ONE of the stars of Lisa Brühlmann’s coming-of-age fantasy film Blue My Mind, Zoë Pastelle is a creative force to keep a keen eye on in the coming years. The gifted Zurich-based youngster, who plays popular teen Gianna, is set to take the worlds of film, lifestyle and fashion by storm.
Close-up Culture is delighted to welcome Zoë onto the site to talk about her role in Blue My Mind, Instagram and veganism.
Q: Blue My Mind sounds like a fascinating story of teen angst and body transformation. What can you tell us about the film and what we should expect?
A: YOU can expect a thrilling coming-of-age story with fantasy elements mixed into an every day setting. The focus is on a young girl who tries to fit into the environment she grows up in. The film shows how important it is to trust in one’s natural instincts and to find where one truly belongs. There is a tremendous transformation going on within the main character, mirrored by a body transformation.
Q: As you allude to, the film has the metaphor of Mia turning into a fish. I wonder, what was your reaction to the script and is Mia’s struggle one you could relate to at all?
A: MY first thought was: this is crazy – but brilliant at the same time. I found myself relating to the characters of Mia and Gianna (my role) very quickly. I think everybody more or less went through insecurities during youth, and trying to figure out one’s own identity and so there is generally a big relatability to the main character here.
Q: You play a popular girl named Gianna who Mia gets close to and wants to impress. What did you enjoy – or perhaps not enjoy – about playing Gianna?
A: IT was funny, at first I thought it was going to be easy to play Gianna. She can be very mean and seems very confident in the beginning, but it turned out that this outer persona is just a mask. It is Gianna’s way of dealing with her own insecurities. Her development – the process of taking that mask off – is where the challenge of that role lay, and that’s what made this role so appealing to me.
Q: This is director Lisa Brühlmann’s first feature. What was she like to work with? Did her prior experience as an actor shape her approach to you and your cast-mates?
A: IT was an honour to work with someone as talented as Lisa. I loved the way she worked with all us. The whole team was very close.
What is special is how she puts an emphasis on finer details which otherwise would be overlooked or dismissed quickly. She had the ability to let us dive into her world during the shooting days, which could maybe come from her own past as an actress.
Q: You are a fashion and lifestyle blogger and have one of the best Instagram pages on the entire platform. What do you enjoy about the platform?
A: I LIKE slipping into different roles while acting, but also in my activities online. I do the same on my social media, finding different facets of myself daily. My job gives me the ability to travel a lot, which is a passion of mine too. I’m a very curious person and love exploring places, cultures and people. I like sharing those experiences with people.
Q: I was also interested to read you are living a vegan lifestyle. What led you to veganism and how are you finding it?
A: IT was a decision I took together with my family when I was young. We saw on the Internet what producing meat and animal products really means – it was eye-opening.
This was already 11 years ago. At this time, nobody knew what veganism was, the whole movement was completely new and just starting. It’s crazy how that changed, nowadays everybody at least seems to know what veganism is. I hope that I can inspire other people through my lifestyle.
Q: What is next for you? Any ambitions you can share with us?
A: I JUST founded my own company, and we’re still in the midst of all the paperwork that comes along. There’s new exciting projects on the way of which I don’t want to reveal too much about yet (smiles).