the way you approach acting?

The difficulty with acting is that it’s not intellectual. No one cares what you know about your character. They go to the movies to feel something. A poem comes from the same place.

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earrings SERTURI
shoes PRADA
tights SAINT SASS

You’ve also written a screenplay and are working on another. Do you see yourself eventually directing or producing?

One or the other, or both. Eventually. 

You move fluidly between film and fashion. How do those worlds inform each other for you, and what does fashion allow you to express that acting sometimes doesn’t?

The women I find most fashionable always feel self-governed and mysterious. Both require sensitivity and self-trust. But fashion allows choice and control. It lets you build armor. Acting makes you remove it.

shirt and tie vintage ORGANIC RESEARCH GROUP
trousers VASIA KOSTARA
glasses CUTLER AND GROSS

What kinds of stories or characters are you hoping to explore next?

Women with a great interior life. The more I have to chew on, the better. 

As your platform grows, how do you stay connected to the art that first drew you to this work?

I don’t want to confuse being seen with being understood. I think I get tired of myself when I overshare.

knitwear vintage ORGANIC RESEARCH GROUP

TEAM CREDITS:
talent TREW MULLEN
photography JESSE VOLK
styling AVIGAIL COLLINS at Forward Artists
makeup BEAU NELSON at the Wall Group
hair BARB THOMPSON at Forward Artists
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
editorial director and interview JANA LETONJA